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  • DISCIPLINE has performed and recorded together since 1987, and remains one of the top bands in the American progressive rock scene. The band’s current lineup, including drummer Paul Dzendzel, bassist Mathew Kennedy, lead guitarist Chris Herin (Tiles), and vocalist/keyboardist Matthew Parmenter, worked with veteran music producer Terry Brown (Rush, Fate’s Warning) for the mixing of their newest opus, Captives Of The Wine Dark Sea, which Parmenter describes as, “an escape to ameliorate the workaday world.”“DISCIPLINE weaves a wicked web of lush, whimsical melodies, cynical stories and melancholy theatrics — so disturbing some fans have pegged lead-man Matthew Parmenter as ‘unstable,'” writes Heidi Olmac in Detroit’s Orbit newspaper. New Zealand rock critic Kev Rowland describes DISCIPLINE as “one of the most important bands to come out of America in the last twenty-five years.” The band’s earliest live shows were memorable for unusual theatrics. Parmenter (a.k.a. the Magic Acid Mime) would wear different costumes and act out the songs. Though the costumes have long since gone away, spontaneity remains a hallmark of DISCIPLINE‘s stage presence. “I think most of it comes from playing live,” says Parmenter in The Observer and Eccentric newspaper. “If something goes wrong, it’s kind of interesting how you will get out of it.”Jeff Milo of Ferndale Friends newspaper writes, “Go online and you’ll find various zines, blogs, and sites devoted to ‘prog’ music sending some substantial love toward Detroit’s DISCIPLINE.” The band’s previous album To Shatter All Accord (2011) includes the twenty-five-minute song suite “Rogue.” John Collinge, publisher of Progression Magazine, acknowledged To Shatter All Accord with the publication’s highest marks in his review (16 out of 16 stars). The band may be best known for its album Unfolded Like Staircase (1997). With four sprawling epics, including “Canto IV (Limbo)” and “Crutches,” Unfolded Like Staircase is considered by some to be one of the best progressive rock albums of the 1990s. In the Dutch Progressive Rock Pages, Brian Watson goes further: “Unfolded is my favourite progressive rock album of all time. In over thirty years of listening, and out of a collection touching fifteen hundred albums, Unfolded Like Staircase is ‘the one.’” The CD Push & Profit (1993) introduced Discipline to an international audience supported by a tour of Norway. The band also recorded a virtually unknown first album Chaos Out of Order (1988) that remained out of print for twenty-five years until the band’s indie label, Strung Out Records, reissued the recording in 2013. DISCIPLINE has also released three live albums; the This One’s for England (2014, 2xCD), Live Days (2010 2xCD on Cyclops/GFT), and Into The Dream (1999 on Syzygy/SOR).DISCIPLINE has appeared at numerous progressive rock festivals In 2012 the band appeared at RoSfest, the Rites Of Spring progressive rock festival in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. That performance can be viewed as an Amazon Instant video. The band has also performed at NEARfest (Northeast Art Rock Festival), Terra Incognita, ProgScape, Orion Studios, and six separate performances at ProgDay in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The band drew praise at UK’s Summers End festival in 2015 with reviews declaring Discipline “the band of the weekend.”. 
