Grovjobb - Nallebjörn är död Year: 2025
Score: 85
Style or Subgenre: Fusion
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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Swedish proggers, Grovjobb, released three albums in 1998-2001 and went into hibernation, only to emerge here in 2025 with this superb bit of psychedelic-tinged prog-folk. Keybords swirl around psychedelic guitars riding on a wave of a groovy rhythm section.
The five long jam-ish cuts are:
Nallebjörn är trött 15:56
Nallebjörn är röd 07:22
Nallebjörn är död Pt. I 05:02
Nallebjörn är död Pt. II 03:43
Nallebjörn är död Pt. III 10:20
which, according to Google Translate, mean "Teddy Bear is Tired," "Teddy Bear is Red," and a three part suite of "Teddy Bear is Dead."
While I'm not sure I can get any of that out of the music, I certainly did get a lot of listening to the albu, and I will be listening to it more in the future. Really good stuff here.
Neil Howell - The Way Out Year: 2025
Score: 65
Style or Subgenre: Progressive Metal (barely)
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
Occasionally, unusual compositional devices appear, but this metal remains more straightforward than progressive. A good listen for folks who like modern metal with an occasional slight twist.
Steve Morse Band - Triangulation Year: 2025
Score: 85
Style or Subgenre: Eclectic Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 50th
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A new Steve Morse Band album was always a cause for celebration; even more so after a 16 year hiatus. His tenure with Deep Purple apparently kept him busy enough to displace his namesake project. Fortunately after his Purple departure, he's back at it with his long time rhythm section and making more Morse-worthy music. This album starts off heavier than usual, an interesting take for the now 71 year old. Along the way we get all the Morse hallmarks, though; stunning tone, fluid runs, rhythmic and harmonic invention, and plenty of counterpoint and classical infusion. This return is as welcome as one could hope. Bravo.
Dream Theater - Quarantième: Live à Paris Year: 2025
Score: 85
Style or Subgenre: Eclectic Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 68th
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Dream Theater live albums are tricky things. I've seen DT live multiple times, and it's astonishing what they can do live, but it can be nigh impossible to replicate that in a recording. Even more challenging is a setlist; DT isn't just an album band with little in the way of singles or universally preferred songs among fans: they are a concept album band and many of their songs are better in the context of the larger story.
Quarantième: Live à Paris does a good job of addressing both of these challenges. You do get a sense of a live show, and the many musical intricacies the group is famous for come through nicely. The song choice, and their sequencing, flow well. The only thing that keeps this from being an elite live album is that, like any of us now north of 60 years of age,James LaBrie can't always go for those high notes like he used to. He judiciously knows when to go for it and when to stay midrange, so distraction is minimized. As for the instrumentalism, well, it's everything you'd ever expect from these wizards.
There were even a few songs I gained new appreciation for in this recording. Overall, a very welcome addition to the catalog.
Trey Gunn & David Forlano - Select Habits of Invertebrates Year: 2025
Score: 80
Style or Subgenre: Post-Prog, Experimental
My Rank in Year as of this listen: Not in top 100
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As in my recent jazz listening, I'm exploring further out subgenres more. Here, I started out with this completely experimental bit of post-prog from Trey Gunn (of King Crimson fame) and electronica and reed purveyor David Forlano. This is rather unprecedented music. It's also fascinating. There are lots of "what strange world are you taking me into now" moments. The timing of me listening to this as I was getting a bit jaded on all the usual neo-prog, symphonic prog, and prog-folk that usually occupies my time. So taking the "and now for something completely different" path ended up being a most welcome diversion.
