ProgressoR / Uzbekistan Progressive Rock Pages

News of Prog

March 2014 | February | January | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |

23.III+ Opeth
23.III+ Nick Magnus
23.III+ Mekong Delta
23.III+ Glass Hammer
23.III+ Zubatto Syndicate
23.III+ Metal Mind Records
23.III+ Moonjune Records
23.III+ Navona Records
23.III+ Lizard Records
23.III+ Noble Agency


BANDS & PERFORMERS:

Opeth
(Sweden) / March 23, 2014

Latest News:

Swedish progressive metallers Opeth have completed work on their 11th studio album for a tentative June release via Roadrunner Records.

Related Links:
Opeth

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Nick Magnus
(UK) / March 23, 2014

Forthcoming release:

“N’monix”, the new album by Nick Magnus (ex-Steve Hackett), will be released on April 28 by Esoteric Antenna Records. The CD contains 8 brand new tracks, all with something different to offer a wide spectrum of music fans. It starts and ends in pure prog rock territory, and in between delivers a variety of quality tracks and instrumental stylings that touch on the edge of the main genre with the feel of his prog past is never far away.

Related Links:
Nick Magnus

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Mekong Delta
(Germany) / March 23, 2014

Forthcoming release:

"In A Mirror Darkly", the new album by Germany’s leading prog-metal band Mekong Delta, will be released on April 28, 2014 by Steamhammer/ SPV Records. Thematically, the new recording will pick up where the band’s 2010 release "Wanderer on the Edge of Time" left off, although the new material is more loosely connected and only occasionally linked by little interludes.

Related Links:
Mekong Delta

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Glass Hammer
(USA) / March 23, 2014

New release:

“Ode to Echo”, the new album by Glass Hammer was released on March 11th 2014. “Ode To Echo” represents the most powerful ensemble of Glass Hammer members ever assembled on one recording. Featuring co-founders Steve Babb and Fred Schendel joined by guitarist Kamran Shikoh, drummer Aaron Raulston, vocalist Jon Davison and fan-favorites Carl Groves and Susie Bogdanowicz. The fourteenth studio album by America’s top-prog group also features cameo performances by past GH members Walter Moore and Michelle Young with cameos by Randy Jackson of Zebra, Rob Reed of Magenta and David Ragsdale of Kansas. Artwork by Michal Xaay Loranc, mastered by Bob Katz of Digital Domain, “Ode To Echo” is the highly anticipated studio album by prog-legends Glass Hammer.

Related Links:
Glass Hammer

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Zubatto Syndicate
(USA) / March 23, 2014

The futuristic band Zubatto Syndicate returns to the studio to record its second album, and is running a Kickstarter campaign in order to fund the release of it. The band states: "We’re looking to raise at least $8500 through Kickstarter towards the recording of the new album. We will use the funds raised through this project to finance the initial recording sessions and as much of the post-production that we can cover." The Zubatto Syndicate is a new 12-piece ensemble under the direction of composer and guitarist Andrew Boscardin. Featuring a unique synthesis of reed instruments and electric sounds, brass and electric guitar and bass, Zubatto targets the musical place where Maria Schneider meets the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the Roots meet Radiohead by way of Mingus. The music combines detailed arrangements and inventive harmonic ideas with rhythmic settings and idioms atypical of the jazz orchestra, as realized by the some of the top improvising musicians in Seattle.

Related Links:
Zubatto Syndicate

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RECORDING COMPANIES:

Metal Mind Records
(Poland) / March 23, 2014

Forthcoming releases:

  • WAMI – "Kill the King"
  • Osada Vida – TBA

    "Kill the King" is the new album by WAMI, a new international project. The names associated with the project are true legends of the hard rock scene: vocalist Doogie White (Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen), drummer Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, DIO), bassist Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake), who join forces with the 16-year-old Polish guitarist Iggy Gwadera, who made his debut 2 years ago as the guitarist of Anti Tank Nun.

