Keoma - A New Beginning Year: 2025
Score: 75
Style or Subgenre: Progressive Metal
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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Some bludgeoning Finnish prog metal here. Not the heaviest thing out there, but consistently pounding and/or dark. And yes, this is new Finnish metal, so you know there's going to be at least some harsh growl vocals; fortunately, they are used judiciously. More metallic than progressive, but they do have long periods where they don't seem to be able to find a time signature and stick with it, so that part especially tickles my prog bone. Think of them as a sort of heavier but entry level/poor man's Tool. A very good album in context.
Spock's Beard - The Archaeoptimist Year: 2025
Score: 85
Style or Subgenre: Symphonic Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 98th
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Once we get past the blatantly Styx-ish intro, and to a lesser degree, the entire opening cut, The Archaeoptimist settles into a more Spock's Beard-worthy effort. This album really shines when the rhythm section (bassist Dave Meros and new drummer Nick Potters) get going with some seriously progilicious grooves.
Master Key - World On the Scales Year: 2025
Score: 75
Style or Subgenre: Ambient Prog, Progressive Metal
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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After a 12 year gap from their debut, Greece's Master Key bring us some perfectly blended ambient/progressive metal with their 2025 album, World on the Scales. It's short at only 34 minutes, but it's just four long songs, all of which carry a sort of dark, minimalist metal sound. Other than a couple brief passages of fatalistic spoken word, it's an instrumental album that knows just how long to milk a musical motif before moving on. I think I would have liked one more song to bring this up to full LP length, but I'll take what I can get here.
Korypheus - Gilgamesh Year: 2025
Score: 65
Style or Subgenre: Progressive Metal
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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Interesting progressive metal from Ukraine. Lots of cookie monster vocals, but they're not entirely unintelligible. The wonders of this album lie in the transitions and quirky rhythms. The unpredictable nature of these musical motions serves the music well.
Amplifier - Gargantuan Year: 2025
Score: 75
Style or Subgenre: Psychedelic/Space Rock, Experimental/Post Rock
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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Nominally listed as psychedelic/space rock as an artist, Amplifier takes filters their 2025 release, Gargantuan through a post-rock vibe. All this put together means it's not super appealing to my ear, although I must admit they do what they do very well. Some songs are compositional marvels, drawing me in rather subconsciously until I'm happy to be fully immersed. Quite an accomplishment given my predispositions.
Breeze - Circles Year: 2025
Score: 75
Style or Subgenre: Neo-Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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This German neo-prog duo + guest vocalist deliver a concept album that is very... well... German. It marches forth in very deliberate, Berlin-esque fashion with sometimes punk-meets-Bowie-influenced prog vocals telling tales in a dark way. Fortunately, the variety quotient does improve in the back half of the album with more attractive mixed vocals and ethereal acoustic work.
Argonaut - Argonaut Year: 2025
Score: 85
Style or Subgenre: Heavy Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 97th
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Hot off the musical presses from this past Friday is this all remote collaboration borne in the depths of the COVID lockdown. The seclusion remains in the group's secrecy as no real names are given for the musicians, but rather one-word monikers that supposedly reflect the vibe each brings to the group:
Xeno - Vocals
Spectral - Guitars
Weaver - Keyboards
Alchemist - Bass & Vocals
Prophet - Drums
Given the lack of face to face collaboration and the accompanying silliness, I'd think this would be a pretty easy throwaway album, but I'd be sorely wrong. This is an excellent heavy prog release with excellent compositions, solid musicianship, reflective to soaring vocals, and a vibe that belies the long distance collaboration; these guys are tight. There's nothing hugely innovative here, but all the parts come together so seamlessly that it's hard not to just really get into the album. While it's mostly heavy prog, some beautiful acoustic work shows up, especially in the back half of the album. The overall flow and sequencing of the album really facilitates end-to-end listening. I'm putting this one on the top shelf.
The One - Lighter Than Air Year: 2025
Score: 85
Style or Subgenre: Neo Prog
My Rank in Year as of this listen: 93rd
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This is a wonderful brand new neo-prog album fresh from this past Friday. Hailing from the Netherlands, The One clearly carry the best of English prog with frequently mentioned references to Genesis and Yes, but I'd say I heard more Marillion and an occasional nod to Jethro Tull. All that said, this is clearly today's music though, and exactly what neo prog should be. Bonus points for solid vocals throughout and that punchy Rickenbacker-inspired bass tone. The best thing about this album is how it gets better almost throughout. It starts off like a very good album, and songs get continually better through at least the first seven of the eight tracks, with no real drop off in the last. As the album reaches its creative peak, composition, instrumentation, mood and vocal all come together like satisfaction in completing a journey or achieving a goal. Strong keeper.
Spherical Agenda - Spherical Agenda Year: 2025
Score: 80
Style or Subgenre: Fusion
My Rank in Year as of this listen: not in top 100
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This came up in my prog queue, but it's really mainline fusion. According to the bands promotional material, SPHERICAL AGENDA not only draws from the cutting edge of today's fusion, but also harkens to the reckless abandon and pure energy of groups like Tony Williams Lifetime, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Return to Forever. While I'm not ready to put them in that rarified air, this is a very solid album very much in the vein of the aforementioned artists.
Last edited by Fischman on 42 hours ago; edited 1 time in total
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