Rock Music

Music isn’t a science — it breathes and moves, it adjusts to its surroundings. We know that everyone wants to figure this out as quickly as possible, but that’s not the way to take in music, and an album release like this one just shows more clearly than ever how unhealthy the state of music really is. We are literally trying to review albums — no, album leaks — within 24 hours. When it’s something with as much history, anticipation, and relevance as the new Daft Punk project, is that really how we want to handle it? From DJ Pangburn’s Random Access Criticism: The Internet Pundits Are Ruining Daft Punk, Music (Motherboard) Well, there’s no particular “way” to “take in music,” but more to the point we should probably just acknowledge the difference here between “reviewing albums” and having conversations about pop music. The Daft Punk meme was chatter-based, not writing-based (software vs. hardware to put a McLuhan gloss on it). For a time, anyway (until I burned out on it, which was inevitable), I enjoyed reading the insta-reaction response to the album on Twitter and Facebook. It’s high school writ large and writ fast: you buy a new record, you argue about said record with your pals (some of whom also bought the same record) the next day in the school yard. But no, I don’t confuse this with highly literate, considered opinion (most of which, frankly, has been fairly boring to read, though perhaps the meme-overload just killed that off).

Review by FragileKings — This album was sadly not what I had expected. It gets a fair bit of praise on this site and is said to be one of the two good albums the band did in the nineties. I really got into Saga earlier this year (2013) and I currently own 10 Saga CDs with another in the mail. So far each album (the first four, Generation 13, Full Circle to Marathon, Trust) have had some songs that I really liked, even Marathon which is my least favourite of the lot. I read the book of Saga's bio and was very interested in hearing "The Security of Illusion". But I was disappointed and surprised that I was.The opening instrumental is little more than entertainment music and people laughing. "Mind Over Matter" comes in with heavy guitar and quickly sets its pace as a rocker. My thoughts are that this could almost be Dream Theater without the progressive tendencies or a band inspired by late 80's Whitesnake. It's a good hard rock song and as Saga often include commercial-sounding music on their albums, I am not worried yet."Once is Never Enough" shows the classic Saga sound appearing in a 1993 context. Jim Gilmour's keyboards do their thing alongside Ian Crichton's fancy fretwork. The modern sound doesn't sound quite so modern though as I find myself thinking that this song could have been done a few years earlier and been up-to-date at that time.I am quite turned off by "Alone Again Tonight", an adult contemporary ballad that would be better suited on another band's album. The first time I heard it, I listened in hopes of finding something magical. The second time I heard it I felt compelled to skip it as either the song or the coffee I had just drunk was making my stomach literally feel uncomfortable. I kept my finger off the skip button though and concluded that Michael Saddler is one heck of a good singer. This song could have spent a week or two on the adult contemporary charts. But it's really not what I want to listen to.We're back to a hard rock number with "I'll Leave it in Your Hands" and by now I am imagining how Joe Lynn Turner or David Coverdale would sound singing this because it sounds like Whitesnake's late 80's commercial numbers or a band called Sunstorm that did an album with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals. This is like Swedish hair metal.The title track gives a bit of hope that Saga will make a return and it's not a bad song. If at least one more Saga-like song had shown up between this one and "Once is Never Enough" I might have had hopes for this album.But no. "Stand Up" is another synth-backed hard rock song and by now I am starting to see how Saga could be confused with an 80's hair band outfit that had a hit or two and faded out."Days Like These" is who singing? One of the brothers? It's not too bad but again another stadium rock number with a loud chorus. The instrumental "Voila!" at least gives Jim Gilmour a chance to do something because he's been mostly filling in the background until now. On the car stereo this sounds alright but in the earbuds it sounds too loudly overproduced. It's like this was supposed to be a rock out album and even the piano and synthesizer instrumental has to be loud."No Man's Land" is introduced by a tribal-like stadium rock drum pattern (Are ya ready for some football?!!!) but the steady 4/4 drumming that is on almost every song it seems comes in. I almost thought this might be an enjoyable song after the first listen but after the second time I changed my mind. The song concludes with more of the opening tracks sounds and music.I'm not sure what happened here. It sounds to me more like Mike and the brothers decided to try to do a hard rock album and were joined last minute by Gilmour and Negus who just filled in drum and synth tracks. It reminds me of "Seventh Star" by Black Sabbath (featuring Tony Iommi) which was supposed to be Iommi's solo project but was called Black Sabbath in order to sell more copies or the Cinema album that got changed to a Yes album because near th

