UK Prog-rock wizards, Gandalf’s Fist, have today announced details of their 8thfull-length album, Widdershins, and have begun pre-orders on the title. The release marks their first full album following the hugely acclaimed 5-disc Clockwork Saga and is again a conceptual work, this time a collection of individually crafted songs, exploring the superstitious nature of human existence.
Gandalf’s Fist front man/guitarist, Dean Marsh, commented:
“We’re immensely proud of this album! It contains all the elements that make this band unique along with a fantastic collection of killer riffs, our best vocals yet and the longest song we’ve ever recorded! We really think this album captures the tone and feel of those ‘epic’ albums of the 70’s and 80’s and certainly allows fans, both old and new, to see this band firing on all cylinders!”
The album, which can be pre-ordered at www.gandalfsfist.com/widdershins is available at a special discounted rate on digipak, as part of Limited T-Shirt bundles and a special deluxe collectors’ box during this pre-order phase.
Karisma Records has announced that the 11th November will be the release date for the third full-length album from Norway’s Progressive Pop/Rockers OAK. Titled “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise”, it is an album in which the band has decided to write about the important, but controversial , subjects of suicide in particular and mental health in general.
Knowing that music as an art form is very open to interpretation, and knowing how emotive the subject matter is, OAK wanted to be sure that the message comes across clearly, and consequently sought advice from experienced scholars on the matter.
And, with the release of the single “Dreamless Sleep”, Karisma Records has given us a first taste from “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise”. It can be downloaded or streamed from a variety of services at:
OAK originated as a folk-rock duo, which expanded into today’s lineup of Simen Valldal Johannessen on vocals, piano and keys, Øystein Sootholtet on bass, acoustic and electric guitars, Sigbjørn Reiakvam on drums, percussion, programming, keys and guitars, and Stephan Hvinden on lead, rhythm and slide guitars. The fact that OAK’s members come from diverse backgrounds, which range from classical piano, to electronica, to prog and hard rock, with references to both the alternative scene as well as the progressive rock scene, has allowed OAK to create a unique sound.
Musically, OAK’s upcoming “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” is the band’s most dynamic album yet, demonstrating a wide range of influences. There are some sharper edges, and some surprising twists and turns to be found amongst the familiar Oak territory. Interestingly, after the release of their previous album “False Memory Archive”, the band set out to write some shorter songs for a change – and ended up with their longest songs yet!
“The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” was recorded in Ljugekroken and was mixed at the Ghostward Studio by David Castillo (KATATONIA, LEPROUS OPETH, etc.). It was mastered by Tony Lindgren at the Fascination Street Studio, and, as with their other albums, “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” offers subtle hints to both past and future songs in the Oak universe.
Tracklisting on “The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” is as follows:
1. Highest Tower, Deepest Well
2. Quiet Rebellion
3. Dreamless Sleep
4. Sunday 8 AM
5. Demagogue Communion
6. Paperwings
7. Guest of Honour
“The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise” will be available in CD, Digital and Limited Edition white vinyl formats, and can now be pre-ordered from:
‘The Years Roll By’ is the first of two music videos from the band’s new concept album.
The Years Roll By is the opening track on Glass Hammer’s At The Gate concept album —set for release on October 7th, 2022.
Bandleader Steve Babb said the following about the new album: “At The Gate completes our sword and sorcery inspired trilogy that began with 2020s Dreaming City. We followed that up with last year’s Skallagrim—Into The Breach.”
For the uninitiated, he went on to explain. “It’s the story of a scarred and battered thief, Skallagrim, who’s had his memory stolen along with the love of his life. He’s got to fight unimaginable horrors and slay hideous creatures and sorcerous villains if he’s ever to reclaim either. Finally, at the end of the last album, his memory is returned, but he finds himself cursed to wait one thousand years for a chance to find his lost love! At The Gate picks up at the end of his tale as he prepares to face the ultimate challenge of his life—to finally rescue his girl and defeat the evil being who has imprisoned her.
“Of course, as with any Glass Hammer concept album, there is more to it than a simple plot. On the surface, it appears to be about magic swords and heroes, but it’s actually a story about confronting evil, how to survive it, and how to face despair and heartache.
