Now Playing Thread

[Iggy]

NP: Sylvan - Sceneries

This one has really clicked for me.  It's on my to buy list, and I want to check out more Sylvan.  As to epics, it has five songs, and I think the shortest comes in at something over 14 minutes.      That bring up an interesting question: what qualifies a song as an epic?  Is Opera Fanatica too short?  (of course it is since I could listen to an hour of that song, but for epic purposes ...)

Sounds like I should check out Sean Filkins too.  If Mr. Mitchell is on it, how could it be bad?      I have the samples on the Filkins website cued up to play after Sylvan finishes.

I'll also add my endorsement to Gazpacho.  Try something fairly recent (Night or newer -- Night is my favorite by a hair).  I was going to suggest listening to their live album, London, on progrstreaming, but it appears to have dropped off the list.     It mostly (entirely?) has songs from the last three studio albums.  I still have to check out their older stuff, but I'm led to believe they didn't really hit their stride until Night.

I like Sceneries as well and as for Gazpacho Bravo is a cracking Album as well. Night for me is a superb not a bad track on it.

Great ! I thought I was the only one (with Deenfan when he passes by  ) to like it here. The Seven Angels is enough to make Part 2 worth of buy but Chalice Of Agony is really a huge favorite of mine

I acually own all of the Avantasia catalogue and was a little disappointed with the last CD.

[tired_of_dancing]

Bruce Springsteen - Dream Baby Dream

Well, as goodnight-song. Soothing.
Worth checking out guys and try if it works for you. Especially at the end of a shitty day.
Always the same words. Dream Baby Dream. I just wanna see you smile. Come on darling dry your eyes. Dream Baby Dream.
Its like a mantra and its crazy how he's able to soothe you and he captivates you into it for minutes and leaves you with a smile.
A rarer Springsteen track, I stumbeled upon by incident. He did it as encore on Devils & Dust tour.
A cover, original by Suicide.

[maddox]

Radiohead ~ The Bends

[Manatee]

NP: Syncromind Project - Synchronized

Some nice instrumental prog metal I found on progstreaming.  This one's also available as a (legal) free download.  Bit of a coincidence since I'd just played all the Cloudkicker I had last night.

[maddox]

As do I.  I thought she was mine with Steve out of the picture.  Now I have to fight you for her?   

Hehe, I just saw this! 

Nah, my love for her is just platonic, it has got nothing to do with actual love so you are free to make your move. 

NP> Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) ~ Everything is Changing

Quite radiofriendly rock songs, but every song she sings is marvelous, no matter the direction.
Some melodies even reminds me a bit of ... Ayreon.
Highly enjoyable! 

[Manatee]

NP> Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) ~ Everything is Changing

Quite radiofriendly rock songs, but every song she sings is marvelous, no matter the direction.
Some melodies even reminds me a bit of ... Ayreon.
Highly enjoyable! 

As it happens, I'd just heard a song from Ayreon on Morow.com last night (from the album with the 0's and 1's).  I was immediately sure it was Anneke on vocals.  She does have a great voice.  She also sings on the Addicted album from the Devin Townsend Project (and I think a few songs on the other albums as well).  An interesting phenomenon in the prog world is that artists frequently appear on projects other than their own, and sometimes that's where they give their best performances.

[aswas]

Thanks Manatee. Good to be back.

Pendragon  Pure

Banco  Darwin

Arena  The Visitor - Still my fave

[Nicky007]

NP  Blue Öyster Cult:  Curse of the Hidden Mirror 

Nicky.

[Bupie]

Today, in order of appearance :

Martin Orford : The Old Road
Phideaux : Doomsday Afternoon
Steve Hackett : Tokyo Tapes
Vanden Plas : Beyond Daylight
Seventh Wonder : The Great Escape

I am quietly climbing the steps towards evening heaviness 

[Bupie]

Sean Filkins - War And Peace & Other Short Stories

[Bupie]

Seventh Wonder : The Great Escape

I am really stuck with this one these days. At first listens, Alley Cat overshadowed the other songs but now I find them almost equally brilliant. I can't believe that this album and previous from SW have so few reviews on Progarchives  It's just a progmetal masterpiece IMHO 

I am eager to visit their back catalog since Mercy Falls and even Waiting In The Wings received more praise.

[Nicky007]

I am eager to visit their back catalog since Mercy Falls and even Waiting In The Wings received more praise.

Those are great too, but with The Great Escape, SW surpassed themselves 


NP  Psychotic Waltz:  A Social Grace  &  Into The Everflow

A group that's even more unjustly ignored 

Formidable 

Looks like they'r preparing a new album 

Anyone into PW ?

Nicky.

[Bupie]

I know that they were a prog metal band of the early 90's with a cool name but I haven't heard anything from them. They gather good reviews on PA, though.

NP Martin Orford - The Old Road

Considering my avatar, this light neo prog offering of the now retired Martin (I hope he will come back one day  ) didn't take long to get my dead reckoning 

[Manatee]

JP: Arena - TSDOS (I finally posted my review!  )
     Marillion - Marbles

NP: Martin Orford - Classical Music and Popular Songs

This is the only one of your new purchases that I know, Bupie, but I give it a  .

Also, as to this recent grouping of albums (last two left off since I don't know them), I have the following to say:

Martin Orford : The Old Road
Phideaux : Doomsday Afternoon
Steve Hackett : Tokyo Tapes

If you had a radio show, I would listen to it.   


Nicky, I don't know Psychotic Waltz.  Maybe progstreaming will get their new album, and I can give them a thorough listen.  I don't really know Seventh Wonder either, but they're so well-liked in the Room that I think I'd better give them a try.

[Bupie]

If you had a radio show, I would listen to it.   