Review by Kingsnake — This is the kind of prog music I really adore.The overall atmospheric vibe is very pleasing and I really enjoy the voice of Lukasz Gall from Millenium (another Polish band).The solos on guitar and saxophone are really outstanding and add a nice flavour to the music.The main man of this band is Kamil Konieczniak, and he plays keys, guitars and bassguitar. He's the composer and musical director. He adds spacey synths and really knows how to write good songs.Some may find the music a bit boring. But it's not meant to be a metal-album nor a heavy rock album. The key element of this band and this record is creating soundscapes and atmosphere.It's not 100% neoprog, because some of the music is really accessible. But as he said: it's the atmosphere that counts. And it works totally.You can compare some of the music to RPWL, Pink Floyd and even Tangerine Dream.

Review by Dark Nazgul — Satan's angels fly! It's been just 48 hours since my review, rather negative, of "The Great Leap". And I feel guilty.I feel guilty because although I am convinced that "The Great Leap" is not a memorable album, I have so much regard for this man and his band that I feel guilty anyway! And so now I try to redeem myself with the second album of this underground trilogy."Doomsday Afternoon", unlike its predecessor, is a masterpiece of modern progressive rock, and in my opinion the best album of 2007. It is probably the turning point in the career of Phideaux, the moment when the band decide to follow the path of progressive rock with great determination (as already made, but only in part, with "Chupacabras"). It is an album characterized by dark and apocalyptic sounds, also implemented through the use of a orchestral section of strings and horns, which help to give extreme solemnity to the songs. Great importance have keyboards, especially the Hammond organ and the synth. As always, Phideaux shows great sensitivity for acoustic music with beautiful piano and guitar parts. The arrangements are very elaborate but do not suffocate the harmonies: the result is a good balance between melody and experimentation, where finally is given to the voice of Valerie Gracious the space it deserves. Matthew Parmenter also participates, he occasionally sings and play violin. Regarding the tracks that make up the album, it is not correct to speak of "single" songs. All songs are linked by the plot, and some themes are repeated many times along the album. In practice, we are faced with a complex musical work that should be appreciated in its entirety. Anyway, here is a brief analysis of the individual tracks. Micro Softdeathstar :9/10. The beautiful initial notes of "Micro Softdeathstar" immediately set the tone that characterizes the entire album. The quiet introduction singed by Xavier is followed by the orchestra in a way that leaves stunned for majesty and elegance. Great changes of atmosphere and rhythm. When Valerie singing "I'm singing to the rain" in the end, the fan of progressive rock already feels at home. The Doctrine Of Eternal Ice (Part One) : 9/10. Instrumental song that starts with another epic and catchy piano riff. Though I am not a big supporter of the synthesizers, I must admit that in this passage the use of this instrument is superb. The orchestra offers a new contribution. Candybrain : 8/10. Short song with acoustic guitar, flute and keyboards. The very first David Bowie comes to mind (it seems like "Space Oddity" or "The Man who sold the World"). The vocal harmonies are very beautiful. Phideaux is the lead singer here. Crumble : 10/10. Exceptional instrumental interlude. A gentle piano melody is played with the accompaniment of the hammond organ and then with choirs and orchestra. This beautiful melody will be reproduced in other parts of the album. The first four songs are all outstanding, with no weak point. The Doctrine Of Eternal Ice (Part Two) : 7/10. It takes up the theme of the second track, as the title suggests, but this time with vocals (both by Valerie and Xavier). The song is more melodic in the first part; in the second half there are complicated arrangements with keyboards in evidence, and some reference to the sounds of Alan Parsons. Thank You For The Evil : 9/10. There is no orchestra here. It is the song that Pink Floyd have never recorded. The slow pace and the use of synth lead you to albums such as "Wish You Were Here" and "Animals". The song expresses a great sense of inevitability. One of the greatest moment of this brilliant work. A Wasteland Of Memories : 7/10. Taken in itself is not an important piece, but it works very well placed in the overall context of the album. The orchestra is under the spotlight again and the theme is taken from the middle section of Micro Softdeathstar. Crumble (Part Two) : 10/10. The most poignant song of the album, thanks to the wonderful in

