Back catalogue: Progressive Rock

Review: Dutch gothic doom metal turned shoegazing prog collective The Gathering are one of those artists of two consequential halves. Superheat; their live album released at the dawn of the new millennium and recorded primarily in the classic Amsterdam Paradiso, sonically deposits the group half a year before the release of their seminal sixth full-length If Then Else, by which time they had made the full transition to alternative auteurs. Here the material is a complimentary myriad of cuts from their acclaimed opus How to Measure A Planet?, interspliced with material from their darker, heftier albums such as Mandylion and Nighttime Birds.

Review: Another instalment of Collins-era Genesis in live action in 1986, straddling the parallel worlds they inhabit, namely prog overlords ('In The Cage/In That Quiet Earth/Supper's Ready') and shiny pop wizards ('Invisible Touch'). While the hardcore fans will always point to the Gabriel era as the band's purple patch, even they would have to concede that the churning chords and rhythmic stomp of 'Turn It On Again', which closes this set, is always a heart warming listen.

Review: 'Selling England By The Pound' is Genesis fifth's studio album and is widely known as the prog darlings' musical opining after the loss of English folk identity - as it slowly paled to American tastes, in the early 1970s. A grim mood of sad inevitability underlies this album, as if its endless breakdowns, climaxes and metallic guitar solos signify the long and drawn-out process of Banks, Rutherford, Hackett and Collins dealing with and eventually coming to terms with a looming, virulent spectre which they cannot control. Sampled endlessly and not lost to time thanks to its cult status, this reissue is sure to reinvigorate attention for the album once more.

Review: The last Genesis album to feature Peter Gabriel on vocals is their most ambitious and audacious too, seeing them escaping their peculiarly English viewpoint to tackle American culture across four sprawling sides of vinyl. It's also their only concept album, centered around the brief life of a New York teenager called Rael from Puerto Rico, who is plucked from his everyday existence to embark on a number of fantastic adventures. The musical palate is wide, from the bombast of the title track to the frothy eccentric pop of 'Counting Out Time' and the oozing, harpsichord-swaddled 'Carpet Crawlers', which remained in their live set for many years after Gabriel's departure. Released in 1974, it was recorded at Headley Grange in Hampshire immediately after Led Zeppelin recorded their 'IV' LP, and a quick listen to Phil Collins' pounding, Bonham-esque drumming on 'Broadway Melody of 1974' will tell you that the studio settings probably weren't changed very much at all.

Review: Prog rock - even in its most shiny 80s pop incarnation - doesn't do thing by halves and so we shouldn't be surprised this double album is only one of two sprawling releases containing the 1986 LA gig by Genesis. This is the threesome in their Invisible Touch era, so there's plenty from that album here - yes, even their often overlooked electro-styled instrumental 'The Brazilian' - plus highlights from its eponymous predecessor (the Grandmaster Flash-referencing 'Mama', 'That's All') and other back catalogue big hitters such as 'Follow You, Follow Me' and 'Abacab'.

Review: Erlend Viken's first outing as Giant Sky - 2021's self-titled debut - was part epic prog rock overture and part major statement about the state of the music business. Only available in physical album format, for some time just a single track was doing the rounds on streaming services, which wasn't really a track at all, but instead a message about the evils of major streaming platforms and their role in ruining the artistic economy. Second time around, and the music itself is no less powerful. Moving from 'Origin Of The Species' and its floating-through-the-cosmos atmosphere, to the rousing call-to-unity of 'The Pensieve' and the industrial-noise-cum-delicate pop on 'Imposter', the vision and scope are incredible, new ideas seemingly presenting themselves at every twist and turn on this 13-strong track list.

Review: Swedish multi-instrumentalist Kristoffer Gildenlow is a veteran of the nation's progressive hard rock and metal scene. His track record charts formative years with bands such as Pain Of Salvation, Neal Morse and Kayak, but more recent years have heard him move into increasingly solo, daimonic and personally-expressive directions. Empty is his latest masterpiece; a haunting album of loss, heartbreak, existentialism and grief, centring on the concept of walking wounded, whether in the abstract or concrete. Spoken word segments and softer downturns provide ample contrast, without which the albums more gushing moments, such as 'Down We Go', would not hit as hard.

Review: Suspiria, one of Dario Argento's defining horror masterpieces, wasn't the first time Goblin had worked with the controversial-yet-acclaimed Italian director. The progressive rockers had, two years previous, delivered the incredible score to Profondo Rosso, and won plaudits at the time for their work - once people knew it was them. It was originally intended to be soundtracked by jazz pianist and composer Giorgio Gaslini, but disagreements on his output left just three of his themes in, but the credits were never updated, leaving Goblin listed incorrectly as "performers" as oppose to writers of the music. While this would have left a bad taste in the mouths of many, evidently that wasn't the case here. Two years later, the band were back with Argento and making this insane collection of sounds, half tracks, atmospheric noises, and cacophonous arrangements. A truly visceral experience, it's an immersive assault on the senses touching on experimental electronics, contemporary classical, gothic, and plain weirdo.