And most importantly, it’s about why the pursuit of profound and lasting joy in an often joyless world is worthwhile, even when all available evidence suggests it cannot be found.”
Babb says he chose to open the album with a ballad. “…something ethereal, something reminiscent of what our fans call classic Glass Hammer. The Years Roll By fits the bill, I think. Of course, there’ll be plenty of metal and prog on the new album. The next music video I plan to release hits really hard!”
Watch the video here:
Autographed copies of At The Gate are available for pre-order on the Glass Hammer Store website. www.glasshammer.com
Legendary Italian progressive rockers Banco del Mutuo Soccorso celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2022, with the release of possibly their most ambitious concept album since their debut. “Orlando: Le Forme dell’Amore” will be released on the 23rd September 2022, and today they launch the second single ‘La Pianura Rossa’. Watch the lyric video here:
Vittorio Nocenzi comments:
“’La pianura rossa/Red plain’ was actually the very first song composed for this new album some 9 years ago as we started conceiving and writing ‘Orlando : le forme dell’amore/The shapes of love’. That is the reason why this song has a very special meaning to us. It was originally titled “The War” as it describes the battle for water between Christians and Saracens in a dried out Mediterranean Sea. A parallel with the story narrated in the Ludovico Ariosto’s poem Orlando Furioso. This second single comes ahead of the album release on the 23rd September and after such a long time since the beginning of this journey we are so excited to have all our fans to listen to this new material.”
Listen to the first single ‘Cadere O Volare’ here:
Vittorio Nocenzi has been working on this new album’s musical concept for years together with his son Michelangelo and lyricist Paolo Logli. Narrating a real XVI century poem through different songs and describing the facts and the ideals was a mountain to climb.
The result of the immense work in the studio is fully represented in an epic album that will set new parameters for progressive rock fans. Undoubtedly Banco has always been strongly related to their roots, but “Orlando: Le Forme dell’Amore” is a definitive proof of how traditional prog rock can evolve in a modern new blend of sound and spirit.
The choice of singing the tracks on this album only in Italian (as before on “Transiberiana”) confirms the band’s will to stay loyal to what they’ve been doing from the very beginning. In order to help the fans understand and follow the lyrics better on a track by track basis, English translations of the lyrics will be included in the artwork, along with the original Italian lyrics. In addition to that the band will post a detailed explanation of the whole concept and the album’s narration on their website. The album will be available as a Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD & Digital Album. Pre-order now here: https://bancodelmutuosoccorso.lnk.to/Orlando-LeFormeDellAmore
As mentioned, the band celebrate their 50th anniversary, with the bands first two albums originally released in 1972. The band is already celebrating this occasion with an intensive live tour. Look out for more information in the coming months.
Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett is pleased to release ‘Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More’, the visual document of his 2021 UK tour celebrating the classic Genesis live album. Available today as CD/Blu-ray, CD/DVD & Digital Audio (vinyl will be released 25th November), it sees Steve and his band perform ‘Seconds Out’ in full & in sequence, as well
as a selection of solo material including tracks from his most recent studio album ‘Surrender of Silence’.
To celebrate, they are launching a clip of their performance of ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’. Watch it now here:
‘Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More’ is available as Limited 2CD + Blu-ray & Limited 2CD + DVD, both including 5.1 surround sound, behind the scenes documentary & promo videos. Steve Hackett and his band comprise Roger King, Rob Townsend, Jonas Reingold, Nad Sylvan & Craig Blundell, and they were joined by Amanda Lehmann as special guest on the night.
12. I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) 00:08:20
13. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 00:05:10
14. Musical Box (Closing Section) 00:02:51
15. Supper’s Ready 00:24:49
16. The Cinema Show 00:10:35
17. Aisle Of Plenty 00:02:03
18. Dance On A Volcano 00:04:24
19. Los Endos 00:06:35
In September and October 2022, Steve Hackett & band will present their ‘Foxtrot at Fifty’ 25-date tour in the UK. Full list of dates below. To buy tickets go to HackettSongs.com
Tickets for Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited – Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights are on sale from hackettsongs.com and myticket.co.uk
About Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett joined Genesis at the beginning of 1971 and gained an international reputation as the guitarist in the band’s classic line-up alongside Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. Hackett’s intricate guitar work was a key element of Genesis’ albums from Nursery Cryme (1971) to Wind And Wuthering (1977) including the classic Selling England By The Pound.