Review by poslednijat_colobar — What a comeback after an extensive touring for about 8 years! Hard rock giants Deep Purple shatteredall the critics with Now What?!. It's an unique album with many facets. It's typical Deep Purplealbum, but on the other hand it's something else as well. It's hard rock, it's symphonic prog, it'sfunky, it's jazzy, it's Perfect Strangers, it's Purpendicular, it's Yes, ELP and Pink Floyd, butmost importantly - it's one of best and most balanced Deep Purple albums. The arrangements of thesongs are precise. The songwriting is highly compressed and full of ideas, developed in accurate,direct manner. That means to create progressive rock album with hard rock means of expression! The"conversations" between rhythm section (Paice and Glover), organ solos (Airey), guitar solos (Morse)and The Voice (Gillan) are highly addictive. Highly recommended album by one of greatest bands ever!Deserved 4,5 stars would be rounded up! Another gloden page in Deep Purple's extensive and brilliantcareer!

Review by shantiq — Yes they have the name and pretty queer ones too [Ahmet and Dweezil they escaped the moniker chosen for their sister which is MoonUnit so maybe they got off lightly] and i would surmise Nirvana and Pearl Jam Steve Vai and Prince were much more important to the Zappa boys than Daddy's Oeuvre in all its glory...They are VERY MUCH of their generation! Nothing Sixties there and nothing Frank; but two accomplished musicians doing their thing... and it requires serious stretch of the imagination to hear what one could call Progressive Rock here; unless we label this Progressive Grunge...A really good album which takes a few listens before one can fully appreciate it ...

Review by SouthSideoftheSky — "Our native setting, wherein these tales are told." When I found out that Stone Angel had just released a new album I decided to order a copy directly from the band's website. The disc comes in a very nice digi-pack with an informative booklet. This reflects the high production values and the great attention to detail of the music itself. I expected a good album and could quickly confirm that my expectations would not be frustrated. But over repeated listens Between The Water And The Sky revealed itself to be something ever better. This is a notch above even the very good East Of The Sun in both quality and progressiveness and eventually convinced me to award an extra star. The basis of the sound of the Stone Angel of the new millennium is still Folk Rock in the tradition of Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention, but there are crucial aspects on which Stone Angel differs from these bands. Stone Angel utilises a broader palette of instruments, they only occasionally rely on a Rock rhythm section, and they sometimes include Medieval elements (at times reminiscent of Gryphon; they even use that horrid Crumhorn, but more tastefully than Gryphon did). On many occasions I am reminded of the style of Mike Oldfield here. Electric lead guitar has a stronger presence on this album than on previous Stone Angel albums and the guitar sound is often similar to that of Oldfield. A good reference point in this connection is the excellent and criminally overlooked Prog Folk band The Morrigan. Keyboards are often present here but rarely play a leading role. The sonic quality of the album is superb. The majority of the material is traditional, but there is a greater proportion of original material all of which is written by Ken and Joan Saul who also share lead vocal duties throughout. Most of the time, the originals are the better songs. Silver, Fisherman's Wife, and Dogger Bank are thematically linked to form a kind of suite. The a cappella Fisherman's Wife tells a very moving story of a wife who looses her husband and sons to the sea. Dogger Bank is one of the few tracks on the album to feature Rock drums and it is also the most up-tempo of the 13 tracks. The most progressive songs are probably The Wind Blows Cold (which features great dueling of electric guitar and flute), Ordinary Man, and the title track. Overall, the second half of the album is more interesting than the first half. Between The Water And The Sky is British Folk Rock of the highest quality with several progressive aspects. It is a crowning achievement of a nearly 40 year career (longer if you count the band's pre-history) and Stone Angel's best album. Highly recommended to Prog Folk fans!

