Progressive Rock

Ice Age, Waves Of Loss And Power (Sensory 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

New York progressive metal band Ice Age wake the sleeping giant with Waves Of Loss And Power.

Ice Age began all the way back in 1991 as an instrumental band called Monolith. In 1999, now known as Ice Age, they released their first album, The Great Divide, followed by their second long-player the very next year, Liberation. Things began to slow on the recording front after that and, other than a self-titled EP in 2004, it was radio silence for the band as Ice Age. In 2015, the reformation occurred, and now fans can hear new music with Waves Of Loss And Power. The band is Josh Pincus (vocals, keys), Jimmy Pappas (guitar), Hal Aponte (drums), and Doug Odell (bass).

As with most progressive rock and metal, the songs on the new album are mainly presented in the long form, although three of the eight dip into radio length. As an example of what to expect, consider “The Needle’s Eye,” the first song that cracks the egg with high energy and complex constructions. The music is a little heavier than I expected, laying more on the side of, say, Queensÿche, than Kansas. The vocals are melodic and beautifully rendered. As we do expect in this kind of music, the musicianship is perfect, crisp, and sharp. There is a bewildering keyboard solo and tasty lead guitar work as well. It is exceptionally well done, as is all the music on the record.

Fans of Ice Age will be thrilled by the way the music picks up on earlier work. For example, “Perpetual Child, Part II: Forever” continues the song began on the first record, while “To Say Goodbye, Part IV: Remembrance” and “To Say Goodbye, Part V: Water Child” extended the saga from both the earlier long-players. If you like your prog on the heavy side, then this album is for you. Highly recommended.

Waves Of Loss And Power is out on Friday, March 10th through Sensory Records. Find it at the links below.

Band photo by Roy Somech.

Links.

Ice Age website, http://www.ice-age.com/

Bandcamp, https://lasersedge.bandcamp.com/album/waves-of-loss-and-power

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/IceAgeProgBand/

Sensory Records, https://www.lasercd.com/

© Wayne Edwards

Ice Age, Waves Of Loss And Power (Sensory 2023)

Mos Generator, Time//Wounds (2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

Mos Generator release music from the future and the past for their tenth album, Time//Wounds.

I don’t usually quote such long passages from a press release, but this is a precise description of what is on the new Mos Generator record, so let’s listen in.

Written, Arranged and Recorded over two sessions in the summer of 2021, with some musical themes going back as far as 1989. Time//Wounds is six songs about the passing of time, the tolls taken by the pursuit of dreams, and the regret of opportunities not taken. “I hear this collection of songs as progressive rock of the 1970s meets the 1980s and 90s alternative underground. Much like the music I was writing in the 1990s when I was in my early twenties.” Although previous albums have been leading up to this shift in sound, Time//Wounds takes a massive leap forward (and backward) by conjuring the spirit and recklessness of young musicians and combining it with the experience and diversity of mature songwriters.

At the time of writing this release, we have decided to proceed with finalizing the album by using these demos instead of re-recording the album from the ground up. I am revisiting each mix to bring out the best in what we have captured and to replace or add instrumentation that I feel needs attention. By taking this route we possibly sacrifice perfection for energy but this isn’t a new approach for us and we feel like it has worked well on previous albums.

OK, so that is a little confusing to me. Even so, like I always say, no matter what the underlying story might be, we can always just listen to the music and see whether we like it or not. Let’s try that. “Aja-Minor” is up first. It is a cheerful-sounding rocker that could have been excavated from deep in rock and roll history. Catchy and peppy, it crackles with energy and verve. The song takes a nice prog walk in the middle that is also quite enthusiastic. “(Don’t) Wait Until Tomorrow” is a soft and sweet song when it begins, and then it takes a darker turn in tone and stretches into complexity. A bit like life itself. It is an excellent piece. “Burn Away The Years” is somewhat more tentative in its opening bars, but then it claps down and gets going and the sense of it all becomes clearer.

