Now Playing Thread

[Teunis]

Wolverine - Communication Lost

[Nicky007]

NP  Explorers Club:  Raising The Mammoth  on  YouTube

This group (or project) has become one of my absolute favorites 

Has taken time - takes time  - but today, not only Fading Fast, which is my fave piece these days (overall in rock), but almost as much, Fate Speaks, and the entire album Age of Impact, have become alltime faves. This album is imo an absolute masterpiece, in league with Contagion, Scenes, and Nostradamus (and a few more) 

Fate Speaks is, due to its very advanced jazzy funky mood, much more difficult to get into than Fading Fast - give it some more runs, guys. The bass playing on this piece is absolutely jaw-dropping, and, together with his amazing playing on the other Explorers Club's songs, this has made Billy Sheehan my fave bass player 

Age of Impact has also been my first real meeting with Terry Bozzio's fantastic drumming. Petrucci, no further words needed, together with Jeff Loomis, my two fave guitarists. And Matt Bradley, with his singing on Fading Fast and Manifesto for Futurism, one of my fave singers 

Trent Gardner did a great thing: He wanted to create a masterpiece, so he spent a lotta time thinking things out, composing, finding the right musicians; and he did compose great music, and he did find the perfect musicians for his project, who gave it their all, and thus a masterpiece of rock entered our world 


Also played:

Symphony X:  Iconoclast

Also a true masterpiece, possibly their best album yet, iac their grittiest 

Funky, Iggy 

Nicky.

[Teunis]

Steve Thorne - Into The Ether (looking forward to his new album)
Arena - The Seventh Degree of Separation (getting better and better after each spin, what a great singer)

[maddox]

Mad, have you got it finally?

Nope, not yet. 

It doesn't happen very often that I am one of the last persons who actually hears a new album. 

[Teunis]

It doesn't happen very often that I am one of the last persons who actually hears a new album. 

Thought I read that it was on its way to you. Really sucks!

Wolverine - Still
Wolverine - The Window Purpose

[maddox]

Thought I read that it was on its way to you. Really sucks!

Don't know what went wrong.
Probably nothing.
I'm sure I'll have it before Christmas.

NP> Airbag ~ All Rights Removed

Pink Floyd mixed with Porcupine Tree, the slow version.

[Manatee]

Don't know what went wrong.
Probably nothing.
I'm sure I'll have it before Christmas.

NP> Airbag ~ All Rights Removed

Pink Floyd mixed with Porcupine Tree, the slow version.

You'll still have it before me, but then I live in the backward colonies.

Airbag are good; I'll have to hunt up that one.

NP: Arena: Pepper's Ghost

Perhaps I'll belatedly get into to Arena review business.   Warning: I actually like Pepper's Ghost a lot. 

[maddox]

  Warning: I actually like Pepper's Ghost a lot. 

[Teunis]

Don't know what went wrong.
Probably nothing.
I'm sure I'll have it before Christmas.

From which year?   

NP> Airbag ~ All Rights Removed

Pink Floyd mixed with Porcupine Tree, the slow version.

Really great album  .

Today:
Arena - TSDOS
Peter Gee - East of Eden

Now listening to Symfozone:
http://www.symfozone.com/

np: Arena - Bed Of Nails

[Nicky007]

NP  Seventh Wonder:  Alley Cat  on  YouTube

Great prog smasher 

I now ordered The great Escape (on Amazon.UK). Partly cuz of Alley Cat, but I also read on Wikipedia:

The title track 'The Great Escape' is a concept song based on the poems 'Aniara' by Swedish Nobel laureate Harry Martinson. It deals with the tragedy of a space ship which, originally bound for Mars with a cargo of surviving colonists from a ravaged and destroyed Earth, is ejected from the solar system and becomes entangled in an existential struggle. The first track 'Wiseman' doubles loosely as a prequel to the events of 'The Great Escape'.

- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Escape_(Seventh_Wonder_album)

Aniara is a big thing for Ms and me, we'r fascinated by this story. Check it up, guys 

Wikipedia:

Aniara (full original title: Aniara : en revy om människan i tid och rum [A Revue About Man In Time And Space, nb] ) is a poem of science fiction written by the Swedish Nobel laureate Harry Martinson in 1956. It was published on 13 October 1956

- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniara

Looking forward to see what the SW guys make of it. They'r Swedes and prog, so I have high expectations 


Also played:

Arena:  Lion's Cage

Getting more into it, and still pretty puzzled by the lyrics 


Nightingale:  Alive Again

Nightingale is a project by Dan Swanö. Having heard this guy growl on Opeth albums and in his own group Edge of Sanity, Alive Again was very different from what I expected, more in the line of SW, melodic, rocky, and clean singing. However, it's more regular, not as prog and exciting as SW. Still it's worth an experience, and I think that all Roomies could like this group 

Here, try this wonderful ballad:

Nightingale:  Eternal (part 1 of 2)   www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKoeQ9WVfFQ

It also gives an impression of how much Dan has influenced Mikael Å.

Nicky.

[Teunis]

I now ordered The great Escape (on Amazon.UK). Partly cuz of Alley Cat, but I also read on Wikipedia:

Good choice Nicky  . Great album and the title track is a  30 minutes epic. You'll love it! Also love their album 'Mercy Falls'.

np: Mystery - One Among The Living (on www.progstreaming.com)

Some cool moments, but overall not an album I would run for to the record shop  .

[funkster]

best christmas album in the world ever

getting all festive 

[Nicky007]

Also love their album 'Mercy Falls'.

How about the first two SW studio albums, Teunis ? I have them, and they'r great too.

I'l of course get Mercy Falls too sometime 


NP  Dream Theater:  Falling Into Infinity  &  A Change Of Seasons

FAI is a fabulous album 

I have a colleague who listens a lot to music, but not much contemporary prog, like he only knew DT by name, and considered them outta his range. So I decided to influence him, and started easy with Fading Fast, which he really liked, and he ended up liking the whole Age Of Impact. Next step was DT, and as I consider FAI to be the easiest DT-album to get into (I don't like I&W much), I got it going on his set. Seems to have been a success, as he was still playing it this afternoon when I left 

ACOS has its moments, but I don't play it much, and not at all the covers, which are fun once or twice, but no more 

Nicky.

[Teunis]

How about the first two SW studio albums, Teunis ? I have them, and they'r great too.

Don't know them, I'll check them out as soon as I can. Thanks for the tip.

Mostly Autumn - Go Well Diamond Heart
PBII - Plastic Soup

[Nicky007]

NP  Vintersorg:  The Focusing Blur

Superexciting album, about the universe, dark matter, Einstein's thoughts, and stuff, with music ranging from a solemn cello to growly thrashy stuff. This guy is genius, and he's now in my prog pantheon 

More later. Meanwhile, try this:

Vintersorg:  A Microscopical Macrocosm   www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0m6Ws6PshA

Nicky.

[Bupie]

(I don't like I&W much)

Ouch  Wicky Nicky is back. Just kidding, though I love I&W.

NP Rush - Different Stages

Iggy, how would compare this one to Live In Rio ?

The first CD starts with the mighty Dreamline. I am a big fan of this song 

[Teunis]

Arena - TSDOS 
Anathema - A Natural Disaster

[Nicky007]

Ouch  Wicky Nicky is back. Just kidding, though I love I&W.

Yeah, I know, Bupsie, you'r not either as wicked (read: heavy) as I 

If DT had stopped with I&W and ACOS, I would'v considered them a pretty good group, not pantheon tho. The thing is that they then made Awake, and this and every album since are total masterpieces - so be it 


NP  Seventh Wonder:  The Great Escape  (piece, on repeat)

Utterly amazing 

Bupsie, and other Roomies, give this album a run. You'l be enthralled outta yer pants

The title song will probably seem chaotic to SW newbies at first, as there's a tremendous lot going on - just that bass goin bananas every so often - but wow, is it thrilling once you get into it - aint that so, Teunis ? 