Poll created by tamijo — The poll was split into 3 parts, please vote in both. Previous years : Classic Era1967 - Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed - Nights In White Satin 1968 - Pink Floyd - A Saucerful Of Secrets - Set the controls for the heart of the sun 1969 - King Crimson- In the Court - In the Court 1970 - Genesis - Trespass - Stagnation 1971 - Pink Floyd - Meddle - Echoes1972 - Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick - Thick As A Brick Part 1 1973 - Genesis - Selling England by the Pound - Firth of Fifth 1974 - King Crimson - Starless (best track 1967-76) 1975 - Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - Shine on you crazy diamond Part one 1976 - Genesis - A Trick Of The Tail - Dance On A Volcano --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Late Classic - Dark Age1977 - Pink Floyd - Animals - Dogs (best track 1977-86)1978 - Rush - Hemispheres - La Villa Strangiato1979 - Pink Floyd - the Wall - Comfortably Numb1980 - Rush - Permanent Waves - Natural Science1981 - Rush - Moving Pictures - YYZ1982 - King Crimson - Beat - Satori in Tangier1983 - Marillion -Script For A Jester's Tear - The Web1984 - Univers Zero - Uzed - Pr?sage1985 - Supertramp - Brother Where You Bound - Brother Where You Bound1986 - Peter Gabriel - So - Red Rain-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Restoration (Metal Age) 1987-19961987 - Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - Learning To Fly1988 - Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime - Suite Sister Mary1989 - IQ - Are You Sitting Comfortably?" - Falling Apart At The Seams1990 - Mike Oldfield - Amarok - Amarok1991 - Porcupine Tree - On The Sunday Of Life... - Radioactive Toy 1992 - Anglagard - Hybris - Jordr?k1993 - IQ - Ever - The Darkest Hour1994 - Pink Floyd-The Division Bell - High Hopes 1995 - Spock's Beard - The Light - The Light 1996 - Porcupine Tree - Signify - Dark Matter Upcomming:Modern (Post Metal Age) 1997-2006 Contemporary Prog. 2007-"2012"

www.KISSopolis.comToday In KISStory - May 25, 2006: KISS is honored and performed at the first 'VH1 Rock Honors' concert in Las Vegas.KISS performed "Detroit Rock City," "Deuce," "Love Gun" and "Makin' Love."Before KISS' set, an All Star band tribute to KISS with surprise guest Ace Frehley, Tommy Lee, Slash, Scott Ian, Gilby Clarke and Rob Zombie performing KISS' 'God Of Thunder.' er.' Below is the video of the All Star band tribute to KISS and KISS performing "Detroit Rock City," "Deuce," "Love Gun" and "Makin' Love."

Review by dragonspirit — I'll begin this review by saying that Led Zeppelin and King Crimson are my two favorite bands. Overall, this album by LPJ sounds more like a demo than a finished product. That is really unfortunate. I hear a lot of good foundations and ideas that could have been further developed into outstanding pieces. I agree with an earlier reviewer that some tracks could definitely have used either a vocalist or (in my opinion) a lead guitar soloing over the other instruments. Nosumi Blues succeeds fairly well thanks to the lead guitar. It could have been used on other tracks as well.It is, at times, repetitive, and at times it has powerful intensity. I find the non-prog numbers to be, in general, executed better than the prog ones, in fact.