Now Playing Thread

[Teunis]

Frost* - "Falling Satellites"
Getting better and better with each listen. Would end up very high in my 2016 year list, but I'm saving the number 1 spot for Neal Morse.

Still not convinced yet, but I'm trying. And yes, I expect the NMB album to be in my top-3 as well. What an awesome new track .

np: Oak - Lighthouse

[PH]

np: Oak - Lighthouse

What's Oak?

NP:
Marillion - "F.E.A.R."
I do understand the comparison with "Marbles" a bit. Same atmosphere. But the latter has stronger songs I think.

[PH]

What's Oak?

Nevermind. Just read the progstreaming topic.
I once was very interested in Airbag's (free) digital EP, before they even released a full studio album. But it's all very mellow. They're still on my list to check out. So when I do and like it, I'll check out their guitar player's solo output, and when I like that, I'll check related bands.
Long way to go....

[Teunis]

So when I do and like it, I'll check out their guitar player's solo output, and when I like that, I'll check related bands.
Long way to go....

Yeah, there's so much to check out, can't have it all. Fortunately Spotify has most of it .

jp: Agent Fresco - Destrier
np: X-Panda - Reflections

[PH]

Earlier today:
Rick Wakeman - "Night Airs" (Spotify)
Really nice piano album. Very relaxing. Are there any Rick Wakeman fans around here? Is there another album of his that I need to check on Spotify?

Opeth - "Sorceress" (Spotify)
Another winner, this one. Slightly heavier than its two predecessors, but not even close to "Watershed". But that doesn't mean it's a bad album! I really like this!

Just played:

Riverside - "Love, Fear And The Time Machine"
Not my favourite Riverside album, but it's definitely one of the best albums of 2015. Still like "S.O.N.G.S." better.

Now listening to:

Marillion - "F.E.A.R."
This is not bad and is really growing on me! I really need to do a top 10 of Marillion albums.

[Teunis]

jp: Shadow Gallery - Prime Cuts (Too long ago that I played music of this band )
np: Profuna Ocean - In Vacuum (Preparing for Saturday's gig)

[Teunis]

jp: Knight Area - Hyperdrive
np: Aisles - Hawaii

[Nicky007]

Opeth - "Sorceress"

Guess I belong to the #MakeOpethGrowlAgain# movement. Ghost Revolution was a blast. This was their heyday

I was so fortunate as to see them thrice during this period, at Kulturbolaget and Malmö Festival in Malmö, and Copenhell - fabulous concerts, the guys really delivered.

These days one would have to listen to them play acoustic guitars and Mike Å peeping thru several songs - a bit weird, I'd say


NP  Periphery:  Select Difficulty  &  Juggernaut Alpha

Oh man, this forenoon it was Periphery Fest, this group really does it for me

And Spence, he does the whole caboodle: clean, shout, growl, color(atura), bass - what a great singer

- Nicky

[Teunis]

jp: Lonely Robot - Please Come Home (New album @ the end of this year/beginning next year, curious.)
np: Blind Ego - Numb (New album to be released tomorrow, looking forward to it. What I've heard from it is sounding great!)

[Teunis]

Fischer-Z ~ This Is My Universe

[PH]

jp: Lonely Robot - Please Come Home (New album @ the end of this year/beginning next year, curious.)

Totally forgot about that one. Is there some recent info on this?

Guess I belong to the #MakeOpethGrowlAgain# movement. Ghost Revolution was a blast. This was their heyday

To be honest, I wouldn't mind when they decide to do a growling/real metal album again. But I guess I'll just go with whatever they decide to put out. Because it's still very good music.

[Bupie]

PP Magenta - Seven

I have listened to A LOT of neo/symphonic prog this year and, after picking this one randomly on the CD shelf and playing it, I was just reminded of how great it is and how high it stands on my prog ladder  Unfortunately, things went downward from there and while I still greatly enjoy Home and New York Suite, the last two albums have been huge disappointments ...

NP Arena - Contagion Max

Actually, I had never listened to it while reading the story in the booklet at the same time. It certainly adds to the atmosphere and to the power of the music. What a great album ! Thanks so much Erik for pushing so much to make this happen 

[Nicky007]

NP  Fear Factory:  Demanufacture

This is their best-known album, from 1995. FF were quite big in metal circles at the time, and metal circles were bigger than now. You could even see FF in MTV, just like Metallica and Slayer. Those days are definitely over, comfort music has won a lotta territory

Even "proggies" have very much settled down to their beaten tracks: You got the Arena fans, who can stretch as far as Dream Theater, maybe even sniff a bit of Opeth growl, but definitely no further!!! the many Maiden, Rammstein, and Volbeat fans that consider themselves coool cuz they really listen to metal ... but where are the real progressives, those who are constantly on the move, trying out everything, turning every leaf - adventurously, fearlessly?

