Muziekrecensies
English prog band Mostly Autumn performed at De Bosuil in Weert on Sunday afternoon 17 December. The support act was The Dutch Lisa de Bruijn, aka Liza Weald. She describes her music as “conscious soul songs about self-love and the magic of life”. Very modestly, Liza, guitarist Thomas Couperus and bassist Ivan Schoelink walked onto … Read more, available in English and Dutch
‘Here to Stay’ is the new album by multi-instrumentalist Ron Coolen. The 13 tracks are full of delicious and very varied guitar playing, frequently you can hear several guitars at once. This comes from Ron, and from seven guest guitarists who play the wonderful solos. Ron plays the other instruments, his dynamic drumming positively stands … Read more, available in English and Dutch
Guitarist Marcel Coenen has played in various (tribute) bands since the ’80s. With these, he performed both in venues and at festivals, including Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium. He released CDs with some of these bands (e.g. Sun Caged and Godscum). He also launched a number of solo albums. His latest album is called ‘Resurrection’. … Read more, available in English and Dutch
Films, TV series and Iceland inspired ‘In Between’, the debut album by Japanese composer/pianist Emi Nishida. The first tones of ‘Yanse’ are subdued but intense; they touch me immediately. It stays that way also when the cinematic elements are added. The extraordinary sequel is totally different from what was expected. Partly due to the Asian … Read more, available in English and Dutch
Residuos Mentales (Greece) consists of Stratos Morianos (keyboards) and Alexandros Mantas (guitars, bass and flute). This instrumental studio project was founded over a decade ago. In 2018, they launched ‘Introspection’. Now ‘A Temporary State of Bliss’ is released. This prog rock album has cross -overs to metal and funk, among others.The first piece of ‘The … Read more, available in English and Dutch
Multi-instrumentalist Thomas Glönkler was (in the 1980s-90s) the leader of German prog band ICU. After that band broke up, he released some solo albums: Auszeit (2005) and Goldstadt (2010). His new album is called ‘Tiefenland’. This concept album is about a fictional world, with an origin, and intermediate world and a future world. Thomas says … Read more, available in English and Dutch
New melodic prog-metal band Temic consists of known members: Fredrik Bergersen, Eric Gillette, Simen Sandnes, and Diego Tejeida. Their debut album is called: ‘Terror Management Theory’. Apart from a few musical rests, there are plenty of twists, details and change of styles in the music. Not all twists and outros are sublime. The contrasts between … Read more, available in English and Dutch
Hekz is an international prog rock/metal band, Terra Nova is their fourth album. In a nutshell, this double album is about the personal struggle regarding ambition, duality and personal development. Part one of the title track has a catchy opening. Frontman Matt Young’s voice is less heavy than you might expect in this genre, but … Read more, available in English and Dutch
Singer/multi-instrumentalist Dave Kerzner plays in several prog rock bands. He also releases solo albums. His new album ‘Heart Land Mines Vol. 1′ is autobiographical. After and bad relationship, Dave drove away, without a plan; but with suitcase and guitar. He doesn’t only speak about her behaviour, and its consequences, but also about self-reflection. Not everything … Read more, available in English and Dutch
‘T.A.P.’ is an international, instrumental studio band. ‘Paradigms’ is their debut album. They mix fusion, prog and ambient rock with jazz, ethnic influences and soundscapes, among others. There are changes in styles, atmospheres and tempo. The differences in volume between the subdued/mysterious pieces and the rocking parts, for instance, are quite small. Occasionally, there are … Read more, available in English and Dutch