    Osada Vida, one of the most interesting Polish bands on the prog-metal scene, is currently working on the material for their brand new studio album. The new release is planned for Autumn 2014.

    Related Links:
    Metal Mind Records

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    Moonjune Records
    (USA) / March 23, 2014

    New release:

  • Xavi Reija – "Resolution"

    MoonJune Records introduces Catalan drummer Xavi Reija and his international record debut "Resolution". Please welcome to the musical world of the Catalan drummer Xavi Reija. With the release of Resolution, Xavi Reija’s trio has delivered the goods first displayed in 2009’s DVD of the Electric Trio (Live at Casa Murada). That release showcased three young and gifted progressive jazz players with impressive credentials and undeniable chops but, more importantly, brimming with fresh ideas. Shedding both keys and sax from the Xavi Reija Quintet format, the Catalan drummer from Barcelona has chosen to construct a leaner sound machine that, through careful sharpening of the remaining weapons in the arsenal, has produced some of the finest post-rock avant-jazz out there today. Muscular polyrhythmic grooves of propulsive drumming and Bernat Hernandez’ funk bass riffing lay the solid foundation for innovative guitar phrasings by the Serbian axeman Dusan Jevtovic, who considers the space between the notes as significant as the notes themselves. And the notes? Elegantly played melodic jazz riffing and subtle volume pedalwork may ultimately yield to feedback and dissonance if the track calls for it. But the drum also waltzes. Delicate and thoughtful kit-work with deft guitar loops add texture and ambience to the sonic pallet making this trio feel more akin to a small orchestra scoring for some incredible film. There is an intelligence at work here – a painterly approach that enthusiastically seeks to redefine the sonic possibilities that the trio format can bring to the table. Another extraordinary talent discovered by MoonJune Records' cosmopolitan honcho Leonardo Pavkovic.

    Related Links:
    Moonjune Records

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    Navona Records
    (USA) / March 23, 2014

    New releases:

  • Marty Regan – “Scattering Light, “Scattering Flowers”
  • Grainne Mulvey – “Akanos”
  • Brian Noyes – “Journeys after...”
  • F. Gerald Errante – “The Lyric Clarinet”
  • AnyWhen Ensemble – “The Bright and Rushing World”
  • Mathew Fuerst Quartet – “Polarities”
  • Michael G. Cunningham – “Sonic Flight”

    Marty Regan
    “Scattering Light, “Scattering Flowers”, the third release by composer Marty Regan in the Selected Works for Japanese Instruments series was recorded in Japan, and features large ensemble works for traditional Japanese instruments, including two concertos. Composed for female voice, shakuhachi, and the relatively rare 25-string koto, the title track is based on a deeply poetic text written by Japanese poet Haruka Nakanashi that echoes with references to traditional Japanese noh theater.

    Grainne Mulvey
    The music of Irish composer Grainne Mulvey explores the juxtaposition of polar opposites, pitting the real against the synthetic in finely crafted and thought-provoking works. “Akanos”, an all-Mulvey album on Navona Records, includes seven of her works: Akanos for orchestra, a contrast of organic growth and jagged intersections; Shifting Colours, a back-and-forth between flute and synthesized flute; Steel-grey splinters, an exploration of unusual piano timbre through extended techniques; Syzygy for cello and tape, presenting acoustic and electronic in both conjunction and opposition; The Seafarer for soprano and tape, a take of mourning and hope; Gift of Freedom for soprano and tape, a celebration and liberation of life; and Soundscape III for flute and tape.

    Brian Noyes
    “Journeys after...”, the debut release on Navona Records by Welsh composer Brian Noyes, features two orchestral works that reference the life and works of John Clare - a Northamptonshire peasant-poet from the early 19th Century. Inspired by Clare's Journey Out of Essex - a poignant account of his escape from a mental asylum and his 80-mile walk home looking for his imaginary love, Noyes has sought to reflect the poet's real and illusionary worlds as depicted in his evocative text.

