Progressive Rock & Progressive MetalS... bis T... |
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Shadow Gallery |
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Die Band: |
Shadow
Gallery is a progressive rock band that stresses songwriting, production
and performance in their music. Their songs are frequently long with
instrumental pieces in the middle. Shadow Gallery's music is hard at times,
soft at others, providing an interesting variety to the listener. Of the original members, Mike Baker (lead vocals) and Carl Cadden-James (bass, flute) remained for the 1992 debut CD Shadow Gallery. They were joined by Brendt Allman (lead guitar), Chris Ingles (keyboards) and John Cooney (drums). This debut CD was released quickly and is considered by the band to be of demo quality. Although the production is weak, the songwriting on this CD clearly shows artistic potential. Shadow Gallery took an enormous step in maturity for its second CD, Carved in Stone. A couple of lineup changes were made, with Kevin Soffera taking over on drums and versatile Gary Wehrkamp adding additional guitars and keyboards. Carved in Stone, released in 1995, is longer and much more mature than the debut CD. It features stunning production, far exceeding that of Shadow Gallery, and improves on the previously high-quality songwriting. The group's third album, Tyranny followed in 1998. In 1998, the band's third album, Tyranny, was released. This is a concept album about a defense worker who becomes disenchanted with his job and searches for other meanings in his life. The music is very reminiscent of Carved in Stone, although somewhat lighter. Legacy appeared in spring 2001. ~ David White, All Music Guide |
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Legacy (2001) |
In 2001 war ich von der neuen Shadow Gallery erst enttäuscht... zu perfekt
war die Weiterentwicklung der letzten Alben. Alle Songs sind perfekt
eingespielt und gut, ohne Tadel... trotzdem fehlt irgend was... aber trotzdem... mit eines der besten Prog-Alben des jungen 21. Jahrhunderts... |
71:57 min |
Tyranny (1998) |
Shadow Gallery hat sich 1998 professionell weiterentwickelt. Die Songs sind eigenständig, passen aber auch beeindruckend in das Gesamtklangbild des Albums, das meiner Meinung nach als Meilenstein des Prog-Rock/Metal bezeichnet werden muss. Nur einige Anspieltipps: "New World Order", "Hope for Us?", "I Believe" oder das klavierbetonte und einfühlsame "Christmas Day"... |
73:54 min |
Carved in Stone (1995) |
Ebenfalls bei Magna Carta veröffentlichter Nachfolger, der besser produziert ist und keine Wünsche mehr offenläßt. Allein der Opener "Cliffhanger" und die geniale (unkommerzielle!) Ballade "Don't ever Cry, Just remember" sind den Kaufpreis wert... und der Rest, darunter das 21-minütige "Ghostship" sind alles andere als verachtenswert... |
71:06 min |
Shadow Gallery (1992) |
Beachtenswertes erstes Album der Mannen um Multitalent Carl Cadden-James. Feinster Prog-Metal vom Anfang der 90er. Mein absoluter Favorit dieses Albums ist "Mystified"... |
60:02 min |
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Special Experiment |
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Die Band: |
Special Experiment ist das Solo-Projekt des Multitalents Dzidek
Marcinkiewicz. Er stammt aus Polen, lebt und musiziert aber schon
seit über 20 Jahren in Deutschland. Seine bisherigen Stationen waren
u.a. die Osnabrücker Band Blues Company und die in Rumänien bekannten
Transsylvania Phoenix. |
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Das Solowerk von Dzidek
Marcinkiewicz präsentiert sich mit 8 Instrumentalsongs, für eine
Eigenproduktion klanglich sehr überzeugend. Stilistisch bewegt sich
das Album irgend wo zwischen Joe Satriani und Solo-Alben von Keyboard-Playern
wie Jordan Rudess. |
47:20 min |
Spock's Beard |
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Snow (ltd.) (2002) |
Doppel-CD-Konzeptalbum mit insgesamt 26 abwechslungsreiche Songs. Spock's Beard schaffen mit diesem Album den Spagat zwischen kommerziellem und progressiven Rock. Es wird die Geschichte von "Snow" erzählt, der sein Leben Revue passieren lässt. Einige wenige Anspieltipps sind "Made Alive", "Devil's got my Throat", "Second Overture" oder "4th of July"... |
