So far this will be the final Mars Volta record I’ll review. Until they make a new one of course. But hey, it’s been a fun ride, and getting to listen to all these albums again really cemented the band as one of my all time favorites in progressive rock.

Coming after one year since Bedlam of Goliath, Octahedron was actually being made in tandem, but due to weird, almost spiritual things happening during the production of Bedlam, Octahedron had to be pushed to the wayside. But why ... read more

Well this is an unexpected record for me to review. And no, I will not give context for why I am reviewing it.

Anyways my dad doesn’t like U2, and for the longest time I never really bothered to check them out because of that. But hey, nothing wrong with a little defiance, as I decided to not only listen, but review one of U2’s most successful records ever, Achtung Baby.

For some, Achtung Baby was the last great U2 record, before they kind of went down to the more corporate rock ... read more

I am bored as hell in my room so why not do an album review, eh?

Deafheaven, a band that managed to surprise the world of black metal by making it mainstream. Or at least as mainstream as it can be. Their 2013 album of Sunbather certainly left a mark on many, and while it wasn’t as big as Taylor Swift’s Red or A$AP Rocky’s LONG.LIVE.A$AP, to say it didn’t leave a mark on metal culture would be a disservice. Not only had they popularized styles of post metal and ... read more

Wow, talk about a surprise comeback. After nearly a decade, the American prog masters of Discipline had sprouted once more. It’s been a while for me too, ever since I reviewed Unfolded Like Staircase, and I have always kind of been meaning to review their other studio outputs, but never quite got the time or motivation to do so. But, I suppose this release was a calling to me, and since I finished reviewing their brother in the cold north of Sweden, I suppose it would be fitting to start ... read more

Änglagård died in 1994. However, that doesn't mean it cannot be a zombie!

Änglagård’s return in 2012 (and subsequent disappearance) was a powder keg in the sea of progressive rock at the time, especially since it was the mark of when a lot of other bands started to get back in the swing of things. The Flower Kings halted their 5 year long hiatus with Banks of Eden, and so did Echolyn with their even longer 7 years with a self titled magna carta, and while they ... read more

Well here we are folks! The worst Mars Volta album...according to a few people. Yeah honestly I never really got why people consider this to be their worst if I am being real. In fact, calling it their worst just feels hyperbolic at best.

Now would I consider this as good as Frances the Mute or Deloused? Ehhh nah, not even close. This record does feel a bit less like a full on Mars Volta effort, and more like something akin to one of Omar’s solo albums, but even with that, I still find ... read more

A lot of people consider Styx to be a “Kansas at home” kind of band. And honestly…yeah they kinda are. Ironic since they came out first before Kansas’ self-titled debut, but these bands always have been neck and neck with each other in the whole classic American prog ethos. Obviously I am more of a Kansas fan, but I do enjoy some Styx from time to time. And honestly, I sometimes forget they’re still going, especially when I heard they made a new studio album this ... read more

I have been revisiting artists that I have pretty much only one review for, and checking out their other works. I love working with bands with small discographies, since it allows me to just go into them and come back out without needing months upon months in advance to work through their discographies. Not a detriment to bands with bigger lists of albums, but I do enjoy more bitesized snacks rather than taking in a German fair’s worth of sweets and treats. Which is why I shall be ... read more

It isn’t everyday for a band to reach out to me in order to review something from their catalog. However, I suppose my name has reached a few figures in the prog rock community, as a new band hailing from Chile has requested I check out their self-titled debut record. Now, that alone got me intrigued, and certainly set an expectation for what is to come. However, what I didn’t expect was for this debut to be really awesome!

Debuts nowadays tend to be pretty high quality, since ... read more

This isn’t really the type of thing I review, but you gotta spread your wings, you know! Break the strings and watch them ring! And sometimes to do that, you gotta review a reggaetón album by a long lasting organization that was created by Damon Albarn.

Africa Express is less of a band and more of a multicultural art expression that ranged from primarily African arts, with some divulging in other cultures as well, such as Syria, and now, Mexico.