    F. Gerald Errante
    “The Lyric Clarinet”, the new release on Ravello Records, showcases a collection of works, originally for voice, which are transcribed, arranged, and performed by international performing and recording artist F. Gerard Errante. Errante selected compositions from German, French, and North and South American composers that illustrate the affinity between the clarinet and the human voice.

    Douglas Detrick's AnyWhen Ensemble
    “The Bright and Rushing World”, the Navona Records debut from chamber-jazz group Douglas Detrick's AnyWhen Ensemble features composer and trumpeter Douglas Detrick's self-titled ten-movement suite, commissioned by Chamber Music America. This work, which George Grella called "impressively clear, inventive and compelling," (Big City Blog, 2.4.14) is not a pastiche of styles, but a thoughtfully-constructed hybrid of music with a unique and personal sensibility inspired by sources as diverse as Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Benjamin Britten and Igor Stravinsky.

    Mathew Fuerst Quartet
    “Polarities”, an album of new presentations in classical music, expresses the emotions, feelings, and scenes associated with opposites. The works on the album, by four composers, range from a piece for wind ensemble and the Chinese gaohu, to a piano sonata, a chamber work, and works for orchestra. “Polarities” showcases the common focus of polar opposites and points of view in the works of four composers.

    Michael G. Cunningham
    This 2014 reissue of Michael Cunningham's “Sonic Flight” showcases six works for orchestra that effectively illustrate the composer's adeptness at creating compelling large-scale compositions and presenting them through adroit, inspired orchestration techniques. The Violin Concerto is a vigorous, energetic exploration of the instrument's capabilities, pitting the soloist against an orchestra that seeks to both support and contrast in its accompaniment. Dialog for Orchestra and Wind is balanced by its partner piece Diaphony for Orchestra and Wind Trio, with both compositions featuring evocative colors and sonorities. Kaleidescope lives up to its name, spinning abstract, disparate musical concepts in order to finally blend them all into a cohesive whole.

    Related Links:
    Navona Records

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    Lizard Records
    (Italy) / March 23, 2014

    New releases:

  • Inner Drive – “Oasis”
  • Habitat – “Utensilios y Artilugios”
  • Sparcle In Grey – “Calendar”
  • Magnetic Sound Machine – “Inspired by the Snow Goose”
  • Qirsh – “Sola Andata”
  • Chaos – “Tecnica Mista”

    Inner Drive is a Russian progressive rock / fusion band playing instrumental music. The band was founded in Moscow in 2006 as a trio of keyboards, drums and bass. Later, however, its instrumentation was expanded with violin, flute and guitar. Their debut album, "Oasis", consists of 10 tracks recorded from 2007 to 2013.

    Related Links:
    Lizard Records

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    Noble Agency
    (UK) / March 23, 2014

    Forthcoming releases:

  • Black Label Society – “Catacombs of the Black Vatican”
  • California Breed – “California Breed”

    Ahead of the release of’s “Catacombs of the Black Vatican”, the new studio album by the Black Label Society, will be released on April 7th by Mascot Records. Formed by Zakk Wylde in the late ‘90s, Black Label Society has remained at the forefront of the heavy metal genre. Alongside this band, Wylde served as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist for over 20 years. This collaboration led to a string of multi-platinum albums, including Osbourne’s biggest selling "No More Tears," for which Wylde wrote all the music. “Catacombs of the Black Vatican” is BLS’s first new studio album since 2009’s “The Order of the Black”, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

    California Breed is the new rock and roll power trio featuring legendary vocalist-bassist Glenn Hughes, drummer extraordinaire Jason Bonham and 23-year-old newcomer guitarist-vocalist Andrew Watt. Mixing massive riffs, gutsy vocals and gale force rhythms, the band’s self-titled debut album will be released in the UK on May 19th by Frontiers Records. The album will be released in regular CD and CD/DVD Deluxe Edition formats.

    Latest News:

    Iconic guitarist Steve Hillage and his band System 7 join forces with Japan’s leading progressive rock band Rovo for their first-ever UK tour, which starts this month in Manchester.

    Related Links:
    Noble Agency

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