(Impelled by Maddox's Listening Profile) With so many Dutchies here in the Room, I would expect lots of expertise in Dutch prog, which I lack. So how about a lively discussion on Dutch prog?
I'll just mention the two Dutch groups that I like: Ayreon and Sun Caged.
Nicky.
- Focus
- For Absent Friends
- Mangrove
- Cliffhanger
- Earth & Fire
- Ekseption
- Epica
- Stream Of Passion
- Ambeon
- Star One
- Ricocher
- Like Wendy
- Knight Area
- Kayak
- Plackband
- Flamborough Head
- The Gathering
Ok, some of them I like and some I absolutely don't like, but you asked for Dutch bands did you?
OK, PH, next step: Can you choose your five fave Dutch groups, and tell us what they're like and why you like them.
Thanks.
Nicky.
Easy.
1. Ayreon (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
2. Star One (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
3. Stream Of Passion (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
4. Ambeon (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
5. Mangrove
I don't really have to explain the first four and the fifth is the best of the worse (seen them at an A.C.T gig).
PH is right: Ayreon ofcourse, or just everything Arjen touched ;)
Less proggy (but hey, Ayreon isn't really prog either) After Forever. Be careful to buy their older albums first, and you mustn't be shy of growls/grunts. Within Tempation have only 2 albums which I would recommend: Mother Earth and The Silent Force, before is much heavier and has growls and after is just plain commercial crap.
Then let me ask you, PH, whether you're familiar with Sun Caged? I witnessed an excellent concert with them at Headway this Easter, which inspired me to buy their second and latest album Artemisia. This is heavy prog of highest caliber. Are Sun Caged really so little known among Dutch proggies?
Nicky.
Thanks for the recoms, Appelmoes.
However, now I'm confused: If Ayreon is not prog, then what is, according to your opinion?
Nicky.
It's folky, progressive, symphonic rock, with some tendencies towards metal sometimes.
Quote from: Appelmoes?? on Thu, 2007-07-26, 12:54:35
It's folky, progressive, symphonic rock, with some tendencies towards metal sometimes.
So, it is prog! ;)
Of course Ayreon is prog.
I'm not familiar with Sun Caged.
Quote from: PH on Thu, 2007-07-26, 11:36:17
- Focus
- For Absent Friends
- Mangrove
- Cliffhanger
- Earth & Fire
- Ekseption
- Epica
- Stream Of Passion
- Ambeon
- Star One
- Ricocher
- Like Wendy
- Knight Area
- Kayak
- Plackband
- Flamborough Head
- The Gathering
Ok, some of them I like and some I absolutely don't like, but you asked for Dutch bands did you?
Which bands don't you like? ::)
Quote from: Proglady on Thu, 2007-07-26, 13:04:45Quote from: PH on Thu, 2007-07-26, 11:36:17
- Focus
- For Absent Friends
- Mangrove
- Cliffhanger
- Earth & Fire
- Ekseption
- Epica
- Stream Of Passion
- Ambeon
- Star One
- Ricocher
- Like Wendy
- Knight Area
- Kayak
- Plackband
- Flamborough Head
- The Gathering
Ok, some of them I like and some I absolutely don't like, but you asked for Dutch bands did you?
Which bands don't you like? ::)
Easy.
- Focus
- Epica
- The Gathering
The rest I don't know well enough, except for:
- Ayreon
- Star One
- Stream Of Passion
- Ambeon
- Mangrove (I've seen them live once)
Appelmoes, you're very evasive (the moes streams through my fingers ;D ). Please name five prog groups from anywhere on this earth, in your opinion; or is prog an abstraction?
Nicky.
Quote from: Proglady on Thu, 2007-07-26, 12:57:48
So, it is prog! ;)
Some songs are proggy yes, but other songs are far more metal orientated, while others are folky.
True Prog bands:
Spock's Beard
Flower Kings
Arena
Kaipa
Early Threshold
Early Dream Theater
Neal Morse
I say early, because the've become to "loud" and repetitive in their sound for me to consider them progressive anymore. Symphonic rock/metal suits them better imho.