I was introduced to Africa Express ... read more

I know in my Lucro sucio; los ojos del vacío review that I said The Mars Volta has no bad albums. Well I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't entirely honest either. They don't have any bad albums, but also, why does Que Dios te maldiga mi corazon need to exist?

Now I get making acoustic versions of tracks previously released. I mean, look at Marillion's Less Is More, or Nine Inch Nail's Still. There is a market for acoustic renditions of tracks, so I don't mind the ... read more

I barely review progressive soul albums. Which is weird cause I quite like the genre. Lucky me in getting this album in a swap.

Michael Kiwanuka is a UK based soul musician who started his career with the 2012 release of Home Again. After a few extra years he would release his self titled third album of KIWANUKA, which is relatively popular, at least to both critics and fans alike.

Right off the bat one can tell this is a love letter to the styles of old school soul music of the 70s. Imagine ... read more

Why haven’t I reviewed this yet? I reviewed most of The Mars Volta’s albums and I haven’t gotten to Deloused yet?! Guess I should get my priorities straight.

Unlike what some may believe this is technically not their first musical venture, that being Tremulant EP, which came out a year before. There we would get a rough draft of what The Mars Volta would make in their following debut LP, being a mix of post-hardcore frenzies with unique prog and art rock sensibilities.

This ... read more

I've been getting into Neil Young this year so when I heard he was making a new album I was pretty excited.

Did the album live to the hype though…eh?

Talkin’ to the Trees is Neil’s 48th studio album, and it is definitely clear that Neil’s passed his golden age. He’s an old, grouchy man now, and this album does quite fit that with its bitterness and longing attitude for a time that once was. In a way, Neil never quite changed, more so he is just not young ... read more

Oftentimes the top album of the year on RYM is a mixed grab bag for me. Sometimes I absolutely get it and somewhat agree, and other times I don’t quite understand. In 2022 I didn’t quite get why Ants From Up There was #1. In 2023 I did understand Scaring The Hoes being at the top 1 spot. And while it didn’t appear on my top 10 list, I did enjoy Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay enough for me to see why people ranked it so highly. That said though, OH MY GOD 2025’S TOP ALBUM ... read more

Well, a new Lars Fredrik Frøislie record. Fire fortellinger from 2023 was really good, so to have a new record from this proggy keyboardist is certainly a treat.

To catch up on speed, Lars Fredrik Frøislie is a Norwegian prog rock keyboardist most known for his work with Wobbler, and Tusmørke. He had started his solo career in 2023 with his debut of Fire fortellinger, a record I very much enjoyed.

In a way, like a lot of sophomore albums, this one keeps up with the styles ... read more

This month they’re releasing a new album, so I figured I would review their second album whilst I have the opportunity.

While I liked Paragon Circus, I felt like it could’ve been a bit more. Glad that their sophomore album of Embryo ended up delivering on that front with some very great progressive metal jams.

While they do keep their sound off of their debut record, I find Altesia here to be coming in their own element more often than not now with this record, especially since it ... read more

Woah two americana albums in a row? What does this spell for me in my journey as a music reviewer?...Nothing really. My next album review will be another prog album. But hey, it's weird it happened back to back, right?

Anyways, I See a Darkness is the debut album of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, released in 1999. In a way a lot of genres in the late 90s to early 2000s were much more gloomy, and country was no exception with Johnny Cash’s late stage albums coming to mind, as ... read more

Have been a bit on a singer-songwriter kick lately after going through and reviewing all the studio albums of The Microphones. Because of it, I wanted to take a shot at reviewing some more moody folksy works, and so I find myself reviewing an americana album of all things, but one I really enjoyed.

Jack Van Cleaf is a pretty obscure artist in the modern day country scenes, especially in Nashville where he currently works. But he’s not exactly unpopular, as his most popular song of ... read more

With the prog landscape as vast as it can be, it’s no surprise that there would be a few notable retro prog releases this year. One of which comes from someone who’s a bit newer in the prog rock scene, that being Dominic Sanderson.

I have been sort of familiar with Dominic Sanderson for a bit, mostly due to seeing Impermanence on some Progarchives charts, but never delved into his work until RYM decided to recommend this album to me. Since I really like listening to new music that ... read more