Corima is a Zeuhl quintet from California that released their first album in 2007, followed by the acclaimed Quetzalcoatl, in 2012, and now 天照 (Amaterasu), which came out on November second, 2016. It features two compositions spanning fifty minutes and split into nine tracks. It was released on the label Soleil Zeuhl and is also available to buy on bandcamp.… Read more
Monthly Archives: November 2016
Mini-Reviews XXXII
Mandroid Echostar only recently released their latest album, Coral Throne, on bandcamp. And… well, it’s all right. While it doesn’t reach Citadels‘ level, it’s a pretty good jam! For those who don’t know the band, they’re an alternative progressive rock band from Ontario, Canada, who’ve been often compared to Coheed & Cambria, but I think that’s unjustified. They’re more prog and generally better, musically, than the sci-fi rock band.
Bands Selvans and Downfall of Nur collaborated for a collaborative release, which came out on November sixth through Avantgarde Music. Both sides feature some form of atmospheric black metal … Read more
Mini-Reviews XXXI
Behold the Arctopus surreptitiously released Cognitive Emancipation when everyone was looking at the United States’ election results unfurl. Even though they claim it’s not an EP, it technically is, at twenty minutes long, but I agree that the segregation of EPs and LPs is arbitrary and should be stopped. The band’s trademark drummer change now brings Jason Bauers, of Psyopus. The music on Cognitive Emancipation is somewhere between Skullgrid and Horrorscension, but is at the same time something new and unique. It sounds like Behold the Arctopus, and fans on the band will relish it, but it sounds like … Read more
Mini-Reviews XXX
Cultural Lungs is a symphonic progressive rock band from Portugal, and Fortress is their newest album. The concept behind it is rather interesting, too. It’s basically a choose your own adventure type of experience. The ‘happy ending’ version consists of rather upbeat progressive rock (songs 2-8), while the ‘sad ending’ consists of more cinematic songs, almost like a movie soundtrack (songs 10-17). It’s basically two EPs in one album. The music itself is well-done and has a sort of almost minimalistic, indie feel, which is somewhat charming. Hint: create two playlists – one ‘bright side’ consisting of tracks 1 to … Read more
EXCLUSIVE: Prog Band Troika Streams ‘Mandala’ from Their Upcoming Album
With their third full-length album, My Brain Is a Receiver, coming out this week, New Zealand progressive rock act Troika decided to make ‘Mandala’, the third track on record, available for streaming. At over nine minutes and a half, the song is drenched in post-rock, with the 7/4 motif being repeated, altered, interchanged, and built upon in order to create release and tension over an underlying swelling of the tides. The abundance of effect pedals, past the halfway point, contributes to the power and personality of this track.
My Brain Is a Receiver comes out on November 12 on … Read more