Now Playing Thread

[Teunis]

Muse - The Resistance
Collage - Moonshine (to celebrate they're back )

[Teunis]

jp: Arena - The Visitor
np: Ambeon - Fate Of A Dreamer

[PH]

Collage - Moonshine (to celebrate they're back )

Are they? That would be really nice! I also like Satellite by the way. Neo-Prog at its finest.

Steven Wilson - "The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)"

[Nicky007]

NP  Outworld:  I

Mindblowing, truly groundbreaking 

Here, try this one too, guys:

Outworld:  The Grey Tide  www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiZF_CfP2Ug&list=PLDA2915132740BA19

Some remarkable guitarplaying by Rusty Cooley, and other coolies 

- Nicky

[PH]

I like it! Love the gentle keyboard playing part in 3:20. Very unusual. Unfortunately the vocals put me off. There's only so much hardrock vocals I can take.
But other than that, I'm gonna check them out!

[Bupie]

NP Proto Kaw - Before Became After

A great title when you know the story behind. Unfortunately, Proto-Kaw's music has never gripped me the way Kansas did. On the other hand, there are very few prog bands that made the same impression on me than Kansas did in the late 70's 

[Teunis]

Are they? That would be really nice! I also like Satellite by the way. Neo-Prog at its finest.

Yep, copied from their official Facebook account:
"Collage reunion is a fact and this is official news! We have a great time doing heavy rehearsals to get ready for the tour. First gigs this year! Over 2 hours of music including songs never performed live before. We feel great playing together again! The power is back so we start working on new album soon."

And I really dig Satellite too .

jp: Comedy Of Errors - Fanfare & Fantasy

[Teunis]

Ghost Circus - Across The Line
Sound Of Contact - Dimensionaut

[Steve Jones]

To-Mera - Transcendental

I'll add my voice to 007's - this is an awesome band.  If you only buy one CD this year, make sure it's a To-Mera CD

Can't stop playing 'em

[maddox]

Sound of Contact ~ Dimensionaut

[Nicky007]

I like it! Love the gentle keyboard playing part in 3:20. Very unusual. Unfortunately the vocals put me off. There's only so much hardrock vocals I can take.
But other than that, I'm gonna check them out!

Great, Paxi, this is what I call sharing 

I don't expect you to like the same stuff as I, in fact I'm very happy that you forge your own way. But listening in to each other, commenting, informing, tipping - all that's great, particularly in this very lonesome bizniz of prog 

To-Mera - Transcendental

I'll add my voice to 007's - this is an awesome band.  If you only buy one CD this year, make sure it's a To-Mera CD

Can't stop playing 'em

Super Jonesey 

I had Transcendental on replay for quite a while too. Still I'd say that with Exile they raised the bar even further 

Now play Outworld's The Grey Tide and be just as overwhelmed 


Man, sooo much super music around these days. Aint we priviliged to be tuned in, guys 

- Nicky

[Nicky007]

NP  Outworld: I

What's particularly insane is that the whole f*in album is so crazily good 

- even the Japanese bonus Polar, which is supposed to be a nipwip 

- Nicky

[Nicky007]

NP  Jeff Loomis:  Mercurial

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1EsIhFSoM

Hot stuff, man 

- Nicky

[Teunis]

jp: Anima Mundi - The Lamplighter
np: Vienna Circle - Silhouette Moon

Both on progstreaming.com. Like the music and beautiful melody lines, but not fond of the vocals, like so often with prog music .

[PH]

JP:
Big Big Train - "English Electric, Part One"
A modern masterpiece. I also have "Part Two", but have only listened to it two times. "Part One" is clearly the better one. What do you think?

After that I thought I'd give Satellite's "Evening Games" a spin. The title track is a really good Neo-Prog song. Compared to that, the rest of the album is a bit of a let down, but not bad at all. Since Collage is reforming I hope Satellite will still continue to exist.

NP:
And right now I'm listening to Outworld, first track now. Thanks to Nicky. It's not bad at all. Let's see where this goes!

EDIT:
Well, Outworld is indeed really nice. Thanks for pointing them out, Nicky! I love the guitar work. The singer is something to get used to... I acknowledge his abilities and skills. He's really good in what he does. But it's not what I'm looking for in a singer. In other words, I get pretty bored when listening to hardrock/metal(?) voices.
I think there was only one or two songs I did not really like or wished to end.

[Nicky007]

NP:  And right now I'm listening to Outworld, first track now. Thanks to Nicky. It's not bad at all. Let's see where this goes! ....

Hey, that's pretty good, Paxi 

You made quite a jump there: Outworld's debut album is one of the most advanced, groundbreaking albums of these times !

Fortunately advanced proggies are giving it the credit - enthusiasm - it deserves.

My currently personal fave track is The Grey Tide - has everything I love about prog: pulse, melody, great singing and instrumentation, solos, intriguing lyrics 

The guitar solo is over the top - Petrucci class !

I really hope they get together again and make another album - great synergy.


Now I'd like to see the same buzz about To-Mera's Exile, another exciting, groundbreaking album (clean female singing here).