56:30 min |
V (2000) |
Progressives Album von Spock's Beard mit 6 Songs von 4 bis 27 Minuten. Am ehesten zu vergleichen mit Transatlantic. Meine Anspieltipps "Revelation", "Thoughts" oder das 16-minütige "At the End of the Day"... |
63:01 min |
Day for Night (1999) |
Das Spock's Beard Album von 1999 schafft die Balance zwischen progressive, unkommerziell und doch für Jedermann hörbar zu sein. Allein die ersten drei Songs ("Day for Night", "Gibberish" oder "Skin") zwigen dies sehr eindrucksvoll... |
67:49 min |
Kindness of Strangers (1998) |
... hatte leider noch keine Gelegenheit dieses Album zu hören... |
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Beware of Darkness (1997) |
... hatte leider noch keine Gelegenheit dieses Album zu hören... |
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The Light (1996) |
... hatte leider noch keine Gelegenheit dieses Album zu hören... |
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Symphony-X |
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V (2000) |
Im Jahr 2000 präsentieren sich Symphony-X variabel, progressiv und dynamisch. Der Instrumental-Track No. 9 The Death of Balance (-Hörprobe) vermag die Dynamik auf einen Punkt zu bringen. Eines der besten Prog-Metal-Alben des neuen Jahrhunderts! |
62:49 min |
Twilight in Olympus (1998) |
Hier präsentieren sich Symphony-X in ihrer ganze Klasse. Powervolle Songs und intelligentes Songwriting mit dem Gespür für die jeweilige Atmosphäre. Meine Anspieltipps "Orion- the Hunter", "Church of the Machine" und das 13-minütige "Through the Looking Glass"... |
52:47 min |
The Devine Wings of Tragedy (1997) |
Auf "The Devine Wings of Tragedy" schaffen Symphony-X schon den Spagat zwischen perfekten harten Ohrwürmern (z.B. "Pharaoh" oder "The Eyes of Medusa") und komplexem Songwriting, z.B. der Titelsong, der mit 20:41 der längste Track der Band ist. |
65:28 min |
The Damnation Game (1995) |
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46:25 min |
Tool |
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Die Band: | TOOL is a tough band to nail down. While it's fair to say
that yes, they are a bunch of hard- To understand where Tool is coming from, one first must try to figure
out the mind of its lead singer. Armed with a brutal wail and a fistful of
attitude, Keenan was born to a Baptist family in Akron, Ohio, and spent
time at both West Point Prep and U.S. Military Academy Prep, eventually
joining the Army in 1982. If that wasn't enough to incite a young mind to
anger, he's also suggested that he was abused by his stepfather as a child
— After Keenan's resolve was worn down, the two began writing songs and
soon found themselves looking for a drummer. Several came and went until
Keenan's neighbor Danny Carey — Once together, Tool rose to fame at breakneck speed. In March of 1992,
they released Opiate, a seven- An early gig on the Undertow tour found Tool playing at a Scientology
Celebrity Center. Not thrilled with entertaining L. Ron Hubbard's rich and
famous disciples, the foursome eventually found their way to the second
stage of the 1993 Lollapalooza tour. Their live show was dynamic enough to
bump them to the main stage, which increased their exposure and helped
create a loyal group of Toolheads across the country. August of 1993 saw
the video for "Sober" debut on MTV, a ground- Although almost three years passed before Tool managed to release its
next album, the band wasn't idle. Undertow went platinum in August
of 1994, and their next video, "Prison Sex," landed a Best
Special Effects nomination at the 1995 MTV Video Awards. In September of
1995, Tool went to Australia for the Alternative Nation Music Festival,
and the band's lineup changed slightly. Bassist Paul D'Amour parted with
the band (on good terms), joining Failure for a short while before
starting his own group, Lusk. Inside two months, Justin Chancellor, a
former member of the band Peach, had signed on, and by May of 1996, Tool
was back in the studio. Sylvia Massy, who had produced their first two
projects, was replaced by King Crimson producer David Bottrill.