I'd sure like to see more of them ....

When I mention Fear Factory, most people look blank of course, but if they do respond, they say either Demanufacture or Obsolete. Yeah, OK These were great and adventurous albums - back in the f*in mid-90's.

Burt and Dino made one more album together, the excellent Digimortal, broke up, did a lotta fascinating stuff separately for some six years, and then found each other again - and Rhys too - and made three utterly groundbreaking albums: Mechanize, The Industrialist, and Genexus

Man, if one hasn't listened to these albums, one really doesn't know what's goin on in metal these days - one has simply stalled - in comfort - OK, maybe at a higher level than the Maiden listener, but still ...


First listen of Demanufacture - hey, pretty good

- Nicky

[PH]

Even "proggies" have very much settled down to their beaten tracks: You got the Arena fans, who can stretch as far as Dream Theater, maybe even sniff a bit of Opeth growl, but definitely no further!!! the many Maiden, Rammstein, and Volbeat fans that consider themselves coool cuz they really listen to metal ... but where are the real progressives, those who are constantly on the move, trying out everything, turning every leaf - adventurously, fearlessly?

You know, no offence but you're really starting to sound like a broken record now. You think we're not proggy enough, that's ok, I think we got that already. I think the extreme metal territory you're residing in nowadays is not that proggy either, and you're not doing yourself a favour by neglecting the softer side of prog, but at least I'm not ranting on about it. But you seem to think 'heavier is proggier'.
I also want to say that I really like to read about it when you write so passionately about these bands, so please don't stop. You know I tried a lot of the bands you mentioned and some of it I really like and some of it I don't. But I think you've got to accept the fact that you're not really winning people over by calling them not real proggies/boring when they don't like this or that band... Dunno about others, but to me it seems a little immature...

I know you do it to provoke a discussion, so there you go.





NP:
Riverside - "Eye Of The Soundscape" (Spotify)
Instrumental album with the last contribution by Piotr. Really liking this.

[Teunis]

Totally forgot about that one. Is there some recent info on this?

No, not from John Mitchell himself. But I read on the releases list on Progwereld.org 'end 2016'. It was my guess/hope .

np: Blind Ego - Liquid (On Spotify. Was hoping for the real disc today, but my record shop didn't mail me. Well, at least I can play it now. Sounding great ).

[Teunis]

jp: IQ - The Road Of Bones
np: Riverside - Eye Of The Soundscape (On Spotify, I'll hear it before buying. A whole instrumental/ambient album mostly bores me and it's even a 2cd ... )

[PH]

jp: IQ - The Road Of Bones

Good idea!

np: Riverside - Eye Of The Soundscape (On Spotify, I'll hear it before buying. A whole instrumental/ambient album mostly bores me and it's even a 2cd ... )

Yes, but I really liked the bonus discs of the last two releases. They don't bore me at all. As usual, you have to be in the right mood for it I guess.

NP:
IQ - "The Road Of Bones"

[Nicky007]

I know you do it to provoke a discussion, so there you go.

Just trying to shake that comfort a bit and conjure up some more adventure spirit. Didn't get a reaction till now. Not surprised that it came from you, Paxi

Good to hear that you've tried out some of the stuff that I recommended; that is the prog spirit, and it's as much as I can expect; I shouldn't expect you to have the same taste as me

I actually do listen to softer stuff too, doing lotta Bob Dylan these days and:

NP  Conjure One:  Holoscenic

The third FF-dude, Rhys Fulber. A very special mix of atmospheric almost new-age moods with catchy rhythms, and several different women singing. Nice, and I can share it with Ms 007

- Nicky

[Teunis]

jp: Blind Ego - Liquid
np: Lee Abraham - The Seasons Turn

Both albums!

[Teunis]

X-Panda - Reflections 

[PH]

Yes - "Close To The Edge"

Yes - "Relayer"

Yes - "Fragile"

[Teunis]

jp: Frost* - Falling Satellites
np: Alan Reed - First In A Field Of One

[Teunis]

jp: The Pineapple Thief - Your Wilderness
np: Thence - We Are Left With A Song

[maddox]

Vanden Plas ~ The Seraphic Clockwork

This is such an extraordinary band.
Great lyrics, great music, quality every time they release a new album.
Though their latest two efforts is a little bit too much fantasy for my taste.
The Seraphic Clockwork however, is one of their best albums to this date.

What I really like about this band is that there is not one person that presents his self as the leading man.
Everyone is important, nobody stands out, all is a team effort. 

It's a German. 

[Steve Jones]

Marillion - "F*** Everyone And Run"