“Getting Good At Revenge” is sharp and stabbing, with exceptional guitarwork and gritty vocals. It is a heavy piece, carrying easily the weight of the theme. “Only Yesterday” is a dreamy wonder that rambles through the universe, known and unknown, with an eye toward reflection. In the end we have “Until We Meet Again,” a fifteen-minute treatise on the meaning of meaning – at least that is what is sounds like to me. All the music on the album is great, but if there was only one song I could listen to, this would be it.

Mos Generator is Tony Reed (guitar, vocals, keys), Jono Garrett (drums), and Sean Booth (bass). This is not the album I expected from them, but I am glad they did it. Recommended.

Time//Wounds is out on Friday, December 16th. Check out the links below for ordering info.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://mosgenerator.bandcamp.com/album/time-wounds

Mos Generator on-line store, https://heavyheadsuperstore.storenvy.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MosGenerator/

© Wayne Edwards

Mos Generator, Time//Wounds (2022)

Photo Gallery: The Contortionist at Old National Centre, Indianapolis, October 15, 2022

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

Here are a few photos that might not have made it into the main Ghost Cult Magazine article.

Photos by Wayne Edwards.

Links.

Ghost Cult Magazine article on the show, https://www.ghostcultmag.com/concert-review-the-contortionist-rivers-of-nihil-live-at-old-national-centre-indianapolis/

Rivers of Nihil FFMB article, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/10/26/rivers-of-nihil-at-old-national-centre-indianapolis-october-15-2022/

The Contortionist, https://www.thecontortionist.net/

© Wayne Edwards

Photo Gallery: The Contortionist at Old National Centre, Indianapolis, October 15, 2022

Somehow Jo, Scales And Details (Inverse Records 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

The third album from prog rock band Somehow Jo is out this week, Scales And Details.

Formed in 2009 in Tampere, Finland, Somehow Jo is a progressive rock/metal band that brings order from the jam. Their first album, Satans Of Swing, came out in 2015 and Tusk followed in 2018. The band is Christian Sauren (vocals, guitar), Eero Aaltonen (bass), Sakari Karjalainen (guitar, keys), and Lassi Peiponen (drums).

Talking about the process of creating the music for Scales And Details, the press release tells us that the “base material of the album is largely the best ideas selected from the jamming sessions and then worked into ready songs. The lyrical ideas have been written on the basis of images from the song demos.” This certainly sounds like what we might expect from a progressing rock act: music emerging from a process of exploration and refinement.

There are nine tracks on the new album, beginning with “Fata Morgana.” The music is surging and urgent, with melodic arcs that release some of the tension but never lose the sense that you are part of a caravan that is traveling through dangerous country. It reminds me a little of the band Camel on their more energetic songs. “Friend” has a quieter start and a more mysterious posture. Disturbing warbles and straining vocals push the idea of peril to the front of your mind where it sticks. The lead guitar work is compelling; it draws you in. “Cycle” is a demonic hoedown, like if the Squirrel Nut Zippers were a prog band. It is unusual and fascinating, and these first three songs demonstrate an impressive range, building expectations for the rest of the album that are largely fulfilled.

Other tracks that I like especially include “When It Falls,” which is not like anything else in the set, and the final song, “Mirror.” That last piece is particularly encouraging in its tone and construction. I mean, you get a very positive feeling from the music in a way that is quite different from the other songs even though many of the elements are similar. You can think of this album as a journey, or a thoughtful examination, or even a walking mediation. The guitar work is great, and if you are looking for prog metal/rock on the lighter side, this one will do it for you. Recommended.

Scales And Details is out through Inverse Records on Friday, September 16th.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://somehow-jo.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Somehowjoband

Inverse Records, https://www.inverse.fi/site/

© Wayne Edwards

Somehow Jo, Scales And Details (Inverse Records 2022)

King’s X, Three Sides Of One (Inside Out Music 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , ,

Legendary prog metal band King’s X release their thirteenth studio album, Three Sides Of One.