Thanks. If I had one, you would be my US correspondent : it would be the occasion to give some airplay to the other DT ... but I would not place you in charge of the prog metal section 

Joke aside, DPRP (that some of our Dutch Roomies know very well) already runs a great prog radio show 

NP : Festival Music 2011 Sampler CD including numerous incredibly great songs by artists whose name is familiar to many prog fans but whose outputs remain rather confidential 

[Iggy]

Sean Filkins - War And Peace & Other Short Stories

Indeed it is  . I liked it very much on the first listen. I hope it isn't a shrinker 

NP IO Earth - Moments. It is a fairly gentle affair and easy to listen to whilst working.

[Iggy]

  I don't really know Seventh Wonder either, but they're so well-liked in the Room that I think I'd better give them a try.

I have all of their stuff and the latest 2 are the best imho.

[Manatee]

NP: Exawatt - Among Different Sights    Italian prog metal.  After a couple of listens, it's pleasant but not earth-shaking.

Also Played:

DeeExpus - The King of Number 33
Agents of Mercy - The Black Forest
Sylvan - Sceneries

If the other Sylvan albums are anywhere close to as good as this one, I will have to get them all.   

Indeed it is  . I liked it very much on the first listen. I hope it isn't a shrinker 

  Great (but scary) concept.  I think that happens a lot with non-prog -- catchy tunes but then you've heard all there is to hear after a handful of plays.

[Nicky007]

I know that they were a prog metal band of the early 90's with a cool name but I haven't heard anything from them.

Nicky, I don't know Psychotic Waltz.  Maybe progstreaming will get their new album, and I can give them a thorough listen.

PW were one of the most groundbreaking bands. (Let's see if they still are with their expected new album.) They'r very difficult to get into, but with the required patience, very fulfilling and lasting 

Particularly Devon Graves' (in PW aliased Buddy Lackey) singing is a treat. It's astonishing, he can take his voice into impossible places, and always controlled and precise 

I don't really know Seventh Wonder either, but they're so well-liked in the Room that I think I'd better give them a try.

But they'r very heavy, Greenie, and maybe you'l think that they'r too heavy for your age 

Nicky.

[Bupie]

Sylvan - Sceneries

If the other Sylvan albums are anywhere close to as good as this one, I will have to get them all.   

I read mixed reviews about Sceneries, some people arguing that some songs are unnecessarily overstretched. So, as an introdcution to Sylvan, I was thinking of getting Posthumous Silence instead.

  Great (but scary) concept.  I think that happens a lot with non-prog -- catchy tunes but then you've heard all there is to hear after a handful of plays.

In the cas of War..., the album including two epics -one divided in two parts for a total of 30 minutes and the other reaching the 20 minutes mark- I would not worry about the shrinking  But The English Eccentric was indeed a love-at-first-listen-song.

To Nicky : Seventh Wonder is not so heavy ... and at least there are no growls 

NP Manning - Margaret's Children

[Manatee]

But they'r very heavy, Greenie, and maybe you'l think that they'r too heavy for your age 

Perhaps you're right.  These tenders ears are not quite 50.  Do Seventh Wonder make Mastodon sound like ballet music?

I read mixed reviews about Sceneries, some people arguing that some songs are unnecessarily overstretched. So, as an introdcution to Sylvan, I was thinking of getting Posthumous Silence instead.

I read that too, but I disagree, especially since the songs all consist of 3 or 4 distinct sections, so in a way, it's like there are 19 songs.  In any case, you can give the whole album a try for free on progstreaming.com (I know I keep mentioning this site, but I do spend half the day listening to it  ) at the moment.  On the other hand, I also saw the good reviews for Posthumous Silence and may go ahead and get that one as well.

NP: Montresor - Daybreak

There's a song called "Medusa" on this album.  I wonder if it's an Arena cover?   

[Teunis]

On the other hand, I also saw the good reviews for Posthumous Silence and may go ahead and get that one as well.

Great album, though it took some time till it clicked with me. Don't like the 'emotional screamings' of the singer that much. I even prefer 'Presets'  .

Airbag - All Rights Removed 

[Manatee]

Great album, though it took some time till it clicked with me. Don't like the 'emotional screamings' of the singer that much. I even prefer 'Presets'  .

The singer certainly is emotional, but I didn't really notice him screaming or similar on "Sceneries."  I'll listen for it next time around, but maybe he's cut down on it.  If you want to hear a serious scream, try the one after the end of the bonus song on Devin Townsend's "Ocean Machine" CD.  Great album, but I usually take my earphones off at that point to avoid permanent damage. 

NP: Spock's Beard - The X Tour Live

[Teunis]

The singer certainly is emotional, but I didn't really notice him screaming or similar on "Sceneries."  I'll listen for it next time around, but maybe he's cut down on it.

Not on 'Sceneries', but on 'Posthumous Silence'. And to be sure: I don't mean growls  .

If you want to hear a serious scream, try the one after the end of the bonus song on Devin Townsend's "Ocean Machine" CD.  Great album, but I usually take my earphones off at that point to avoid permanent damage. 

Really can't listen to this man .

[Manatee]

Really can't listen to this man .

He's certainly not to everyone's taste.  For some reason he appeals to me even though there's a good bit of prog metal that I don't care for.  If you're interested (and I certainly understand if you're not), "Ki" and "Ghost" from his recent Devin Townsend Project are much less aggressive than most of his other stuff -- I wouldn't call them metal at all.  They're quite different from his heavy albums, although they still reflect his personality in a way.


JP: Profusion - RewoToweR   A very unusual Italian band.  Some of it is pretty nifty; some of it, I'm not sure what to think.   

NP: Gandalf's Project - Insights