Kauan - Wayhome Year: 2025
Score: 75
Style or Subgenre: Post-Prog, Experimental
My Rank in Year as of this listen: Not in top 100
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Next up was an experimental post-metal group from Russia, Kauan. This is an established group with a solid following, but new to me. The album Wayhome consists of eight cuts, but essentially runs as a single 50-minute piece. The compositions, while often minimal in nature and sharp in tone and presentation, are still quite lush and, along with varied instrumentation and sound effects, masterfully create and maintain mood. While clearly in the post-metal vein, this is still a guitar centric album, but even then the instrument while heavily distorted, is all about mood. Surface sound is slightly dark and a little gloomy, but ironically the album as a whole becomes slightly uplifting.
The group says "The album is dedicated to journeys in both literal and mental senses. Both “way” and “home” can be interpreted differently, as one can return home after a long absence or just try to solve an inner problem, overcome an obstacle, be reborn, or even die."
Tale Cue - Eclipse of the Midnight Sun Year: 2025
Score: 90
Style or Subgenre: Symphonic Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 19th
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This is some Symphonic Prog glory with a Neo Prog Soul and Prog Folk infusion. More importantly, it's also a grand and glorious listen. If you were ever wishing for a group like Nightwish or Within Temptation, but more progressive, complete with crazy time signatures and transitions, this new Italian album (yet another Italian prog group we thought was a one off decades ago only to come back 34 years later with a sophomore release) should suit you very nicely. Of particular note is vocalist Laura Basla, who doesn't have that ultra rich and pure operatic voice of a Floor Jansen or Tarja Turunen that goes hand in glove with symphonic prog; her voice has a slightly brassy edge to it, but it also works. There is no denying she has the range and power, but she really captivates on the breathy balladry.
Rivers of Nihil - Rivers of Nihil Year: 2025
Score: 70
Style or Subgenre: Progressive Metal
My Rank in Year as of this listen: Not in top 100
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As albums with a high cookie monster vocal content go, this is pretty darn good. The music is definitely more progressive than most in that vein, with helps a lot.
Mad Vantage - Minutiae Year: 2025
Score: 80
Style or Subgenre: Nu-Fusion
My Rank in Year as of this listen: Not in top 100
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Holy mad technical skills from Down Under, Batman!
Mad Vantage is a quartet that sounds much larger, employing plenty of variety and effects, but most of all delivering incredible multi-instrumental complexity and blistering technical wizardry with a metallic edge to deliver jaw dropping fusion worthy of any Mahavishnu Monday. I suppose some might say such wizardry is inherently inartistic or that it doesn't "serve the song," but in the case of Mad Vantage, I would disagree. The compositions are more than adequate and the delivery while blazing hot, is still cool enough for a good listen independent of athleticism. I'm definitely quite happy with this.
Julian Jay Savarin - Beyond the Outer Mirr Year: 2025
Score: 85
Style or Subgenre: Eclectic Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100 (just barely, and maybe it should be)
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What an amazing release! First of all, because it took over a half century to see the light of day! That's right, this 2025 release was recorded in 1974. Now that kind of shelf life might indicate that it maybe wasn't worthy of release; but not so here. This is a great prog album. It is paradoxically very much of its time (and gloriously so), but also well ahead of its time. This Space Rock Opera, while loaded with excellent musicianship and strong compositions, is most welcome in my ear due to the captivating vocals of Lady Jo Meek who brings a honey rich vocal tone and a purely feminine timbre and vibe one might associate with her countrywoman, Lulu. Yeah, it works. Trust me. Or don't, and just give it a listen. Oh, and one more shocker; the third cut starts off with an opening riff that Tom Scholz must have heard, because it's just so More Than a Feeling (although the song develops into something completely different and totally progworthy).
North Sea Radio Orchestra - Special Powers Year: 2025
Score: 80
Style or Subgenre: Prog-Folk
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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Northern UK Prog-Folk outfit North Sea Radio Orchestra give us an especially folky album here. That folkiness comes with a strong late 60s vibe meets chamber music and we've got a pretty nice album as a result. The album brings two particularly nice things to my ear; lovely vocals from Chantelle Pike and some great renaissance style polyphony/counterpoint. This is music largely from another time benefitting from modern recording. That's a good thing.
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