The new album, Ænima, was released in October of 1996, and
picked right up where Undertow left off. It debuted at No. 2 on the
Billboard album chart, satisfying three years of hunger pangs for
Tool fans, and proved that the band's audience was still growing. Ænima
also showed ambition and growth in the band, both lyrically and musically,
and the first single, "Stinkfist," was given immediate radio
play across the country. (MTV couldn't stomach the term "Stinkfist,"
and, in a fit of prudishness, renamed the video for the song,
"#1.")7 |
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Lateralus (2001) |
Geniale Metal-Scheibe des Neoprog... maximale CD-Länge... maximale Intension und Variablilität! |
78:58 min |
Threshold |
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Die Band: |
Threshold
came into being in the greater London area in 1989. The lineup of the band
was Damian
Wilson, Karl
Groom, Nick
Midson, Jon Leary, Richard
West, and Tony
Grinham. The band released their debut disc, Wounded
Land, in 1993. Shortly after the release, though, Wilson
chose to move on to other musical ventures, leaving Threshold
without a vocalist. That deficiency would not last long, though, the band
finding Wilson's
replacement in the personage of Glynn Morgan. That was not to be the end of
the band's personnel problems, though. Just before recording their sophomore
effort, Grinham
left the band. So, in 1995 when they went into the sessions that gave birth
to the album Psychedelicatessen,
it was with Nick Harradence of Shadowland
filling in temporarily behind the drum kit. Later that year, they filled the
spot in a more permanent way with the addition of Jay Micciche. This was the
lineup that released the EP Livedelica. It would not last long, however,
with both Morgan and Micchiche leaving the following year to form the band
Mindfeed. So, when they recorded their next studio disc, Extinct Instinct,
it was once again with a session drummer. This time Mark Heaney handled the
sticks. For longtime fans of the band, though, the filling of the vocalist
spot brought some definite joy. Wilson
had returned to the band just in time to record the album with them. However,
by 1998, he was once again out, and new vocalist Andrew "Mac"
McDermott accompanied the group as they recorded the next album, Clone.
Interestingly enough Heaney, originally brought in just as a session player,
was still with them to the point of finishing Clone.
However, he left just after that time, being replaced by Johanne James. The
group released Hypothetical
in 2001. ~ Gary Hill, All Music Guide |
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Critical Mass (2002) |
Threshold sind derzeit eine der besten kommerzielleren Prog-Metal-Bands. Critical Mass bringt alles mit für einen Kassenschlager, powervolle Rhythmen, eingängige Songs und Refrains und den rauen Gesang. Wer auf progressiv angehauchten eingängigen Metal steht, weird an diesem Album nicht vorbeikommen. Mein Favorit ist "Fragmentation", aber "Phenomenon", "Falling Away" oder auch die Ballade "Avalon" stehen dem in nichts nach... |
59:59 min |
Hypothetical (2001) |
Meiner Meinung nach progressivstes Album vom Threshold. Dominierend sind der Opener "Light and Space" sowie die beiden 10- und 11-minütigen Epen "The Ravages of Time" und "Narcissus" sowie das kommerzielle "Turn on Tune in"... |
56:04 min |
Psychedelicatessen (2001 ltd.) |
... hatte leider noch keine Gelegenheit dieses Album zu hören... |
66:48 min |
Wounded Land (2001 ltd.) |
... hatte leider noch keine Gelegenheit dieses Album zu hören... |
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Transatlantic |
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Die Band: |
Transatlantic sind die Supergroup des Prog Rock um
die Jahrtausendwende. Mitglieder sind Neal Morse (Spock's Beard), Mike
Portnoy (Dream Theater), Roine Stolt (Flower Kings) und Pete Trewavas
(Marillion) |
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Bridge across Forever (2001) |
Absolut perfekter Nachfolger von SMPT E. Hier stimmt wiederum alles. Dominiert wird das 4-Song-Album von den beiden 26-minütigen genialen Epen "Duel with the Devil" und "Stranger in your Soul", dazu die einfühlsame Ballade "Bridge across Forever" und das etwas schräge nur 14-minütige "Suite Charlotte Pike"... was will man mehr!!! |
76:51 min |
SMPT E (2000) |
Inzwischen schon legendärer Erstling der Truppe um Megatalent Mike Portnoy. Die CD enthält 5 Songs zwischen 5 und 30 Minuten und entführt den Hörer in eine eigenständige Klangwelt, die irgend wo zwischen Spock's Beard, Flower Kings und Mike Portnoy (drums) angesiedelt ist. Meine Anspieltipps sind "My new World", "We all need some Light" und "Mystery Train"... |
77:14 min |
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