King’s X is one of those bands that has had an immeasurable impact on modern music. Some of the biggest bands from the nineties have cited them as direct influences, and you can hear it in the progressive rock and metal music that has come out since then. Their discography is impressive with twelve previous studio albums and five live sets published through a variety of labels ranging from Megaforce to Atlantic to Metal Blade. They are true icons in the music industry.

It has been fourteen years since King’s X put out an album of new material, so Three Sides Of One is more than welcome and hotly anticipated. The band continues to be Doug (dUg) Pinnick (bass, vocals), Jerry Gaskill (drums, vocals), and Ty Tabor (guitar, vocals).

There are a dozen tracks on the new album, beginning with “Let It Rain,” a song that walks out on a solemn tone that is followed by a tentative strum and then solidifies with growing assurance in the percussion. Soulful vocals bring the opening bars together and set up the launch. The lead guitar break is a beautiful thing. After the rain, then there is “Flood, Pt. 1.” This one works on a decidedly heavier tone, with aggressive guitars urgently pushing the ideas forward toward a surprisingly melodic vocal. “Nothing But The Truth” is a steady piece, with thoughtful construction and a gorgeous extended guitar solo. The first three songs are all very different and they are also all very King’s X.

Other favorites from the set for me are “Give It Up,” which is a one catchy number, and “Watcher,” a song that takes me back to the early days of Chicago, in my head, anyway. And really, I could pick any song on the album and easily point to aspects of it that are exceptional and memorable. There is no question that fans of the band are going to love this new album. It is incredible that the musicians have come together after a long time gap and created such a stunning collection of new songs. Highly recommended.

Three Sides Of One drops on Friday, September 2nd through Inside Out Music in an array of formats.

Links.

King’s X website, http://kingsxrocks.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/KingsXofficial/

Inside Out Music, https://www.insideoutmusic.com/

© Wayne Edwards

King’s X, Three Sides Of One (Inside Out Music 2022)

Birth, Born (Metal Blade Records 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , , ,

San Diego prog rock band Birth issue their debut full-length album, Born.

Birth emanated from the band Astra, the latter having released an impressive set of albums, including The Weirding (2009) and The Black Chord (2012). They play progressive rock in a style that might remind you of King Crimson at times, or the deeper moments of Yes. Jazz inlays and ethereal engagements combine with celestial pulses and expeditions featuring ever-present key work and mesmerizing guitars. The band is Conor Riley (keys, acoustic guitar, vocals), Brian Ellis (guitar, keys), Trevor Mast (bass), and Thomas DiBenedetto (drums).

There are six tracks on the new album, beginning with the title song. O man, what a way to kick things off. It is a psychedelic flashback that could be a combination of ELP and Yes with more cosmic energy infused into monumental conceptions of Earth. Illustrious keys and vibrant guitar enterprises give way to thoughtful, languid explorations. It was difficult to resist simply hitting repeat over and over on the first song. “Descending Us” comes next with a more serious-sounding set-up. The vocals transform from bard to soothsayer as the song goes along, and the guitar is a constant reminder of flux, creation and destruction.

Throughout the album, we experience this manner of journey and description at every turn. We are invited, really, to consider what is happening around us at the terrestrial level as well as the celestial one, and all spaces in between. “Cosmic Tears” is perhaps my favorite song on the album as it, for me, showcases best the way in which a paradigm can be constructed – it imagines the edges of understanding then peers within them and beyond. The writing and performance are exceptional. Highly recommended.

Born is out from Bad Omen Records and Metal Blade Records on Friday, July 15th. This is one to mark on the calendar.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://birthprog.bandcamp.com/album/born

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Birth.prog

Bad Omen Records, http://www.bad-omen-records.com/

Metal Blade Records, https://www.metalblade.com/us/

© Wayne Edwards

Birth, Born (Metal Blade Records 2022)

Djiin, Meandering Soul (Klonosphere Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

French psychedelic rock band Djiin are back with their sophomore studio album, Meandering Soul.

