Reviews, Pt. 11

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9 -- Part 10
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Next on the playlist!

After much delay, here are the handful of album reviews I've written since July.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

~*~

Yossi Sassi Band - Roots & Roads (Israel)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

The Yossi Sassi Band officially debuts its unique brand of Middle Eastern metal with a conscience, branching out of the independent musings of the band’s founder into a collaborative effort.

Karmakanic - DOT (Sweden)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

DOT is a new apex for Karmakanic, a symphonic project rich with virtuosity and creativity.

John Wesley - A Way You'll Never Be... (USA)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Another hook-filled, hard rock album with an indie, singer/songwriter bend, A Way You’ll Never Be is the distillation of John Wesley’s past projects and a conception of music that is raw and unapologetic.

The Jelly Jam - Profit (USA)

The Jelly Jam's well-crafted fourth record is their first concept album.

Syndone - Eros & Thanatos (Italy)

Eros and Thanatos is a powerful, multilayered concept album with memorable passages (whether or not you speak Italian!) and plenty of complex musical hooks that will especially attract the ears of keys aficionados.

Reviews, Pt. 10

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since the middle of April.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

~*~

Knifeworld - Bottled Out of Eden (UK)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

A challenging piece of multilayered writing, Bottled Out of Eden contains all the dynamic intensity and unpredictability that has carved such a unique niche in the progressive rock arena for Knifeworld’s music.

Starchitect - Results (Ukraine)

Results is a rough entry in the nebulous catalogue of modern post-metal.

Monster Killed By Laser - Hunched & Twined (UK)

Hunched & Twined: really cool, superfluous, psychedelic prog presented in four-minute increments or less.

The Rube Goldberg Machine - Fragile Times (UK)

RGM’s work is subtle, nuanced creativity, taking cues from the likes of Steven Wilson while still maintaining a strong individualistic approach to songwriting.

Big Big Train - Folklore (UK)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Folklore has energy, melody, nuance, and character, and it’s certainly a candidate for best album of 2016.

Jon Anderson & Roine Stolt - The Invention of Knowledge (UK, Sweden)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

The Invention of Knowledge is a mature distillation of its writers’ individual, remarkable craftsmanship.

Reviews, Part 9

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8
______________________________________________________

Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since the beginning of February.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

~*~

Godsticks - Emergence (UK)

[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

The UK metal band’s third studio-length release, Emergence is a polished album, showcasing more of the quality music that Godsticks is dedicated to writing.

Bruce Soord - Bruce Soord (UK)

[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Bruce Soord’s self-titled solo debut blends a singer-songwriter mantra with art rock, electronica, and ambience.

Aunt Mary - New Dawn (Norway)

Aunt Mary’s first original studio project since 1973 struggles with self-identity.

Ed Bernard - Polydactyl (Canada)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Polydactyl is a strong showcase of Ed Bernard’s mature musicianship, caliber of songwriting, and clear musical vision.

The Barstool Philosophers - Crossing Over (The Netherlands)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Crossing Over waxes eloquent both lyrically and instrumentally, combining atmospheric elements with a strong metal vibe.

Davina & The Vagabonds - Sunshine (USA)

Alternative, Americana, New Orleans, blues, and – of course – jazz, all presented by one charismatic, modern big band.

Reviews, Part 8

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 9
______________________________________________________

Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since October.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

Lots of USA prog this round, and a couple of local East Coast bands for me as well!

~*~

Flying Colors - Second Flight: Live at the Z7 (USA)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Raw, precise, and inspiring, Second Flight: Live at the Z7 is yet another taste of the virtuosity that Morse, Morse, Portnoy, LaRue, and McPherson provide for Flying Colors.

Advent - Silent Sentinel (USA)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Silent Sentinel is the inspiring and anthemic third release from a mature band now well into its second decade.

3RDegree - Ones & Zeroes: Volume 1 (USA)

3RDegree’s first album in three years (their fifth overall) is a heavy-hitting, well-rounded, and mature addition to their discography.

See also: Interview with Rob and Pat

The Tea Club - Grappling (USA)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Grappling succeeds Quickly, Quickly, Quickly as another refined work in The Tea Club’s expanding library.

Unified Past - Shifting the Equilibrium (USA)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

The symphonic metal band’s seventh album adds another notch to the rockers’ belt and a new lead singer to their roster… but not much more.

Rick Miller - Breaking Point (Canada)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Another release in a long sequence of albums, Breaking Point is Rick Miller’s newest foray into psychedelic progressive rock.

Reviews, Part 7

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
______________________________________________________

Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since July.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

In other now-belated news, I have officially joined Jason Spencer as a contributor to his website, The PROG Mind, a site devoted specifically to a more thematic discussion of music (not simply cursory reviews).  I'm excited to devote my attention specifically to progressive rock (which I've always tended to do anyway) and also focus on the deeper nuances of what I'm listening to (which I've, uh, always tended to do anyway).  I'll still be posting to The Phantom Tollbooth, but The PROG Mind will be a better venue for writing about the obscure music I'm passionate about and actually have the content reach other fans.

~*~

Corvus Stone - Unscrewed (Finland)

Unscrewed maintains the quirky, self-aware, musical satire that characterizes the band’s previous material, and is a collection of radically transformed tracks from Corvus Stone I and II.

Maddison's Thread - Maddison's Thread (UK)

Maddison’s Thread is a strong, mature debut: an old soul wrapped in deceptively modern packaging.

Barock Project - Skyline (Italy)

The stellar, 70's-progressive-style fourth album from Barock Project.

Andrew Peterson - The Burning Edge of Dawn (USA)

Andrew Peterson’s 11th studio release is yet another solid record – a lush and reverent celebration of the work that God is still doing.