    $14.00
  • Describing Kingcrow today is quite a difficult task, but one could state that the influence of different kinds of music, from progressive rock, ambient music, alternative rock and metal are all present.With each release Kingcrow has taken a step further away from their original metal roots and is regarded today as one of the most exciting bands that Italy has to offer.“With the last record “Eidos” we finished what we call the “life” trilogy (Phlegethon , In Crescendo, Eidos) and when we started talking about the new chapter everyone agreed we needed somehow to step a bit outside of our comfort zone and refresh our sound. With that in mind I started to write a lot of music (ended up being 3 hours of music more or less) trying different things till I came up with a couple of songs that sounded interesting and fresh to us and showed the “x factor” of the new record. These early songs (“Everything Goes” and “Devil’s Got a Picture” were the first two written) sounded different from what we did in the past but still somehow sounding like us, with a kind of a dark ambient, more modern vibe mixed with a heavier rock attitude. Devilnax (graphic designer) was also determined to have a different cover style for the album, and after nights spent listening to the demos and discussing the lyrical content (for the first time all by Diego Marchesi)  he came up with that very powerful image that fits beautifully with the main vibe of “The Persistence”.” -Diego Cafolla
    $13.00
  • ‘Ever’ the hugely popular IQ album that saw the return of Peter Nicholls to the fold in the early nineties is now 25 years young! To mark this occasion GEP are releasing a special ‘definitive’ 3 disc edition of the album with a 2018 remix by Mike Holmes. Presented in a 4 panel digipak format with a 40 page booklet, the package includes extra material on the first disc, along with newly recorded live versions of the whole album on disc 2. Disc 3 (DVD) contains a surround sound mix of the studio album plus a surround mix of the live material, along with over 2 hours of ‘further listening’ files comprising album demos, studio outtakes rehearsal tapes and unused ideas. All in all disc 3 contains nearly 4 hours of music. The 40 page booklet is packed with lots of contemporary photos, stories and memories from the time and features contributions from all the band members of 1992. ‘Ever 2018 Remix - 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition’ is due for release on the 5th October 2018 Track listing: Disc 1 (CD): The Darkest Hour, Fading Senses, Out of Nowhere, Further Away, Leap of Faith, Came Down. Extra tracks: Came Down – The Solos that got away, Lost in Paradise.Disc 2 (CD): Recorded live at the Colos-Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany, 10 February 2018): Intro/The Darkest Hour, Fading Senses, Leap of Faith, Came Down, Further Away, Out of Nowhere. Disc 3 (DVD): Ever 2018 Remix 5.1 Surround Sound Mix Ever Live at the Colos-Saal 5.1 Surround Sound Mix Album Demos: The Darkest Hour, Fading Senses, Unholy Cow (Out of Nowhere, Further Away Intro, Further Away Complete, Leap of Faith, Came Down. Studio Outtakes: Darkest Hour, Fading Senses, Out of Nowhere, Further Away, Leap of Faith, Came Down. Unused Ideas: Waltzy Song, Echo Song, The Blues Riff, Bassy Track, Guitar Thing, Quiety Demo, Some Chordage, Monks. Rehearsals: The Darkest Hour (Pt. 2) , Fading Senses - Jamming The Riff, Fading Senses #2, Unholy Cow (Developed) , Further Away - Jamming The Riff, Further Away - Arrangement, Came Down - Different Intro, Sad Chords. 
    $28.00
  • 2020 came to a close with LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT announcing their return and new album to be released on InsideOutMusic. Today, the legendary supergroup comprised of Mike Portnoy (Transatlantic, Sons of Apollo), John Petrucci (Dream Theater), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), and Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) are pleased to officially announce that the new album ‘LTE3’ will be released on March 26th, 2021 via InsideOutMusic, twenty-two years after the bands’ last studio album. “After over 20 years since the last time we recorded together, the four of us stepped into the studio and it was as if no time had passed at all! All of the magic that made the first two LTE albums so special was still there and we had such a great time making this record. I’m extremely proud of what we created together and can’t wait for everyone to hear it!”-John Petrucci“The best thing to come out of 2020 was this long-awaited reunion! And it was surely worth the wait as after all these years, the magic chemistry was still there and stronger than ever!”-Mike Portnoy
    $39.00