Chloé Panhaleux (vocals, electric harp), Allan Guyomard (drums), Tom Penaguin (guitar), and Charlélie Pailhes (bass) are Djiin. Their musical style is a fusion of progressive rock and stoner/psychedelic music. That sounds like a clash more than a fusion, but Djiin make it work with impressive fluidity. Meandering Soul is the band’s third release, after a live album and The Freak (2019).

There are six tracks on the new album. “Black Circus” begins cautiously, transforming into a casual vamp before rolling out the dooming slog. Vocalist Chloé Panhaleux layers her voice in a dizzying array of low and high, serious and languid. When she pauses, a prog segment kicks in, then tags her back in. It is like two different plays are going on at the same time on opposite sides of the stage and the spotlight is shifting back and forth. This pliant uncertainly leads smoothly into “Void.” The song is more of an evolution in and between its constituent parts than as the previous track, until the screaming near the end, that is. “Red Desert” has a heavier sound, a meatier vibe. And it has a louder feeling to it, a more out-loud intentionality.

The back half begins with a dark, sly smile – “Warmth of Death.” It takes about five minutes for the song to unwind, and it really cuts loose after that. “White Valley” is my favorite of the set for its guitars, the vocal treatment, and the melodious discord it enjoins. “Waxdoll” is the final piece, and it breaks the gate at a cracking pace. The middle is exploratory, and the off ramp is ethereal. There are so many different moving parts on this album that it is difficult to keep track of them. But then there is no need to, is there. Just listen and take it as it comes. Recommended.

Meandering Soul is out now from Klonosphere Records. Touch the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://djiin.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/djiin.theband/

Klonosphere Records, https://www.klonosphere.com/

Djiin, Meandering Soul (Klonosphere Records 2021)

Mastodon, Hushed and Grim (Reprise Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Progressive metal band Mastodon cap a big year with a new full-length album, Hushed and Grim.

Since 2000, the band has been Troy Sanders (bass and vocals), Brann Dailor (drums and vocals), Brent Hinds (guitar and vocals), and Bill Kelliher (guitar and vocals). I remember exactly when I started listening to Mastodon. I did not hear their first long-player, Remission, when it came out in 2002, but I did hear Leviathan two years later. I liked, I recall, but for some reason it didn’t land with me the first time the way it ultimately would. Time passed and then I heard Crack The Skye (2009) – there was no turning back from that. I immediately went back through the entire catalogue and since have waited less-than-patiently for every new release. Mastodon is one of my absolute favorite metal bands.

In 2021, Mastodon has been showing up more regularly than most bands at festivals, sometimes stepping in at the last minute to replace bands that were sidelined by covid-19, as they did at Psycho Las Vegas, and in a headline spot, too. I have seen them several times live this year and always to my amazement. Each and every performance is masterful.

The new album is another exceptional set the band has added to their already galactic catalogue. Early singles were “Pushing the Tides” and “Teardrinker,” both of which have more than a million spins on Spotify by now. The more recently released “Sickle and Peace” already has half a million plays. Their fans are legion.

Mastodon’s music has evolved over the years, and now it in the complex and leans toward the progressive end of the metal spectrum. It has a haunting quality, and hypnotizing nature that draws you quickly in and holds you as the enchantment unfolds. The new album is almost an hour and a half long and it seems exactly right in its construction. Not extended or stretched; just precisely as it should be.

I am not going to pick favorites because every song has its necessary place, from the reflective “Skeleton of Splendor” to the forceful “Pain with an Anchor” to the overwhelming closer “Gigantium.” I will say this album goes toward the top of the list of the work the band has released. I found it to be captivating. Highly recommended.

Hushed and Grim is out now on all streaming platforms and in the expected physicals. Look to the links below.

Band photo by Wayne Edwards at Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2021.

Links.

Mastodon, https://www.mastodonrocks.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Mastodon

YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/user/MastodonMusic

Mastodon, Hushed and Grim (Reprise Records 2021)

The Omnific, Escapades (Wild Thing Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

The Omnific lays out an amazing array of heavy instrumental prog on Escapades.