Here's the full album:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBawLc1X_cE&list=PLcpnpPXyeEgt00jfYrHKGiJqy7EvmVmns


NP  Outworld: I 

- Nicky

[Bupie]

JF IQ - Tales From The Lush Attic 2013 Remix  Lush indeed 

NP Lee Abraham - Black & White  Apart from the excellent track The Mirror and despite the rather impressive list of guests, I am still not convinced by this one, unfortunately 

[Teunis]

jp: Threshold - March Of Progress  (what an excellent album )
np: Clive Nolan - Alchemy ~ Act I

[Teunis]

Clive Nolan - Alchemy ~ Act II (with the mighty Damian Wilson )

[Teunis]

Ayreon - Ayreonauts Only 

[Teunis]

Nosound - Afterthoughts

np: IQ - Dark Matter

track: Harvest Of Souls 

[Nicky007]

Outworld I

This has got to be the album of the 00's (imo of course). It brings together all the best of rock at the time and pushes it a fair bit further. And all tight and convincing, with a brilliant production. Simply amazing - overwhelming 

Each song is an adventure in its own right. Each musician goes beyond himself to contribute to this masterpiece 

And I'm not alone in this. Listen to what Wra1th1s says in Metal-Archives - obviously a knowledgeable reviewer:

"Call me crazy, a moron, and a poser and so on and so forth. But I sincerely believe, from the bottom of my heart, that this album is the best album ever recorded bar none! With regards to all the wonderful classics from such bands as Death, Dark Angel, Symphony X, I firmly stand by my decision. So much so that I will never give another 100 percent, ever. Really, cross my heart and all that.

To tell you the truth, I didn't have the slightest idea who any of them were until September/October 2007. I was (and still am) a big Guitar Hero maniac back then and I stumbled upon a little website called scorehero.net, a website that's not only a highscore tracker but a modding community. I discovered among countless of other artists in the custom songs section, a guitar virtuoso by the name of Rusty Cooley. Who is he? How the hell did he create such a song (War of the Angels was the title of that song, if memory serves)? A little Google search resulted in my discovery of Outworld's "War Cry" video. Needless to say, I was completely blown away. I mean my jaws literally dropped at how purely awesometastic™ that song was ... After that, I just had to get my hands on their works! I had to go all the way to America just to find a copy and that should tell you how much this album means to me, even the 99 percenters don't get THAT kind of dedication from me.

Sorry for that long-winded paragraph, but I think it is completely relevant to my review. The band is firmly set in the 'tech' metal genre, this record sounds like Godless Endeavor-era Nevermore meets the technicality of Moore-era Dream Theater meets the epicness(sic) and just plain awesometasticness™ of Symphony X. Let's break it down:

1)Kelly FUCKING Carpenter on vox: picture LaBrie in his prime, circa Awake, and then add a dash of Tim Owens. What you get my friends is a singer with high range and fucking balls! "BUUUURRNNN! BUUURRNN! BUUUUUUURRRRN!!!" that is simply the best falsetto since "STAAAAND BY FO' EXCITAAAAAAAH!" And when he's not being a castrato, he can deliver those vox with emotion! Just listen to the intro part of the title track. To this day I consider Kelly Carpenter to be God! ...

2)Rusty Cooley, my own personal Jesus! This man is an absolute God on the seven string ...

6)Finally, let's not forget the key element of any album, one that makes it or breaks it for me: THE PRODUCTION! I am hard pressed to find a flaw in the production. In one word this can only be: perfection. I am completely serious, the production of this album will leave you gob smacked. Everything is mixed at levels which is at once pleasing to the ears and suffocating ...

After carefully analyzing the six elements that make up this album, one must not forget that the songs count too. You know how we say "every song in (insert album here) is perfect!"? Well, this album takes it to the absolute limit of perfection. Every song is quite literally the best song in a good band's career ...

After a thousand and two hundred words (or thereabouts,) I only have a couple of things left unsaid: track this album down, worship this album, and thank me later! This is worth the airfare to America! 100 percent, I don't give this out EVER!" - Wra1th1s, April 29th, 2008


And EpicWinGuy, who also gives the album 100% in Metal-Archives, concludes his review with:

"Overall, it's absolutely mind boggingly brilliant. The replay value of the album is huge, there's always a new part to discover that you didn't hear in the last 20 times you tried to digest Outworld's complexity. The aggression will make you want to headbang, and the tasteful power metal or emotional side to the album can always be a refuge for your raging metal soul." - EpicWinGuy, November 17th, 2009

- www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Outworld/Outworld/108604/


And take lyrics like this:

"I believe that we are forever
Our divinity cannot be severed
Why should we belong to a world that turns to steal our souls
Only the free can ever be faithful"

Yes, rock is very much about being free 


And lastly, from www.kelly-sundown.com/bio.htm:

" ... Kelly's American based band Outworld (Replica Records) released it's debut album to great reviews. In a performance often described as inhuman, Kelly's voice aggressively rips and tears it's way through the churning technical guitar work of shredder Rusty Cooley, painting a bleak picture of Orwellian dystopia."


Kelly Carpenter definitely makes his mark on this album. With Rusty we could expect it, but that he also is such a great songsmith 

Guys, I'd like to hear what you think of Outworld I. But give it time to sink in .... 

- Nicky

[PH]

Guys, I'd like to hear what you think of Outworld I. But give it time to sink in .... 

Well, I'm definitely going to listen to it again. I liked it. But I'm not giving it the "best album I've ever heard" label.

[Nicky007]

Well, I'm definitely going to listen to it again. I liked it. But I'm not giving it the "best album I've ever heard" label.

That's only cuz you always have to contradict me, Paxi 

- Nicky

[Teunis]

Mystery - One Among The Living
Toto - Mindfields

np: radio programme: Prognonstop. No jawdropping material yet .