With Alignments, Double Experience publish an album with heart and mind, which is characterized by catchiness and complexity! Bands like Coheed and Cambria, Weezer and Muse were the inspiration for this. For a long time banished to the basement of the parents and heads of a prepubescent heavy metal cooperative, something amazing has happened in recent years: being nerd is suddenly cool. The only thing missing is a band that symbolizes all of this. Which sets a new standard between nerdness and zeitgeist. Stop, stop: not missing. Missing! Appearance Double Experience, Canada's answer to nerd rock pioneers like Muse, Coheed and Cambria or Weezer.
The band around band leader and multi-instrumentalist Sam Fossbakk also comes from Norway, the country that is obviously experiencing a progrock renaissance. On 'Tomorrow Is Delayed', which appears on the genre-specialized label Apollon Records, the German singer and keyboardist Sonja Otto is doing the first time. Beautiful Symphonic Prog with a clear retro 70s coating. Fans of bands like Camel, Renaissance or Earth & Fire should definitely listen here.
"… It also immediately becomes clear that a very special charm in the Norwegian singing, the three excellent singers, who despite all the retro heaviness gives the album a very special note, which culminates in the final 20 minutes, in which the singers even find themselves obviously venture into the vocal exceptional masterpiece "The Great Gig In The Sky" from "Dark Side On The Moon" and master the parallels with flying colors. Syndenes Magi "does not understand the Norwegian texts, because if they are only half as fascinating as the music and the grandiose cover, we may miss a very important part of this progressive puzzle, behind which there are definitely the pictures of Pink Floyd and King Hide Crimson. " That wrote music reviews of the predecessor 'Syndenes Magi'. Now the sixth album by the Norwegian progressive rock band is finally released. Arabs In Aspic shows once again that the sound of King Crimson, Black Sabbath, Van Der Graaf Generator or Uriah Heep still causes sound waves and inspires bands. With their proto-hard rock and 70s-inspired progressive, they have been the spearhead of the Norwegian scene for 15 years. Still a top insider tip!
The Opium Cartel is another playground of Jacob Holm-Lupo, the head of the Norwegian art rock band White Willow, who lives out his penchant for pop for the third time on 'Valor' - especially inspired by the sophisticated 80s pop / rock of bands like Alan Parsons Project, The Blue Nile or the late Roxy Music. In addition to Bjørn Riis (airbag), Lars Fredrik Frøislie (White Willow, Wobbler) Leah Marcu (Tillian) there is also a guest appearance by acoustic duo Ole & Silje Huleboer. Hardware synthesizers such as the iconic Oberheim Matrix-6 or the Yamaha DX are an important part of the sound. The very successful artwork comes from a photo session by Glen Wexler with members of the Cirque Du Soleil. Wexler has designed covers for Rush, Van Halen and many more in the past. The CD comes with a bonus track (Ratt's 'What's It Gonna Be') and if you hurry, you get one of the limited, red vinyls that are offered alongside the black ones.
"… I could write pages about the title track 'Total Absence'. Between hard rock riffs and complex rhythms, the long track alternates over 16 minutes between bombastic passages with hymnic organ sounds and softly sung vocal passages. Fans of symphonic prog will be with the Click the tongue. The album convinced me at almost every moment. Long time no longer heard of such a good, melodic, yet powerful and progressive hard rock… "(Baby blue prog reviews) The band's fourth album, like its predecessor, was influenced by the 60s and 70s Progressive rock by King Crimson, Yes, Genesis and others. The Norwegians incorporate jazz, rock, metal, fusion, psychedelia, ambient and even Latin into their songs. Take care: there will only be a small vinyl edition!
In 1973 Ruphus were signed by Polydor Norway and recorded their first LP in the same year. Ruphus toured Norway until 1974 and her newfound popularity brought her attention to television and produced a TV special. 'Ranshart' was their first export album and also garnered some international attention. In 1976 they produced their third album 'Let Your Light Shine'. Her new style was unmistakable. Ruphus had developed into a jazz rock band with the help of rock and jazz guitarist Terje Rypdal as a producer. The German Metronome brought Ruphus to the first Brain Festival on February 26, 1977 in Essen, where they played in front of around 8,000 visitors. In 1978 her fifth work 'Flying Colors' was published, this time produced by Hans Petter Danielsen. Like its predecessors, it is now being released as a reissue (CD, LP, Lim. Transparent Blue LP) by progressive rock specialist Karisma Records. The remastering was done by Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, The Opium Cartel etc.)
"... The unfortunately only 38 minutes pass in flight, because the Norwegians make their completely instrumental debut extremely varied. They oscillate between symphonic prog, psychedelic, space and ambient. A wonderful piano piece is included as well as modern prog with ambient elements, whereby especially the Mellotron fan gets their money's worth. Some sounds typically Scandinavian, others would not necessarily have been assigned to a Norwegian formation ... "(BetreutesProggen.de) Three years after the debut 'Ultrasound', the follow-up album is now being released with 'Colors Of Space' Scandinavian band. Inspired by some short stories by HP Lovecraft, the band goes on a cosmic journey through progressive rock and atmospheric sound collages with various vintage instruments. If you want one of the limited gold LPs, you have to hurry. There are only 250 retail stores worldwide.