  • "TRANSATLANTIC — the multinational progressive rock supergroup featuring vocalist/keyboardist Neal Morse (SPOCK'S BEARD, THE NEAL MORSE BAND), drummer Mike Portnoy (SONS OF APOLLO, DREAM THEATER), bassist Pete Trewavas(MARILLION) and guitarist Roine Stolt (THE FLOWER KINGS) — will release its fifth studio album, "The Absolute Universe", on February 5, 2021 via InsideOut Music. Representing the band's first new music since 2014's "Kaleidoscope", with "The Absolute Universe" the band has done something unique and created two versions of the record: "The Absolute Universe: The Breath Of Life (Abridged Version)" and "The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)".As Portnoy explains: "We've got two versions of this album. There is a two-CD presentation, which is 90 minutes long, and a single one — that's 60 minutes. However, the single CD is NOT merely an edited version of the double CD. They each contain alternate versions and even in some cases, new recordings. We wrote fresh lyrics and have different people singing on the single CD version tracks as compared to those on the double CD. Some of the songtitles have also been changed, while others might remain the same, but compositionally, what you'll hear has been altered."You must appreciate that what we have done is unique. We revamped the songs to make the two versions different."Trewavas adds: "We did write some new music for the single CD. What's more, there are also differences in the instruments used on some of the tracks across the two records."Each album will be available on CD, LP and digitally. But there will also be what has been called "The Absolute Universe: The Ultimate Edition", which collects both versions together in one lavish package that includes 5LPs, 3CDs and a Blu-ray that contains a 5.1 Surround Sound mix with visuals and a behind-the-scenes documentary. All editions have unique artwork created by Thomas Ewerhard.Initial tracking began in September 2019 when the band met up in Sweden to write and arrange the new material. As Portnoy explains: "Over a period of 10-14 days, we mapped out the songs. Then we all went back to our home studios and did the recording. That's the way we always do it. At one point, though, it was suggested that instead of doing what was by that time going to be a double album, we should just be content to do a single CD.""What happened was that everything kept expanding and expanding," recalls Stolt. "Therefore we decided it made sense to make it a double album. It was Pete and Neal who then came out and said they felt this would be too long, and we should reduce it to one…But we were already recording, and it didn't seem feasible to cut it back. There were so many pieces that each of us loved in what we were planning and didn't want to lose. That's when we ended up in discussions over the best way forward."This album also marks a return to the concept album for TRANSATLANTIC."Well, the idea of TRANSATLANTIC deciding to do a concept record this time around won't shock anyone, right?" laughs Portnoy. "What we have is essentially one giant composition, split into chapters. The storyline is about the struggles facing everyone in society today.""We didn't start out with the idea of this being conceptual," admits Stolt. "The way things work with us is that we have a load of ideas, and these are developed spontaneously when we meet up. Everything happens in the moment."So, how does this new groundbreaking album compare to TRANSATLANTIC's previous four albums?"I always try not to compare albums as much as possible," insists Morse. "It's very difficult when you're trying to be creative, because your natural instinct is to constantly compare. But in order to create you have to kind of step away from that. Having said that, I would say this would have more in common with 'The Whirlwind' album [the band's third, from 2009] than others that we've created."For Trewavas, "The Absolute Universe" is a momentous project. "I think it is right up there with the very finest albums we've done," he says. "As the others have said, it compares very well to 'The Whirlwind', which I believe represents TRANSATLANTIC at our best. As on that album, we took our time to write and arrange everything, and that shines through. I am very excited for people to hear it."TRANSATLANTIC formed in 1999 and released its debut album, "SMPT:e", the following year. Sophomore effort "Bridge Across Forever" followed in 2001, but the group went on an extended hiatus after Morse left SPOCK'S BEARD in 2002 to focus on his newly launched career in the Christian music industry.The group reunited in 2009 and released third album "The Whirlwind", which consisted of a single 77-minute track, that same year. A fourth album, "Kaleidoscope", was recorded in 2013 and released the following year, when it debuted at No. 6 on the German top album charts. The band has also released several live albums and live videos, most recently 2014's "KaLIVEoscope".Portnoy and Morse are frequent musical collaborators, having recorded more than a dozen albums together outside of TRANSATLANTIC, including three FLYING COLORS releases, three by THE NEAL MORSE BAND and seven Morse solo albums."