I also considered naming Transatlantic, but since I already had SP, FK and Kaipa, I felt like that was cheating :D
The reason I have a very narrowminded vision on progressive rock is the fact that I feel bands which are more guitar orientated, but still have beautiful melodies are symphonic rock. I know it's very hard for bands to have a progressive sound and do it over and over again with every album. Threshold and Dream Theater haven't managed to do so for their last couple of albums, using the same formula of "louder is better". That's not progressing, that's getting louder...
Spock's Beard did indeed surprise me with their last album for having some songs where I thought: "WTF!? Did SB play this?" eg: "Is this Love". And they always have some of those "new sound" songs on their albums. That's growth, that's progressing your sound! You know, when you hear a song from a band, and you instantly recognize the bands sound, but you can't compare it to any other song made by that band. For me personally, that's what makes a rock band, a progressive one. And it's friggin' hard to do :)
What's so special about Ayreon is that it combines those two. The music does indeed get bigger and bigger with every album, but every album has it's own atmosphere while still being very recognisable as Ayreon.
At last I got you out of your cave, Appy. Great delivery, thanks. But I'll give you a thorough beating for your "early Dream Theater" jive ;D
DT have become more prog with every album they've made. Ask the DT expert, i.e. ME :D
Nicky.
Each his opinion ;) But either way you look at it, they still RAWK! *horns*
There is "progressive rock".
And there's "progressive" rock.
;)
I like both by the way.
PH, you and Appy have a sense for the dramatic. So I'm the foil who devoutly asks: "And what is the difference?"
Nicky.
"Progressive Rock" is Spock's Beard, The Flowerkings and more of that sort of bands. They "copy" the style of 70s Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd.
Those bands in the 70s were called "progressive" but bands like Spock's Beard don't progress that much anymore. They take the style of the progressive bands of the 70s.
"Progressive" Rock is truly progressive in the sense of the word. Frost* for example. Or Pure Reason Revolution.
But of course this is all also connected to someone's opinions in the end.
OK, fair enough, PH.
I personally don't make that distinction, and I think my definition of prog rock is quite simple (taken from my LP):
Prog rock: Rock music, i.e. music with a tight rhythm, in which the musicians are habitually pushing the frontiers of music and philosophy, i.a. by merging different musical genres.
Nicky.
That way, it could be the same as Alternative Rock.
Ah never mind, let's forget it. ;D
Dutch prog... Ah yes...
Quote from: PH on Thu, 2007-07-26, 20:10:37
"Progressive Rock" is Spock's Beard, The Flowerkings and more of that sort of bands. They "copy" the style of 70s Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd.
Those bands in the 70s were called "progressive" but bands like Spock's Beard don't progress that much anymore. They take the style of the progressive bands of the 70s.
"Progressive" Rock is truly progressive in the sense of the word. Frost* for example. Or Pure Reason Revolution.
But of course this is all also connected to someone's opinions in the end.
imo they don't copy the styles, but they are inspired by them. It's not like they are playing covers of those bands and that they don't have their own style. I can hear that Ayreon for example is inspired by Pink Floyd on some songs, but it's still Arjen playing
his thing, and not doing a Floyd-solo.
My view ;)
(I used Arjen as an example to be ontopic :D)
Yeah Appie, I know... (muggen****r)
::) :D
Quote from: PH on Thu, 2007-07-26, 20:20:15
That way, it could be the same as Alternative Rock.
I agree with you, PH, that it's difficult to distinguish between alternative and progressive rock. But I think the "habitually pushing the frontiers of music" very much characterises prog, as alternative is often a matter of finding a mood that one likes and pretty much sticking with that mood, so we proggies kinda get bored with most alternative, particularly goth, which can really be somnific.
Am I all wet with this?
Nicky.