Here, they even got the entire 30-minute piece on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6WLAckjO0M

Interestingly, I read on SW's homesite that they had sent samples of the piece to Harry Martinson's daughter Harriet, and requested permission to use quotes from Aniara. She had told them that she really liked their music - she'd be in retirement age by now - and granted them permission without any constraints, so we have this wonderful poetry from Martinson with this great music - another WOW 


Man, it completely blows my mind that all our fave groups simply get better and better - whew - where will it end ?  Will the earth blow up with all this amazing music coursing around in the ether ? 

Nicky.

[erik]

NP Rush - Different Stages

Iggy, how would compare this one to Live In Rio ?

The first CD starts with the mighty Dreamline. I am a big fan of this song 

Different Stages is a great live album and really got me into Rush (it was my first Rush purchase). Dreamline is a great track indeed! I don't have the Rio album, I have the DVD which is great. What I read about the Rio cd is that it has the audience very prominent in the mix and that the DVD is better (and that also Different Stages is better soundwise).

[Teunis]

The title song will probably seem chaotic to SW newbies at first, as there's a tremendous lot going on - just that bass goin bananas every so often - but wow, is it thrilling once you get into it - aint that so, Teunis ? 

Here, they even got the entire 30-minute piece on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6WLAckjO0M

I can definitely second that, so have a listen  .

Wolverine - Still
Anathema - A Fine Day To Exit

[Iggy]

NP Rush - Different Stages

Iggy, how would compare this one to Live In Rio ?

The first CD starts with the mighty Dreamline. I am a big fan of this song 

Different Stages is a great live album and really got me into Rush (it was my first Rush purchase). Dreamline is a great track indeed! I don't have the Rio album, I have the DVD which is great. What I read about the Rio cd is that it has the audience very prominent in the mix and that the DVD is better (and that also Different Stages is better soundwise).

They are very involved but that may be why I like it as it feels like you are there. There is definitely less mixing than a lot of live albums. It is interesting to compare live CD's of bands at the beginning of the careers and a couple of decades in as they seem to move into a playing for fun mode as opposed to the getting it right.

Having also watched the DVD they were an awesome crowd.

I guess the Diffrent Stages Live is a more polished performance but Rio is more laid back

[Teunis]

Asia - Alpha
Arena - TSDOS
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

[Nicky007]

NP  Vintersorg:  The Focusing Blur

Fascinating 

Reminds me somewhat of Ihsahn's stuff, just as crazy, but not quite as black, and particularly lyrically, of Scar Symmetry 

Here's a nice piece of folk-black-metal (warning: growl) from Blur:

Vintersorg:  The Essence    www.youtube.com/watch?v=sODRlYX2gH8

Noone else here seems to be into this group - pity 

Funky, Iggy, Mad, maybe even Paxi now 

And Tom, what's happened to your metal sense ? Has your lady bitten off yer ....


Otoh:

I can definitely second that, so have a listen  .

I'm actually surprised that you go so much for SW, Teunis, as their music is very metal and busy 

Are you sure you aint losin yer senses, becoming a metal wreck - like me 

Otoh there's lotta nice melody - and of course: nogrowl 

Somehow I stopped listening to SYLVAN two years ago or so..., lost interest. Too much whine, after all.

When you say somethin like that, once again, I think: Cap, dammit, get into metalworld 

And f*in get over yer growlophobia ! - cuz growl has become an integral part of metal 

It's just like with beer, olives, and sex: Taste horrible at first, but in the long haul, can be quite exhilarating 

Nicky.

[Teunis]

I'm actually surprised that you go so much for SW, Teunis, as their music is very metal and busy 

Are you sure you aint losin yer senses, becoming a metal wreck - like me 

Otoh there's lotta nice melody - and of course: nogrowl 

Exactly what you mention here Nicky. I do love heavier stuff, as long as there are beautiful melodies and no growls. F.e. Shadow Gallery, Wolverine, Darkwater, Ayreon (even heavier albums like 'Flight Of The Migrator'), Star One, Threshold. 

Today I've played:
Arena - TSDOS
Gazpacho - Londen (live 2cd)
Knight Area - Nine Paths

[maddox]

Judas Priest ~ Electric Eye