    $10.00
  • “Let us begin where it all began...”Progressive rock band Big Big Train return with Folklore, their first full-length studio album since the award winning English Electric. Folklore contains nine new songs with a total running time of 68 minutes.Despite the album title, Folklore is by no means a collection of traditional-sounding folk music pieces. On Folklore, Big Big Train are reimagining and breathing new life into traditional themes, and also creating a few new ones along the way. The crafts of songwriting and storytelling beat strongly at the heart of the Big Big Train and inform every track on the new album.Folklore features the same line up (eight piece band and brass quintet) that performed three sell out shows at Kings Place in London last summer, with the addition of a string quartet. The experience of bringing this complex music to the concert stage has honed the band’s sound, making Folklore a focussed and exciting listening experience. All the hallmarks of the Big Big Train sound can be found here: powerful and emotional vocal delivery, and dramatic extended song arrangements which showcase the musical ability within the band.Big Big Train proudly present Folklore: an epic progressive rock tour de force.“Heigh-ho, so we go. We pass it on, we hand it down-o...”Folklore Ancient stories told by our ancestors around the camp re, being passed down from generation to generation. The passage of time sees the coming of written language and electronic communication, but still we tell our stories and pass them on.London Plane Once upon a time, a great tree took root on a river bank, and watched through the years as a city grew around it.Along The Ridgeway A journey along an ancient pathway, where legends are reborn.Salisbury Giant Big Big Train tell the true story of a medieval giant.The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun When the astronomer lost the love of his life, he set a course for the stars. Inspired by the much-loved British TV astronomer and educationalist, Patrick Moore.Wassail The old ways get a 21st century reboot in this pagan- inspired progressive-folk groove. The title track from Big Big Train’s Wassail EP, it was nominated in the “Anthem” category at the 2015 Progressive Music Awards.Winkie A ripping action adventure story about a true life war heroine, the  rst to receive the Dickin medal in honour of her achievement. To the best of our knowledge, this is the  rst prog epic about a pigeon...Brooklands John Cobb, racing driver, lived life at high speed on the racing line. Time passes, but the ageing driver yearns for one more adrenaline  lled lap of the track... Cobb died in 1952 while attempting the world water speed record at Loch Ness.Telling The Bees Traditionally, bees were told of births, deaths and marriages within the bee-keeper’s family, as it was believed that otherwise they would leave the hive. When his father is killed in the First World War, a young boy takes on this responsibility, grows up to become a man,  nds love and starts his own family. “The bees are told... and we carry on...”.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Big Big Train: BackgroundDavid Longdon: vocals and  ute; Rachel Hall: violin; Dave Gregory: guitars; Rikard Sjöblom: guitars and keyboards; Danny Manners: keyboards; Andy Poole: guitars and keyboards; Greg Spawton: bass; Nick D’Virgilio: drumsFormed in Bournemouth, UK, in 1990 by Greg Spawton and Andy Poole, Big Big Train has charted an independent course through the British progressive rock scene, slowly developing a richly arranged blend of electric and acoustic instruments that mixes prog, rock, post-rock, folk and classical in uences. 2009’s The Underfall Yard was the band’s  rst album to feature the powerful vocals of David Longdon, alongside the guitar of Dave Gregory (XTC) and the drums of Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard), since when critical and public acclaim for the band has grown rapidly.The two-volume English Electric (2012-13) further developed Big Big Train’s favourite themes of English history, industry and landscape, and the band won the Prog magazine Breakthrough award in 2013. The following year, the Classic Rock Society awardedBig Big Train their Best Band and Best Track awards, while David Longdon won Best Male Vocalist, a feat he repeated this year.After 17 years as a studio-only outfit, Big Big Train returned to the stage in 2015 with three London performances which topped the Prog magazine Readers’ Poll for Best Event, with several band members also featuring in the instrument sections of the poll. The band has just released Stone & Steel, a Blu-ray featuring songs from the London gigs along with performances recorded in 2014 at Real World Studios. 
    $16.00
  • Get ready to rock out to the latest album from Swedish Prog-Rock legends, THE FLOWER KINGS! In their nearly 30-year career as a band, they return with their 16th studio album, "Look At You Now". This record is all about vintage vibes, with a warm and inviting sound that's reminiscent of legendary and classic 70's albums. And forget about processed, metallic sounds – "Look At You Now" is all about that analog feel that will transport you to a bygone era of rock. Experience the magic of "Look At You Now" in the following formats: Limited CD Digipak, Limited 180g double LP. Don't miss out on this new milestone from one of the most iconic bands in Prog-Rock history! 