"... It also becomes immediately clear that a very special charm lies in the Norwegian singing, the three outstanding singers, which, despite all the retro-heaviness, gives the album a very special note, which culminates in the final twenty minutes, in which the singers even meet quite obviously dare to venture into the exceptional vocal masterpiece "The Great Gig In The Sky" from "Dark Side On The Moon" and master the parallels with flying colors. Incredible! (...) Conclusion: Damn it is a shame that Arabs In Aspic Syndenes Magi "doesn't understand the Norwegian lyrics, because if they're only half as fascinating as the music and the terrific cover, then we might miss a very important part of this progressive puzzle, behind which the pictures of Pink Floyd and King are definitely Hide the crimson. " The album is now available as a high-quality re-release on vinyl, optionally in black and lim. 'Black Clouds' Marble Vinyl!
Pymlico have developed a sound that is the crossroads of diverse musical influences: Progressive Rock with influences from fusion, moderate modern jazz and subtle electronics. The driving foundation of drums and bass is reinforced by an electric guitar and a cool sounding saxophone. In addition varied guitar work, which is complemented with keyboard sounds. Despite the complexity of the arrangements, the compositions always retain absolute clarity and Pymlico always retain the right feeling for the best possible development of the melody and atmosphere. Now the Norwegians are releasing their sixth album. Unlike its predecessors, this focuses on groove elements and horn sections. There is plenty of inspiration from Pink Floyd, Joe Satriani, Toto, Tears For Fears, Weather Report, Tangerine Dream or film composer Hans Zimmer! The vinyl is limited to 300 pieces.
The group was founded in 1999 in Hønefoss and influenced by bands like Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Genesis and Anecdotes. In 2003, Wobbler published two demo recordings on the Internet, which were very well received by the international progressive rock scene. This was followed by invitations to various festivals and first reports in the scene's fanzines. In 2005 the musicians around keyboardist and mastermind Lars Fredrik Frøislie released their first official album 'Hinterland'. The compositions and the sound of Wobbler are very clearly based on the classic progressive rock bands of the 1970s. The musicians place increasing value on the use of original equipment from the 1970s, including Rickenbacker bass, Mellotron, Hammond organ, Hohner Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Moog synthesizer and ARP Solina String Ensemble. And so it is on the now fifth album of the band, both of which the track listing already suggests that it is going to be epic and broad. 'Dwellers Of The Deep', which is eagerly awaited in fan circles, appears in five different versions: CD-Jewelcase, CD-Digipak, Black Vinyl, Lim. Marble Vinyl and Lim. Transparent Vinyl!
The band consisted of four top-class musicians who initially found their sound in a kind of rural commune: Steve Winwood, Dave Mason, Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi. Winwood played with Blind Faith after the first traffic split and then began to prepare a solo album, which ultimately came out as the new traffic album 'John Barleycorn Must Die' - it would be the most successful of the group. Before the album was released, the band, now reduced to a trio, played this BBC gig in London. The complete broadcast is included on this LP (with detailed liner notes)! Lihjt Green Colored 180 Gr. Vinyl, hand-numbered fold-over sleeve!
Die Geschichte von Yes ist von wiederholten Umbesetzungen und teilweise erheblichen Stiländerungen geprägt. Als kreativer und künstlerischer Höhepunkt der Band gelten die 1970er Jahre, in denen einige der herausragenden Alben des Progressive Rock aufgenommen wurden, während der größte kommerzielle Erfolg 1983 gelang. Gegründet wurde die im Klassik-Rock beheimatete Gruppe 1968 von Jon Anderson und Chris Squire mit den Begleitmusikern Peter Banks, Tony Kaye und Bill Bruford. Aus dieser Frühphase der Band stammen die vorliegenden in drei unterschiedlichen Locations aufgenommenen neun Songs. Sie entstanden in Sessions für BBC Radio 1, die belgische Sendung 'Pop Eye' sowie aus dem 'Chikito' Club für das Schweizer TV. 180 Gr. Deluxe-LP (Orange Vinyl) im handnummeriertem Gatefold und 4-Seiten-Booklet! Professionell gemastert!
The band was founded in 1999 and was able to release two EPs in the early stages. Now, after a long break, the debut album hoped for by prog fans and critics is finally released. This is all about the musical role models Yes, Genesis, Rush or Ultravox.
Hinter dem Projekt verbirgt sich der norwegische Musiker Tommy Sebastian Halseth, der bereits mit Bands wie Griffin, Atrox oder Manes insbesondere im Progrock-Land Norwegen punkten konnte. Der klassische Hardrock mit Progressive-Einflüssen wurde von Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, The Opium Cartel etc.) gemastert! 'Outside' erscheint beim norwegischen Prog-Spezialisten Apollon Records.
The Norwegians seem to be slowly getting ready to contest the Swedes for their position in Northern Europe in terms of retroprog. Analog purists Ring Van Möbius are known for staying true to the original progressive rock philosophy by combining 70s instruments with the ancient art of tape recording. The Norwegian trio are delivering their second album "The 3rd Majesty" - a progressive pearl that might as well have appeared in 1971, with instruments such as tubular bells, theremin, a string quartet, timpani and a modular synthesizer, in addition to the raw power of the Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, drums and electric bass guitar. A very entertaining, nostalgic treat for fans of Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson or Camel.
Nach der umfangreichen und limitierten Boxset-Retrospektive "Michael Rother - Solo (Remastered)" des wohl einflussreichsten E-Gitarristen aus Deutschland und Mitglieds der Bandprojekte NEU! und Harmonia, erscheinen nun seine vier ersten Solowerke erstmals einzeln, digital remastered von den Original-Tapes: "Flammende Herzen" (1977), "Sterntaler" (1978), "Katzenmusik" (1979) und "Fernwärme" (1982). Insbesondere die LPs waren - mit Ausnahme einer US-Pressung von "Flammende Herzen" in 2010 - seit Mitte der 1980er Jahre nicht mehr erhältlich.