After leaving Genesis at the end of 1977, Hackett’s solo career, which now spans more than 30 albums, has demonstrated his extraordinary versatility with both electric and acoustic guitar. Hackett is renowned as both an immensely talented and innovative rock musician and a virtuoso classical guitarist and composer and this was recognised in 2010 when he was inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame. He has also worked alongside Steve Howe of YES in the supergroup GTR.
Hackett’s compositions take influences from many genres, including jazz, classical and blues. For his later studio works The Night Siren (2017) and At The Edge Of Light (2019) Hackett has explored the influences of world music. Recent tours have seen Hackett celebrate his time with Genesis including a spectacular 2018 tour in which he realised a long-held ambition to perform the works of Genesis live with his band and an orchestra.
The lockdown enforced by the 2020 global pandemic has proven to be a particularly creative period for Hackett. He began by releasing Selling England by the Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live at Hammersmith, a live recording of 2019’s hugely successful tour celebrating that Genesis classic together with the 40th anniversary of one of his most-loved solo albums. Lockdown also gave Hackett the opportunity to write and record two new studio albums, the UK Classical Chart hit Under A Mediterranean Sky and the forthcoming Surrender of Silence.
Five years after his last release Human Not Machine, Kalin Tonev is back with new material, which will result in a full blown album somewhere in 2023 (title TBA). This time Tonev has chosen to enter the vast territories of vocal music, introducing different singers in his music. The forthcoming new production promises a great variety of sound, style influences, form and arrangements, still retaining in its body several instrumental tracks (the core of Kalin’s previous work) under the big hat of progressive rock. The first single – SIDES – features Nikola Zdravkov as a vocalist.
Having released his first project – TravelHouse (with it’s sole album ‘Mind Mapping’ – 2008) and his solo album ‘Machine Years’ (2017) – both received good reviews in the main progressive rock sites and radio stations ( Prog Archives, Prog Radar, Morow, Friday Night Progressive, Aural Moon, Delicious Agony,etc.), and still being the author and presenter of the only one progressive rock radio show in Bulgaria (Oasis – part of the Bulgarian National Radio program Horizon), Kalin Tonev is one of the important local prog rock figures.
The legendary King’s X, comprised of dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, recently announced the release of their 13th studio album ‘Three Sides of One’ on the 2nd September 2022, representing their first new music in 14 years.
Today the band are pleased to launch the video for, ‘All God’s Children’, the third track taken from the forthcoming album, “Three Sides Of One”.
When asked about his thoughts on the song and subject material, Tabor, simply answered; “I have nothing to say about it. The song is what I have to say about it”.
‘Three Sides of One’ will be available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet & as Digital Album. There will also be a Limited Deluxe 180g Orange/Red Marble 2LP+CD+LP-booklet that also includes a poster and a hand-numbered print, as well as an exclusive variant of the front cover artwork. Pre-order now here: https://kingsx.lnk.to/ThreeSidesOfOne
During 2019, the members congregated at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, CA with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin to bring ‘Three Sides of One’ to life. Despite consistent touring, they hadn’t cut a new LP since 2008. Nevertheless, the guys picked up where they left off. Creative confidant and collaborator Wally Farkas rolled through, and they channelled their incredible chemistry on tape.
Of the new album, dUg Pinnick comments:
“When I think of it, King’s X feels like a couple of old best friends coming together, shooting the shit, and having a good time, it’s instinctual. When I would listen to demo tapes of Jerry and Ty for the record, it gave me a great perspective on how blessed I am to be in King’s X. What they did on Three Sides of One sounded so good. For as familiar as it is, it’s like I’m in a new band.”
Ty adds:
“This time, we sat around, listened to each other’s ideas, and would collectively say, ‘Let’s work on that’. It was the most enjoyable album I’ve personally ever recorded in my entire life, period.”
Jerry continues: “I’ll cherish what we did in my heart forever. Everything lined up perfectly.”