    $14.00
  • "Progressive rock and boy-band pop seem like natural enemies at first. The former's fascination with ornate, elongated passages of finger-exhausting musicianship is in almost every way the opposite of the latter's emphasis on catchiness first; it's hard to imagine turn-of-the-millennium hits like "Bye Bye Bye" with extended guitar and keyboard solos. Yet ever since A Doorway to Summer, their 2005 debut, Moon Safari has put to rest the notion that progressive-minded songwriters can't make pop that's as hook-driven as it is ostentatious. Grandiloquent epics like "Other Half of the Sky," from the 2008 double album Blomljud, weave together widescreen arrangements with the band's signature five-part vocal harmony, a feature unmatched by few groups in any genre, anywhere. It's easy to isolate the audience with solipsistic soloing and obtuse orchestrations, but from day one Moon Safari has made prog that—assuming the layperson were more amenable to songs that run upwards of thirty minutes—could lead them to something like a pop crossover hit.But while the union of hook-heavy vocal interplay and '70's prog stylistics gives Moon Safari an unmistakable, unique sound, it also handicapped them in a significant way for their first two LPs. The group's accessibility on A Doorway to Summer and Blomljud, along with its technical prowess, is unassailable, but the high-fructose sweetness of its style leads to a diabetic rush when stretched out onto songs that span ten to thirty minutes. For example, "Other Half of the Sky," the titanic thirty minute showstopper off of Blomljud, has so many memorable hooks that by the time it's run its time out, it's hard to remember all of them. The classic problem of "too many voices leads to a noisy room" was the defining problem of Moon Safari's otherwise enjoyable sound for some time. All that changed, however, in 2010 with the release of Lover's End.It is no exaggeration—even as the decade remains young—to say that Lover's End is one of the finest progressive rock records of the '00's. Hell, it's not even crazy to say that it's one of the finest pop albums of the '00s; anyone, even those turned off by prog's eccentricities, can find something to love on this mellifluous collection of songs. From the a cappella charm of "Southern Belle" to the hook-loaded "New York City Summergirl," Lover's End is chock full of goodness from beginning to end. What explains its genius is that in contrast to A Doorway to Summer and Blomljud, the songs are given exactly the amount of space they need, and not a second more. Some songwriters may feel hamstrung by the verse/chorus structure, but it's a perfect fit for Moon Safari's joyous approach to music.With their newest studio outing, Himlabacken, Vol. 1, Moon Safari continue the refining of their sound, and while this isn't the breakthrough that Lover's End was, it nonetheless attests to the brilliance of this group. Whereas the latter was bound by a loose concept (love and heartbreak), Himlabacken Vol. 1 is less a lyrics album than its predecessor. The cost of this is that the music is less distinct in its cohesiveness, but there are no shortage of catchy passages and amped-up solos. "Mega Moon" comes off as a tribute to musical theatre, with "The Very Model of A Modern Major General" vocal delivery interweaving with Queen-esque bombast to an impressive effect. "Too Young to Say Goodbye" sees and matches the polyharmonic beauty of "Lover's End (Part One)." By sticking to concise song formats—the longest cut here runs nine and a half minutes—Moon Safari ensures that things never run out of steam, an essential quality to any good progressive rock band.If nothing else, Himlabacken, Vol. 1 proves that there's one thing Moon Safari can't be accused of: being unaware of themselves. Grand finale "Sugar Band" is as much a statement of identity as it is a slice of epic pop: "Sweet and saccharine are we," they declare, followed by "syrup's the blood in our veins." (Less successful is the clumsy Katy Perry innuendo of, "suck our big candy canes," which is thematically consistent but tonally off.) Both "Sugar Band" and "Little Man," one of the few Moon Safari songs to feature a solo vocal, are emblematic of the mushiness that might turn some prog fans away from their music. The latter, while obviously a touching document of a father's love for his son, does feel a bit out of place in how deeply personal it is; part of the strength of this group's sonic is the universality of its pop appeal, and the intimacy behind "My Little Man" makes listening to it an almost voyeuristic experience. "Mega Moon" and "Sugar Band" are better at capturing the convivial spirit of the band that's accessible to all.As with past outings, even those drawn to vocal harmonies might find it hard to stomach all of the sweetness of Himlabacken, Vol. 1. But what ultimately makes this LP successful is its unpretentious commitment to fun. Moon Safari are a rare collective that prove daunting musical chops aren't anathema to accessibility, and with Himlabacken, Vol. 1 they've made a recording that, while not the magnum opus that Lover's End was, is as true a capturing of their ethos as there could ever be. Sating a sweet tooth brings to mind the phrase "guilty pleasure," but there's no guilt involved with music as first-class as this. Who knew being in a boy band could sound so classy? " - Sea Of Tranquility
