Temple of Switches – Temple of Switches Four

Temple of Switches is a studio prog band from California, founded by multi-instrumentalist Tenk van Dool. ‘Four’ is the band’s fourth album, on which you can hear a mixture of rock, jazz and classical influences. ‘Welcome’ has the catchy start of a rock song, followed by electronic sounds and later organ music, among others. The … lees verder

Apogee – The blessing and the curse

In the mid 90s, singer/multi-instrumentalist Arne Schäfer formed Apogee. Man and society are recurring subjects for this German prog band. The lyrics are profound and not meant to be sing along. ‘Out of Control’ has an extensive instrumental intro with various twists. Arne plays several key instruments. You can also hear nice details of acoustic … lees verder

Grace and Fire – Elysium

In 2019, André Saint and Aaron Gidney founded the prog/melodic hard rock band Grace and Fire. Bassist Tim Ashton (founder of Galahad) and drummer Graham Brown (Paradox Twin, Cairo) complete the lineup. Their debut album ‘Elysium’ was released in November, but only recently crossed my path. It is actually too late for a review, but … lees verder

Magnum – The Monster Roars

The English melodic rock band Magnum exists almost 50 years! Of course, there have been several changes in the line-up, but guitarist Tony Clarkin and singer Bob Catley have been there from the beginning. Their artwork has always looked beautiful. After a number of quite colourful album covers, the artwork of new album, ‘The Monster … lees verder

Esther’s top 10 2021

01 – Epica – Omega02 – Dave Bainbridge – To the Far Away03 – Blank Manuskript – Himmelfahrt*04 – 7even Bridges – Million Voices*05 – Ben Poole & Guy Smeets – Acoustic duo live*06 – Swallow the Sun – Moonflowers07 – Franck Carducci – Oddity08 – Nick Fletcher – Cycles of Behaviour *09 – Drifting … lees verder

Drifting Sun – Forsaken Innocence

Drifting Sun is a studio band from England. Their prog rock contains both atmospheric elements and heavier pieces. Formerly Peter Falconer was the regular singer, he has a remarkable voice, which not everyone appreciated. On their album ‘Planet Junkie’ (2019), there were three guest vocalists. On the latest album ‘Forsaken Innocence’, the Greek Jargon is … lees verder

Mostly Autumn – Graveyard Star

The English band Mostly Autumn has been around for about 25 years and it is hard to imagine the prog rock circuit without them. The band consists of seven people, some of them are multi-instrumentalist. The keyboards give this album an atmospheric opening. After a few soft, peculiar sounds, there is a gradual change. The … lees verder

Dave Bainbridge – To the Far Away

Dave Bainbridge is mainly known for the folk-prog band IONA, which he co-founded with David Fitzgerald. Dave is not only a composer and multi-instrumentalist, he is also a producer, arranger and sound mixer. Like many other musicians, Dave started composing and recording music during the pandemic. Several guest musicians contributed to the album ‘To the … lees verder