Home Prog Rock Archive by category "Prog Sub-Genres" (Page 4)

Category: Prog Sub-Genres

Flying with the Super band Flying Colors’ Album Second Nature!

Second NatureOne of the albums that I’ve been listening to over the last month or so is the second release from Flying Colors Second Nature. Flying Colors is a band composed of  a terrific group of musicians. Here’s the story about the genesis of the band. From the band’s website…

It started with a simple idea: virtuoso musicians and a pop singer joining to make new-fashioned music the old fashioned way. A band followed, evolving into Flying Colors: Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Dave LaRue (bass), Neal Morse (keyboards, vocals), Casey McPherson (lead vocals), and Steve Morse (guitar). Together, they create a unique fusion of vintage craftsmanship, contemporary music and blistering live performances. Read More read more

Flying with the Super band Flying Colors’ Album Second Nature!

Second NatureOne of the albums that I’ve been listening to over the last month or so is the second release from Flying Colors Second Nature. Flying Colors is a band composed of  a terrific group of musicians. Here’s the story about the genesis of the band. From the band’s website…

It started with a simple idea: virtuoso musicians and a pop singer joining to make new-fashioned music the old fashioned way. A band followed, evolving into Flying Colors: Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Dave LaRue (bass), Neal Morse (keyboards, vocals), Casey McPherson (lead vocals), and Steve Morse (guitar). Together, they create a unique fusion of vintage craftsmanship, contemporary music and blistering live performances. Read More read more

Exploring the Crossover Prog of Umphrey’s McGee – Similar Skin!

One of the albums that has been in my rotation for a couple of weeks now is the latest release from Umphrey’s McGee Similiar SkinSimilar Skin. Umprhey’s McGee is a crossover prog band with a large following known alternately as “Umphreaks” and “McGeeks. Here’s what they say on their website about the band…..

 Umphrey’s McGee has risen to the upper echelons of the improvisational-rock scene through their seamless compositing of diverse musical influences, from progressive-rock to metal to funk to folk to jazz-fusion to classic song-based rock-and roll, all woven together with infectious melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, pristine harmonies, blistering musicianship, and rollicking grooves that keep dem bones a-shaking throughout the course of their patented sonic sagas. read more

Exploring the Psychedelic/Space Rock of the UK’s Amplifier – Mystoria!

So yesterday the soundtrack for my run (you can read about the run here) was the latest release MystoriaMystoria from the UK psychedelic/Space rock band Amplifier. Amplifier plays highly original material using deeply personal lyrics with walls of noise and stunning melodies. Mystoria is the fifth studio album from the band. They have also released several singles and EPs and one live album.  The original members of the band were Sel Balamir lead guitarist and vocalist, Matt Brobin on drums and bassist Neil Mahony. After there 2011 release the band members changed with former Oceansize guitarist Steve Durose and bassist Alex “Magnum” Redhead joining the band in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The last two years have been a very prolific period in the band’s history. Between Echo Street and Mystoria the band released the EP Sunriders, which was followed by Live in Barcelona 2013. This contrasts with the release of only one EP Eternity that they release in the five years between Insider (2006) and The Octopus (2011). Balamir explains it like this…. read more

Exploring the Prog/Post-Rock Music of Tampa’s Tides of Man – Young and Courageous

So far this week  I have run two days, first on Sunday and then again yesterday. Young and CourageousSunday’s run was a struggle, and yesterday’s while only slightly faster was a bit easier! The soundtracks for each run was a progressive rock band. On Sunday  I listened to Tides of Man and their release Young and Courageous and yesterday, the soundtrack was Forest Field and their current release Onwards and Upwards.

Tides of Man is currently an instrumental prog/post-rock band, I say currently because Young and Courageous is an instrumental album but earlier albums had vocals. The vocalist Tilian Pearson left the band in 2010 after the release of the band’s second album Dreamhouse. Since then they have auditioned singers but have yet to find a replacement, hence the release of an instrumental album! The band says that they are in the midst of an identity crisis! read more

New Progressive Metal from the US’s Oceans of Night – Midnight Rising!

The latest album from the band Oceans of Night, Midnight Rising, has been in my listening rotation for a few weeks now,  Midnight Risingit’s even been a soundtrack for one of my runs, and it is becoming one of my favorite prog albums! Oceans of Night is according to the band’s website…..