    $14.00
  • "Sons Of Apollo are one of the biggest success stories of the past two years. The combination of vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal, bassist Billy Sheehan, keyboard player Derek Sherinian and drummer Mike Portnoy proved to be irresistible on their debut album 'Psychotic Symphony', released in 2017. Now, they are putting out a special live release. This was filmed at the spectacular Roman Amphitheatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on September 22 last year. The band's performance was divided into two sets, the second of which saw them joined by a full orchestra and choir. There are a number of cover songs performed in both sets. And it was down to Portnoy to choose which tracks were done with the orchestra and choir: “[…]I have to say that all of the covers you'll get to see us do in the second part of the performance were only done that night and no other on the tour, which helps to make this unique.”Titled 'Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony', this is to be available on CD, DVD and Blu-ray. But there are differences between the audio and visual formats. “The CD has the entire gig. But we had problems getting clearance on three of the cover tracks for the Blu-ray and DVD. Sadly, these will not have 'Comfortably Numb' from Pink Floyd, 'Dream On' (Aerosmith) plus 'And The Cradle Will Rock' (Van Halen). The good thing is that you can hear all of these on the CD, so they're not forgotten.“The DVD and Blu-ray also have a behind the scenes documentary on the whole experience in Plovdiv, which includes interviews. In addition, there's also a behind the scenes documentary on the making of our debut album. So, what fans will get is a brilliant summary of the first year in the history of this band.”Portnoy is delighted with the final product, believing it to be a triumph that encapsulates just how tremendous this band are.“This is a very special release. It magnificently captures what happened on the night and the atmosphere that surrounded the occasion.”"
    $48.00
  • Originally formed on Long Island, NY, Ice Age began in 1991 when the four members clicked over a mutual passion for classic and progressive rock with a penchant for heavier music undercurrents.The band was signed by the noted progressive label Magna Carta resulting in 1999’s THE GREAT DIVIDE.  This ambitious debut stands the test of time, acclaimed and sought-after by progressive rock and metal fans alike.  2001 saw the release of the band’s sophomore record LIBERATION, pushing the boundaries even further with melodic heights and metallic crunch.  The band supported the release with festival performances and tours of Europe and the USA.  At that point the band took an extended break but the members stayed in contact.Now 22 years later Ice Age is back with their third album WAVES OF LOSS AND POWER. The material that comprises the release finds the members of Ice Age wearing their varied influences confidently on their collective sleeve.  Once again the band conjures the spirits of Kansas, Genesis, Styx, fleeting shades of Queensryche, Rush, and Fates Warning.  In the true prog tradition, Ice Age continues their epic sagas begun on their first two albums.  In all respects, WAVES is a seminal masterwork of catchy, thoughtful, progressive songwriting.The album was mixed and mastered by Rich Mouser (Transatlantic, Dream Theater, Spock’s Beard).  The cover art concept and booklet design were brought to life by Killustrations, with a fresh new band logo by Thomas Ewerhard.Ice Age will see the band returning to the US festival stage by kicking off ProgPower USA XXII on September 6, 2023 in Atlanta.
    $14.00
  • Ultimately, progress will not be stopped. Pain of Salvation have been firmly at the forefront of the progressive rock and metal scenes for nearly three decades now. Led by mercurial multi-instrumentalist Daniel Gildenlöw, the Swedish band have consistently demonstrated a sincere passion for moving their own extraordinary music forward, while always remaining lyrically enlightened and ferociously intelligent. As a result, the band’s return in 2020 could hardly be better timed.Since selecting the Pain of Salvation banner back in 1991, Gildenlöw’s crew have arguably been the definitive prog band of the modern era. From elaborate and pointedly metallic early classics like The Perfect Element, Part I (2000) and Remedy Lane (2002) to the obtuse wizardry of Be (2004) and the genre-blurring mischief of Scarsick (2006), Pain of Salvation’s all-encompassing musical vision has delivered some of contemporary prog’s most brave, bold and startling moments. Perennially restless, the band switched to a more retrogressive style for Road Salt One (2010) and Road Salt Two (2011), conjuring a precocious blend of ‘70s blues rock and proto-metal with Gildenlöw’s unerringly inventive instincts.Also one of modern rock’s most revered and acclaimed live acts, Pain of Salvation reached a new peak of efficacy on 2017’s In The Passing Light Of Day, an intricate but soulful concept piece that focused on notions of mortality and joy. Both a technically dazzling metal band and a freewheeling prog ensemble, Pain of Salvation have earned their formidable reputation by simply being their brilliant, creatively fearless selves.Fast forward to 2020 and the world is in a state of disarray. But music’s power to uplift and unite has never been in doubt, and the new Pain of Salvation album PANTHER is guaranteed to provide prog fans with a much-needed dose of sumptuous musical substance. Since the release of In The Passing Light Of Day, the band have deftly weathered the departure of guitarist Ragnar Zolberg, discovering a newfound enthusiasm for what happens next in the process.