The Australian trio The Omnific is Matthew Fackrell (bass), Toby Peterson-Stewart (bass), and Jerome Lematua (drums). That’s right. Two bass players. I’ve been saying for years, “You know what you never see? Two basses in a band.” I am going to have to retire that one from my altered-state repertoire. They play instrumental progressive music across a range of styles from metal to rock to jazz and pretty much everything around and in between.

Expect the unexpected. Seriously. The bass lines are breathtaking; sometimes difficult to believe they are real. I love Les Claypool and he is clearly one of the best, most accomplished bassist in the history of modern rock – I bet Les would on board with these constructions and also be impressed.

In every style that emerges, the progressive lines elbow in and, rather than overpowering the demonstrated course, they join with it to create a synergistic time-lapse garden of music. The sharp pops of the bass, heavy syncopation, and a pulsing, turbulent energy are massively compelling forces.

And then there are songs like “Dwam” that are soft, melodic, beautifully enchanting. “Ne Plus Ultra” could be the soundtrack to a roving spaceship that may or may not be lost in the farthest reaches of the universe. The possibilities undulate with an aura limitlessness.

The closer is “Posterity.” When I think of the title to mean all and everything that comes next, the music fits right in. The lyricism of the keys seem at first to be in contrast with the punchiness of the rhythm, but as with the other pieces it all flows together and, while I wouldn’t call it linear, it does coalesce into meaning that is at once obvious and profound. Recommended.

Escapades is out on Friday, October 8th and can be picked up at Wild Thing Records or Bandcamp.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://theomnific.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/theomnific

Wild Thing Records, https://www.wildthingrecords.com/collections/the-omnific

The Omnific, Escapades (Wild Thing Records 2021)

Boss Keloid, Family The Smiling Thrush (Ripple Music 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , ,

The soundscape presented by the new Boss Keloid album Family The Smiling Thrush rivals the stirring of primordial oceans.

Going back more than ten years, Boss Keloid has been creating some of the most interesting and sweepingly original heavy music on the planet. They have a way of translating musical complexity and quirkiness into a common language that everyone can hear. The band is Paul Swarbrick (guitar), Alex Hurst (vocals and guitar), Ste Arands (drums), and Liam Pendlebury-Green (bass).

Sometimes sounding a bit like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer while at other times moving more in a Zappa vein and then suddenly shouldering a hard turn into the inexplicable, Boss Keloid’s music cannot be predicted. Family The Smiling Thrush opens with the nine minute track “Orang of Noyn.” The song defies succinct description. Heavy prog rock is a functional label but it leaves a lot out. The music takes you over and you quickly lose track of how long you have been listening. If another song hadn’t started after, I am not sure how long it would have taken me to realize the first track had ended.

“Gentle Clovis” is up second and it has a reassuring anthropological feel to it. You get transported back to the 1970s with the keys and guitars in the lines, riffs, and echoes. There is a battering drama at the end that is entirely appropriate and it runs right on into the next piece, “Hats The Mandrill.” If you are not feeling the scope of the musical vision at this point then you should start the album over and try again because by now it should entirely surround you.

There are builds big and small throughout, all of them engaging, and welcoming and demanding, too, simultaneously. I was particularly swept up by the pair “Smiling Thrush” and “Cecil Succulent.” I suspect that the experience will land differently for individuals and yet still I wager there will be places you are drawn to, no matter how much you like the work in its entirety. There will be a part that takes hold of you and finds something to fulfill you didn’t even know was wanting. The album is elemental. Recommended.

This one is out tomorrow. Some of the limiteds have already flown, but you can still get physicals through Bandcamp or Ripple Music, and the digital is there, too.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://bosskeloid.bandcamp.com/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/bosskeloidband

Ripple Music, https://www.ripple-music.com/

Boss Keloid, Family The Smiling Thrush (Ripple Music 2021)