King’s X background:
Along the way, they architected a catalog of seminal releases. KERRANG! famously scored their 1988 full-length debut, Out of the Silent Planet, with a rare “5-out-of-5-stars.” On its heels, the landmark Gretchen Goes To Nebraska continues to inspire think pieces with Ultimate Classic Rock going as far to proclaim, “no one else has crafted anything remotely like it.” They notably appeared on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, and Guitar World christened the self-titled King’s X one of “The 30 Greatest Rock Guitar Albums of 1992” (a year notably highlighted by Pantera’s Vulgar Display of Power, Alice In Chains’ Dirt, Megadeth’s Countdown To Extinction, Dream Theater’s Images and Words, and many more). Following Dogman, the group graced the stage of Woodstock 1994 and toured with everyone from Pearl Jam and AC/DC to Mötley Crüe and Iron Maiden. They also attracted one of the most diehard fanbases in music with Ear Candy [1996], Tape Head [1998], Please Come Home… Mr. Bulbous [2000], Manic Moonlight [2001], Black Like Sunday [2003], Ogre Tones [2005], and XV [2008].
Their first full-length studio offering in 14 years, Three Sides of One, represents the culmination of this trip and of a bond forged way back in 1979.
Los Angeles’ enigmatic songwriter and multi-instrumentalist DRAAGYN, known for her critically lauded, genre-bending blackened metal and cryptic persona, has revealed her first new music in 2 years in the form of a new EP titled “Bent Rib.” Out now, the 3 song record runs the gamut of musical design, incorporating experimental elements of black, doom and progressive metal among others that could be described as a turbulent orchestra of beauty and decay.
Commenting on the EP, Draagyn states:
“We all just want to belong. So we fool ourselves. We let others’ view of who we are become our purpose. We are convinced this hall of mirrors is the true path of souls. This cuts us off from life. The cosmos. The greater powers to which we are all connected. But there is a cord. We can find it and pull ourselves back or choose to watch it slowly strangle us. I wrote ‘Bent Rib’ as an incantation. To release myself from a world I do not belong. To weave the yarns of fate and call it my own. Man has no power over me. He does not determine me. Draagyn is the light, and is the dark. Draagyn is the good, and is the evil. Draagyn is world creator and its destroyer. It matters not whether you understand. What is important is that there is a purpose.”
DRAAGYN’s debut EP, “Bent Rib,” is an aural three-headed serpent of cacophony, “Appetite of Man,” “Beating Heart Cadaver” and “Bent Rib,” each with their own mystifying identity and slithering scales of sonic perplexity that lure you in with enchanting whispers then set you ablaze in an inferno of furious rage.
About DRAAGYN: From her previous releases, Draagyn has been coined a “genre-bending blackened tour de force” by Decibel and Brooklyn Vegan. As songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Draagyn’s sound straddles the spectrum of light and dark, bridging delicate emotions with the raw force of metal and rock in a truly singular style. Her songwriting guides other musical outliers into masochistic darkness, and yet, in stark contrast, just as quietly whispers to the wretched and heartbroken, offering refuge in her tender melodies. And while the foundations of Draagyn’s music remain rooted in rock, she does as she pleases. She may choke it with blast beats, crush it with proggy groove, or drown it in folky, pensive vocals. But the recipe works. The deep musicality of her approach is undeniable, and for those both patient and brave, her songs lure listeners to another world, free of expectations and genre constraint. Draagyn threatens us with her tumultuous vision of death and musical rebirth.
PART ONE OF A TRILOGY/SERIES BASED ON ORWELL’S DARK FUTURE.
BUILT FOR THE FUTURE LAST RELEASED ‘BRAVE NEW WORLD’ IN 2020, WHICH GARNERED VERY POSITIVE REVIEWS FOR BEING A MORE EXPANDED PROG EXPERIENCE. THE ALBUM WAS A SATISFYING RELEASE AND EPIC IN NATURE.
FOR THE NEW ALBUM, BUILT FOR THE FUTURE HAS DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE SHORTER SONG FORMAT THAT THE DEBUT ALBUM DEMONSTRATED, AND TO FLAVOR THE PROG WITH A FULL CONCEPT AND A THREE ALBUM ARC.