“We did In The Passing Light Of Day and that ended with the departure of Ragnar from the band,” Gildenlöw recalls. “In the past, 10 or 20 years ago, that would probably have made me doubt the future of the band and all of that. I went through that a lot in the past with members leaving or things not turning out in a good way! It’s always difficult and it’s always something that makes you sad, when your little band family is disrupted, but I never came to the point where I doubted where to go or what to do. The other band members were pushing us on to continue, so I just kept writing music.”The result of that sustained surge of creativity is PANTHER, the eleventh Pain of Salvation album and a very obvious landmark release in a career full of them. PANTHER is a concept piece that delves into the conflicts and contradictions between so-called normal people and those who are wired entirely differently.“I guess a lot of the songs that came out dealt with not being part of the norm of society,” Gildenlöw says. “Because we live in a time where we’re more aware of people not fitting the norm and we’re doing everything we can as a society to acknowledge all of these individuals, but at the same time, they’re more disowned than ever, more medicated than ever. The album is painting pictures of a world, I guess. If this was a movie it would be scenes from a city. It’s set in one city, and it’s populated by dogs and the panthers, the so-called normal people and the spectrum people. That’s the setting for the entire album.”As with all Pain of Salvation records, PANTHER will demand multiple listens before it reveals all of its secrets, both musical and narrative. But one things is certain: Gildenlöw’s ability to create a unique and fascinating musical and lyrical world has only grown in recent times. Both traditional and radical, PANTHER is the epitome of a modern prog concept album.With such a deep and varied catalogue, Pain of Salvation – completed by guitarist Johan Hallgren, keyboardist Daniel ‘D2’ Karlsson, bassist Gustaf Hielm and drummer Léo Margarit - have taught their fans to expect the unexpected at all times. Although instantly recognisable as music from the wild mind of Daniel Gildenlöw, PANTHER once again refines and redefines the Swedes’ sound, with echoes of the past vastly outnumbered by vivid, new textures, tones and sonic sleight-of-hand.“For this album, I started off looking for sounds. I always feel I need to move and change and find new ground for myself. Maybe it’s not intentional, but looking back I see that I chose a different starting point every time, or a different methodology, which makes everything else unfold in a different way. It’s a way of making sure that I’m not repeating myself.”Meticulously pieced together by Gildenlöw in Eskilstuna and The Cabin, and mixed together with Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames, Devin Townsend) at Studio 33 in Stockholm as well as mastered by Thor Legvold / Sonovo (Tambours de Bronx, Purified in Blood, Susanne Sundfør, Gazpacho) in Los Angeles, PANTHER ended up becoming a very intense and personal labour of love for Pain of Salvation’s leader.“It’s been somewhat of a lonely process, but I was finding sounds that I felt were communicating something, and then built something around that,” says Gildenlöw. “It started off a chain of events that led to PANTHER. Just like we did with the last album, you have a song and you find a new sound that you like, and then you start pulling the other songs into that world, step by step. So there’s a lot of odd sounds and a lot of trying to think anew, particularly from my point of view. I don’t have to try to make it sound like Pain of Salvation – the sound is basically what I do when I write music.”Old school PoS fans need not panic, however. Panther still features plenty of guitars and recognisable prog rock and metal tropes: It’s just that Daniel Gildenlöw can’t help but do things differently, every time he hits the studio.Yet another groundbreaking monolith to progress, passion and the joy of music itself, and with artwork consisting of fantastic illustrations made by André Meister, PANTHER is destined to be one of 2020’s most significant releases. Sprung from the maverick mind of prog’s most ingenious contributor, it’s a triumph for artistic imagination and an exhilarating new chapter in the life of a truly great band.“I don’t think that an album can change the world in any way, but I think that every small drop in the ocean can make a difference,” Gildenlöw concludes. “Hopefully people will look around at life as it surrounds us and they’ll realise that this is something we choose. We don’t have to have things as we have them right now. Then I hope, as always when it comes to our albums, people will take time to absorb it all. Our albums work best when they have a little time to sink under the skin. Hopefully with our track record, people know what’s coming!”"
