Avant Garde Metal

"If there is one band who has captured the sound of the golden age of Progressive Rock (1969 – 1975) without sounding regressive or copycat, it is the Norwegian band Wobbler. The band has always had an energetic and youthful approach to the classic prog era, and has managed to blow new life into the genre. Wobbler´s fifth offering is an exciting blend of carefully planned and jammed material that encompasses everything the band has done up to now. Dwellers of the Deep consists of four distinctive pieces and is a broad looking glass into Wobbler´s creative whims and playful exuberance. The album showcases the band´s mastery of dynamics and flow, with passages and themes veering from the scenic and serene to the downright rocking. On the final track, Wobbler is in full blast, with a 19 minutes suite taking the listener through aspects of the darker sides of Wobbler´s sound. The lyrical themes on the album deals with human emotion, and the ongoing struggle between juxtaposed forces within the psyche. An introspective voyage among the realms of memories, feelings and instincts, where the light is brighter, and the dark is darker. The concepts of wonder, longing and desperation permeates the histories told, and the currents from the deep are ever present. The production is open, detailed, warm and punchy, making the soundscape put together by the now seasoned sound alchemist Lars Fredrik Frøislie to an aural feast. New musical directions further the quintet’s burgeoning aural idiosyncrasies and solidify the band stature as one of the most exciting and interesting bands on the global music scene, independent of genre."TRACK LISTING:1. By the Banks2. Five Rooms3. Naiad Dreams4. Merry Macabre

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! 

"English neo-progressive rock spear-header IQ has been furthering the genre in the 21th century with much acclaim. Sound-wise the band hasn't changed much since ' The Seventh House', but on this album the band has finally revolutionized their composition style, arrangements and production. The symphonic layering by Neil Durant has this adult feel, reminding me of 'Tilt' era Scott Walker or 'Blackstar' era Bowie ' yet drenched in a Bladerunner like delicate sci-fi universe. Somehow this album sounds like a collaboration of the band IQ and... well a new 'force' that can look beyond its songs, its verses, its solo's and its refrains. Because of this 'force' the band has also given new meaning to the prog epic. On 'Resistance' a prog epic isn't just a multi- song. Don't take me wrong ' I really like a track like 'The Narrow Margin' ' but on this album the longer tracks really make sense from a songwriting point of view. Bare with me. Like a in a small song, where a bridge can add to strengthening the final refrain ' IQ manages to intelligently intervene and keep the song growing towards that final refrain. Furthermore, the first cd, which is 'the album', flows like a continues experience. Almost like a movie, including some modern cinematic sound-effects. What also becomes apparent after a few spins is the absence of leaning on catchy refrains, which gives the music a modern feel ' at times almost hinting at modern classical music. Peter Nicholl's voice doesn't allow for much variation, but because of the distinctive atmospheres of the songs his performances do tick the box every time. This material doesn't need catchy line A or B, it needs a performer. The rhythm section of the band has found a perfect balance between fusion styled sophistication and adding to the effectiveness of the material. Guitar player Mike Holmes somehow comes off as a bit left behind in the old IQ with his Marillion/Floyd styled guitar solo's. On acoustic guitar his contributions strike me as more imminent ' like on 'Perfect Space'. If the band ever aims to top this album in the future ' which would prove extremely difficult I guess - the electric guitar will need to contribute in more diverse ways. Now about that second disc, which I will describe in a bit more detail because most reviewers will probably focus on the first disc. If that were an album; the 22 minute 'The Great Spirit Way' alone would suffice for an indispensable purchase. Personally, I think this song is placed right after the rather dark and soundtrack-like first disc because it matches best stylistically. 'Fire and Security' is a more traditional IQ piece ' albeit a bit bleak - with a balled type opening, some darker passages and a melancholy ending section with some strong lead guitars. On 'Perfect Space' the band drives its jazz/fusion influences to the max, which will perhaps turn of some ' but I like it. The second epic, the 20 minute 'Fallout' is a bit more relaxing, abstract and dreamy. In its second halve the band experiments beautifully with sophisticated chord progressions, which also allows for Holmes' most interesting guitar solo. Conclusion. Without a doubt this will become the progressive album of 2019 and I hope it will inspire a lot of other neo-progressive bands to elaborate and expand on their Marillion/Genesis/Floyd roots and take the music to a next level of artistry. This album will probably outshine the nostalgic likings of many of its listeners, but it may also attract listeners that have previously written off the neo-prog genre. " - ProgArchives

“Devolution Series #2 - Galactic Quarantine” was recorded between July and September 2020 in various places around the world. Originally streamed on September 5th, 2020 on StageIt.com as a replacement show for the COVID affected “Empath Vol 2 European Tour” and various cancelled Summer festivals. The show features Devin on vocals and guitars, Samus Paulicelli III on drums, Wes Hauch on guitars and Diego Tejeida on keys. 

"The release of official live material is a project that is long overdue and we know our existing fans have been crying out for this for some time now. Whilst we have filmed and recorded many shows in the past we have always felt there were elements of our shows that could be improved 'visually' before we documented and immortalised this for the world to see and that the timing for a live release never felt right for us. This is just our nature as creative people to be so extremely self-critical and constantly strive for perfection. It is largely due to the will of the people that the idea of this project became a reality. Both the band and the label were inundated with emails requesting a live release in some shape or form, and it was actually rather flattering, so giving the people what they wanted just felt like the right thing to do" - Haken"Following the release of the bands much-acclaimed fourth studio album 'Affinity', they embarked upon their 10th anniversary tour across Europe & North America. Recorded and filmed on the 13th April 2017, at the legendary Melkweg venue on the Amsterdam stop of that tour, this represents the band's first ever live document with tracks from across the band's discography.'L-1VE' will be released as a 2CD/2DVD Digipak package & as digital download. The DVD will include 4 bonus tracks filmed at ProgPower USA 2016 that also includes Mike Portnoy's cameo appearance on gong, as well as all of the official videos from the 'Affinity' album."

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