THE TEMPLATE FOR THE NEW ALBUM HAS KENNY AND PATRIC FOCUSING ON MORE DIRECT DELIVERY AS WELL AS A HEAVIER ALTERNATIVE SOUND. THE MELLOTRON IS THE DOMINANT KEYBOARD FOR ITS EMOTIONAL TEXTURE. PATRIC IS USING A FENDER JAZZ BASS THROUGHOUT, AND THE RICKENBACKER 12-STRING IS THE HEAVY HITTER THAT PROVIDES A RICH TEXTURE TO EACH SONG. THE FOCUS IS THE SONG.
THE CONCEPT IS THE INTERESTING PARALLEL BETWEEN ORWELL’S 1984 AND WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY. THE THEMES OF 1984 RUN THROUGHOUT THE ALBUM BUT WITH A NEW TARGET FOR DYSTOPIA: THE YEAR 2084(AS THAT IS STILL AHEAD OF US).
FOR THIS ALBUM, PATRIC WROTE THE MUSIC AND KENNY PROVIDED VOCALS/MELODIES.
INFLUENCES FOR THIS INCLUDE: STEVEN WILSON, FAILURE, RPWL, THE PINEAPPLE THIEF, PINK FLOYD, ULTRAVOX, TEARS FOR FEARS, AND EVEN FLAVORS OF NIN.
THE THREE ALBUMS PLANNED:
2084: MANIFEST DESTINY
2084: OCEANIA
2084: THE EMPIRE STATE
THE FIRST INSTALLMENT WILL BE TARGETING A NOVEMBER RELEASE DATE 2022. THE OTHERS MONTHS APART TO GIVE EVERYONE TIME TO DIGEST.
‘Big Ideas’, the fourth full-length studio album by Edinburgh-based The Wynntown Marshals, will sound immediately familiar to those who know the band, and serves as the ideal introduction for those who are less familiar with their output. Four years in the making, the album features ten tracks covering jangling, forthright, radio-ready power pop, rugged, rootsy rockers, moody guitar workouts and stately ballads – all underpinned by the heartfelt, poetic wordplay for which the band are well- known.
The Wynntown Marshals were proclaimed ‘Europe’s best Americana band’ following the release of their debut full-length album ‘Westerner’ in 2010 and, in the years following its release, the band garnered significant praise and support from the likes of Bob Harris (whose BBC Radio 2 show was one of three BBC sessions the band have performed). The band’s second album ‘The Long Haul’ was featured in the Glasgow Herald’s ‘Top 10 Scottish Albums of 2013’ and Uncut magazine awarded it an 8/10 review, a feat they repeated with the follow-up ‘The End of The Golden Age’ in 2015 – with Uncut describing the band as ‘colonising the shadowlands between Tom Petty and Teenage Fanclub’.
Work on ‘Big Ideas’ originally started in 2018. The intervening years saw a line-up change and the confines of the global pandemic inevitably slowed progress, but the resulting album is arguably the highlight of the band’s 15-year career. Engineered and recorded with long-time collaborator Andrew Taylor of Dropkick, mixed by Garry Boyle at Slate Room Studios and mastered by Stuart Hamilton at Castlesound, the record is sonically a step above previous releases, and the mix allows the lush, vibrant instrumentation to take centre stage, providing the ideal backdrop to the recurring lyrical themes of nostalgia, love and loss.
Once again, the lyrics often seek to explore disparate, atypical themes for the genre. Album opener ‘New Millennium’ – a euphoric tale of youthful abandon set against the backdrop of a strident, chest- pounding heartland rocker – sets the scene for the rest of the album, bringing proceedings vividly to life. The title track highlights the pitfalls of society’s relationship with social media, while ‘The Pocket’ is a heart-breaking story song inspired by the historic battle for Stalingrad. The seemingly whimsical lyrics of the pensive track ‘Keys Found In Snow’ unfurl into a tale of a relationship in freefall, and the downbeat album closer ‘Full Moon, Fallow Heart’ is still unrelentingly positive in its widescreen outlook. Nothing in our world is ever perfect.
The Marshals have, like the rest of the planet, been through some significant challenges in recent times – and some of the album’s lyrical content is inevitably shaped by the events of the past two years (the title track and ‘Disappointment’ in particular), but – like the protagonists in the middle eight of the bittersweet track ‘Tourist In My Hometown’ – the band have ‘emerged unbroken, smarting from the pain’.