    $19.00
  • "‘Empath – The Ultimate Edition’ is the definitive version of Devin Townsend’s acclaimed 2019 album Empath. Featuring the original album & bonus disc, it also includes 2 Blu-Ray discs, the first of which contains a brand new 5.1 surround sound mix by Devin, as well as visuals for each track on the main album, plus a visualizer for the stereo version of the album. The second blu-ray disc contains ‘Acoustically Inclined – Live in Leeds’, a live show filmed during the April 2019 acoustic tour, as well as the Empath Documentary, ‘Genesis’ 5.1 mixing lesson, acoustic gear tour, a full Empath album commentary, and a video for the bonus track ‘King’. This is all contained within a hardback artbook with expanded artwork and photos, as well as new liner notes by Dave Everley."
    $28.00
  • "Jordsjø is a duo from Oslo, Norway inspired by Olivier Messiaen, (German) Popol Vuh and Anthony Braxton, via Scandinavian folklore and jazz to early British prog. Following in the tradition of some of the best Nordic rock from the last century, Jordsjø manages to meld progressive rock with fantastic melodies and a folkish twist.“Salighet” is the band’s fourth proper studio album. Seven new tracks, making up what has to be one of the greatest prog albums of 2023. Here, Jordsjø continues their musical journey in the heights and abysses: With “Salighet” they explore different forms of ecstasy through compositions and lyrics. Be it in the shape of dance, a mountain hike, a fairytale, religious pondering or other kinds of inner travels, in a colourful symphonic folk-rock sound. The music is a counterpoint to the mundane everyday life, and longs for mystery and alternate realities – with grand dynamics and dramatics, always searching for a good melody. The album draws inspiration from Nordic jazz and folk music, classical 1900s music and sensory expanding 60-s & 70s rock, creating its own potent musical brew – unfashionable and unpolished.The band consists of multi-instrumentalist Håkon Oftung (Tusmørke, Black Magic, The Chronicles of Father Robin) and drummer Kristian Frøland."
    $14.00
  • Swedish psychedelic/progressive rock alchemists AGUSA present their third full-length album simply titled Agusa.The follow-up to 2015’s Agusa 2 (Två ) sees the AGUSA circle expanding their kaleidoscopic output which conjures images of nature and the cosmos, their extensive passages again leading the listener into fantastic realms of a possibly supernatural or parallel existence. While Agusa 2 (Två) engulfed forty minutes of music through two massive tracks, Agusa sees the band delivering their singular brand of, trance-inducing, folk-inspired, occult rock through more traditional track lengths, offering five songs which range from five to ten-and-a-half minutes in length and are a bit heavier than the album’s predecessors.Agusa was recorded and mixed by Viktor Rinneby and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Bob Katz, and completed with art by Danilo Stankovic and design by Peter Wallgren.In September 2016 AGUSA released their live disc Katarsis, which had been recorded in Athens, Greece six months before. Following that release the band had hectic schedule with gigs in Scandinavia, Poland, and back to Greece. This proved to be too much for organ player Jonas Berge who left the band in January 2017, while recording the new Agusa album, which caused the band to take a pause in order to complete the album and replace Berge. Finding a talented organ player who would also fit into the group proved to be a difficult task, but finally Danish organ player Jeppe Juul was picked as Berge's successor. Juul is originally from Denmark but now lives in the deep woods of southern Sweden in primitive circumstances, where they must carry all water from a nearby well and occasionally get some electricity from some solar cells on the roof. He has previously played with many acts in different genres; Marcus Miller, Royal Danish Ballet, and Lili Haydn, among many others.AGUSA has performed live throughout Europe, including the mighty Roadburn Festival and more. Preceding the new Agusa album, flute player Jenny Puertas gave birth to a daughter in May which saw the band performing sans-flute for several shows, and additionally, organist Jonas Berge rejoined the lineup for several performances, which saw them playing live with two organ players. As always, AGUSA performed vastly different versions of the new songs live compared to how they ended up on the album, continuing their ongoing mission of turning every concert into something unique.
    $15.00