Quote from: PH on Thu, 2007-07-26, 21:04:45
Yeah Appie, I know... (muggen****r)
::) :D
>:( ;)
Quote from: PH on Thu, 2007-07-26, 12:15:29
1. Ayreon (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
2. Star One (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
3. Stream Of Passion (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
4. Ambeon (With Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
Doesn't he have any more middle names, PH? ;D
I guess he's not an Arab.
So the middle name is because the ants love him?
OK, gulp, hm, now vodka bottle's empty.
Nicky.
Arjen Ant-honey Lucassen...
By the way, is someone from here going to ProgPower Europe, Baarlo, NL 05. - 07.10.2007 ?
I know it's quite heavy, still I am going to be there. ;D
How about "Sphere Of Souls", very nice Prog Metal and I saw them Live last year at the ProgPower Europe Festival.
Quote from: Proglady on Fri, 2007-07-27, 22:58:30
How about "Sphere Of Souls", very nice Prog Metal and I saw them Live last year at the ProgPower Europe Festival.
I seem to remember that Sphere Of Souls is the band of the former singer of Suncaged. Am I right?
By the way i've got another one for you:
Textures. Pretty heavy and on the brink of leaving the progressive plains but quite entertaining.
In 2002 i believe, they won a contest over here in the Netherlands which allowed them to record an album (Polars) and do a tour. Last year they released a new album called Drawing Circles which is also very good.
Some of the roomies may not like it by the way. ;)
Check their site (http://www.texturesband.com/) for any info. 8)
Quote from: maddox on Fri, 2007-07-27, 23:43:22
I seem to remember that Sphere Of Souls is the band of the former singer of Suncaged. Am I right?
Yes, you are right! *thumbsup* ;)
QuoteBy the way i've got another one for you: Textures. Pretty heavy and on the brink of leaving the progressive plains but quite entertaining.
In 2002 i believe, they won a contest over here in the Netherlands which allowed them to record an album (Polars) and do a tour. Last year they released a new album called Drawing Circles which is also very good.
Textures also played at the ProgPower Europe Festival last year, so I saw them too. ;)
QuoteSome of the roomies may not like it by the way. ;)
Yep, roomies like me, :D because I didn't like them at all, their music is way to heavy for my tast.
I'm digging up an old thread: Knight Area announces a new album to be released this year (September) on their website:
http://www.knightarea.com/blog_album3.php5
*ola*
Cool. 8)
Definitely cool. I'm just checking here, but how many albums have they done? I'm aware of two, is that the lot?
Edit: Ignore me. If all else fails, read the website! :-[
Quote from: Steve Jones on Sun, 2009-02-08, 22:05:20
Definitely cool. I'm just checking here, but how many albums have they done? I'm aware of two, is that the lot?
Yes, they've done two albums so far:
- The Sun Also Rises
- Under A New Sign
Quote from: Teunis on Sun, 2009-02-08, 22:06:58
Yes, they've done two albums so far:
- The Sun Also Rises
- Under A New Sign
Ta. As long as my collection is up to speed then I'm happy ;D
I bought both Knight Area albums last year after hearing just one track on Delicious Agony. Turned out to be a good punt. They may be somewhat derivative (good for playing "spot the influence" - the list of bands is long) but they have a great sound, and the second album definately shows a "progression" from the first. They have a "big" sound that reminds me of Pallas' Sentinel. Looking forward to the new album and also seeing them live (CRS gig later this year?).
Now I think about it the only other Dutch bands I know are Focus & Ayreon. I seem to have more German prog in my collection....... another thread perhaps!
Cover of the new Knight Area revealed:
http://www.knightarea.com/home.php5
8)
The new Knight Area album 'Realm of Shadows' is released today 8). Very much looking forward to this one. Soundbytes and one full track called 'Dark Souls' on their MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/knightarea
Quote from: Teunis on Sat, 2009-09-26, 11:45:59
The new Knight Area album 'Realm of Shadows' is released today 8).
*horns* *horns* *horns*
Ah, another album i have to buy. ::) :D