….  a modern rock band – equal parts progressive rock and modern heavy metal, wrapped around powerful vocal melodies and evocative guitar work served with a distinct ambient flavor. Conjuring epic and dynamic music with an cinematic twist, each Oceans of Night release is a dramatic musical experience that demands your undivided attention. With 3 CD’s currently in circulation (and 4 other CDs released eponymously under Scott Mosher) Oceans of Night are forging a brave new path in the world of progressive metal music. read more

Exploring the Symphonic Prog of Germany’s Traumhaus – Ausgeliefert and Das Geheimnis!

AusgeliefertSo one of the things that I really like about Prog Rock is that the genre is global in nature, and the bands can virtually come from anywhere in the world!! Typically, most of the vocals are in English making it harder to pinpoint the homeland of the band. That is not a problem with Traumhaus, whose vocals are in their native language – German!! I discovered the band on progstreaming, where I saw their latest release Das Geheimnis (The Secret) I listened for a bit and then went to Spotify to find the album so that I could download it, to listen to it more fully. The album was not a Spotify, I did find though a just released album Ausgeleiffert. The album is a re-release of the band’s self-titled first album, which was released in 2001. The re-re-release includes some new cover art work and two bonus tracks “Die Reise” (The Journey) and Die Andere Seite (The Other Side). read more

Exploring the Crossover Prog Rock of Finland’s The Chant – New Haven!

new havenThe album that was the soundtrack for my run on Thursday was New Haven, the latest release from the Finnish crossover prog. band The Chant. The album has been in my rotation for about a week now and it’s one of those albums, that get better with each repeated listen!

The Chant has been around since 1999. First, there were three Jussi Hämäläinen(guitar/vocals), Mari Jämbäck (keyboards) and Ilpo Paasela (vocals), then four when  Kimmo Tukiainen(guitar) joined the group. The final count which has been fairly stable over the life of the band was six, after Markus Forsström (bass) and Roope Sivén(drums) came on board. read more

Exploring the Symphonic Progressive Rock of Netherland’s – Minor Giant – On the Road

Minor Giant albumOne of the albums that has been in my listening rotation for a while now is the debut album of a symphonic rock/progressive rock band from the Netherlands Minor Giant, and with each listen I like the album more and more.

The first seeds of the band were sown in 2010 when at 16 years old the founder of the band Rindert Lammers composed and recorded several instrumental symphonic progressive rock tracks. Then in 2011 Rindert posted an instrumntal demo to Soundcloud, soon thereafter vocals from Christiaan Bruin (Sky Architect, Chris) were added to the track. The second seeds were sown when Rindert sent out a call for musicians to join him to record an album! The first musician to respond was drummer Roy Post, who became a co-leader of the band. Post handled the organization and communication end of the band’s business allowing Lammers to focus creating the music! Finally the seeds germinated when bass player Harry den Hartog (ex-PBII), guitar player/vocalist Jordi Repkes and keyboard player Jos Heijmans joined the duo of Lammers and Post. After meeting on the studio and working on two tracks, the band the group clicked and Minor Giant was formed!! read more

Exploring the Music of Spain’s Kant, Freud, Kafka – No Tengas Miedo – Symphonic or Not!

KantFreudKafkaAfter my run last night, I was pretty much physically drained, I took a shower, ate and then wrote a post at Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries. After that, I was going to write about my run and its soundtrack, which was the new album from The Royal Southern Brotherhood. While I was getting ready to write that post, I went to look up something about a prog band that I listened to earlier in the day Rite of Passage. wasn’t having much luck finding information, so I went to progstreaming, where I first saw their album. While I was browsing for the Rite of Passage album, I noticed another album No Tengas Miedo from Kant Freud Kafka. I went to Spotify found the album and gave it a listen and really liked the music. I set out to find more out about the band, off to ProgArchives. I ended up at the ProgArchives forum where there was a discussion among the leaders of the various sub-genre groups, whether or not, the band belonged in the Symphonic sub-genre. As I was listening, I was agreeing that the band was not symphonic, but more fusion/jazz oriented, but definitely prog and definitely good! Here is what I learned at New Prog Rock Releases….. read more