An early fan-favorite from Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia).

1. "Glas sa obale boje" (4:27) except for the two tracks devoted to THIN LIZZY-like "twin" guitars, this song sounds like a song from a GRAND FUNK RAILROAD album of this time. Nothing Jazz-Rock Fusion about this bombastic prog-related song. (But it may have been popular in Yugoslavia). (8.5/10)

2. "Put na istok" (14:20) (26.66667/30): - Prvi dan - more solid proto-prog like blues-rock sounding like something coming from Latin America at the same time. (8.5/10) - Drugi dan - shifting a bit into slightly more funk and jazziness--and then TRAFFIC-like, then back to blues-rock with a little more power. (8.6667/10) - Dilema - the BANCO MUTUO SOCCORSO (or AREA) comparisons are warranted for this gentle little baroque keyboard-centric movement. (4.5/5) - Zemlja - AREA might be the more appropriate band to compare the final movement to--especially dute to the hard- infusion of Serbian/Balkan/Ottoman music. (5/5)

3. "Moj bol" (10:27) more disciplined jazz-rock with true jazz foundations, electric instrumentation as well as Serbian percussion play. Vocals joining in during the second and third minutes again feel very RPI-like--the whole song's vibe becoming much more BANCO-like from here on despite some very TRAFFIC/"Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" passages. Nice searing electric guitar soloing in the eighth minute. Quite an excellent and deeply satisfying song. (18.5/20)

4. "Bezglave Ja-Ha horde" (6:46) more nice-flowing Jazz-Rock Fusion that is a vehicle for vocals from the very start-- again giving it a very RPI sound and feeling. But it's so good! The vocalist has the voice and talent quite like AREA leader DEMETRIO STRATOS! If this had appeared on an RPI album during the same year it would have been an instant classic! (14.5/15)

5. "Tata Ko i mama Spo" (4:12) opening like a GEORGE HARRISON song, guitars (acoustic strumming, "weeping" electric soloing in the background). Full band joins in as vocalist starts to sing his powerful. voice--this time reminding me very much of LOS JAIVAS' lead vocalist Eduardo "Gato" Alquinta on the Pablo Naruda album. It's okay for a 1960s blues/folk rock song. (8.5/10)

Total Time 40:12

Not pure Jazz-Rock Fusion, more of an eclectic run through early blues-rock prog rock with some jazz-infusions and, more, lots of local ethnic melodies and styles as well as ethnic Serbian instruments. There are more instances of the band showing its being inspired by Grand Funk, Traffic, Santana, and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso than any jazz-rock fusion band.

A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of early but eclectic (and imitative) prog music. There are some amazingly wonderful pieces here as well as some that would seem more rudimentary blues-rock and thus prog-related.

One of the most complex 70's prog rock live albums out there? Possibly. GG proved to be compelling live players (I would love to have a single camera on the keyboard player who must have done a lot of context switching). The choice of material is great, focusing on the the material before 1977 and preferring variety rather than full length. There is also a good level of improvisation on the drum/guitar solo pieces. Naturally, vocals aren't overdubbed and thus more down to earth but still impressive. The band succeeds in creating a dense yet music friendly atmosphere. The sound is OK, does not overwhelm the listener but the instruments can be distinguished, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.

One of the many SIGIL bands out there, this one comes from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and has been around since 2009 and only released a handful of of EPs and albums. The first full-length "Mutagen" came out in 2013 and the sophomore effort NETHER didn't emerge until 2021. This four piece that features Riley Marion (bass), David Horrocks (drums), Peter Tyukasz (guitars) and Clennon Aranha (vocals) delivers a strange mix of dissonant black metal along with atmospheric sludge metal and a rhythmic post-hardcore steadiness.

Fortified with rampaging tracks on the shorter side of things, the post-hardcore rules in the compositional department but dressed up with caustic black metal tones and distortion made all the more eerie by the dissonant tuning habits. The sludge metal comes in in the way the vocals are shouted as well as the guitar bombast. This album features eight tracks and adds up to nearly 38 minutes of aggressive brutality. That is if you count the digital release time line which features the extra track "Cathartic Avulsions." The album doesn't really let up once it starts and the caustic bombastic is incessant. The band's label Total Dissonance Worship sorta says it all!

The riffs are rather spastic and add little strange hooks here and there that throw off the general rhythmic flow without derailing it. The result is a form of controlled chaos that ratchets up the tension to a satisfying degree. The album feels a lot like crust punk in a lot of ways but is more dissonant, more chaotic and features drumming styles of sludge metal and other extreme forms of metal. The vocals are a bit off kilter as well with a strange contrapuntal phrasing where Clennon Aranha shouts over the syncopated parts and only in a haphazard way. The effect is somewhat original even if the music is fairly accessible and mostly from the post-hardcore playbook.

This is a noisy little album that pretty much plays out in its entirely as it started. Heavily distorted guitars and bass in disso-mode with oddball drumming patterns and crazy schizophrenic vocals. It's the stuff outsider musical dreams are made of and it's unrelenting in its dedication to noisy brutality all the way to the end. Somewhat difficult to assign any particular genre tag, this truly is a hybrid of many meta and punk styles fused into a cohesive whole. Extreme in every way, SIGIL delivered a solid piece of work with this one and perhaps not groundbreaking or totally original in every way, sure is a nice little noisy romp for 38 minutes.

3.5 rounded down

Former Weather Report bassist has definitely oriented himself toward pop music and the popular melodic disco-funk world now despite the remarkable variety of song styles represented here.

A1. "Love's The Way I Feel 'Bout Cha" (4:43) jazz pop from Philip Bailey with wonderful vocals from Diane Reeves. Nice bass play as well. A rather powerful song that should have charted as a single on the R&B or Dance charts. (9/10)

A2. "As Little As You" (3:23) a funky instrumental (8.75/10)

A3. "Scapegoat" (5:10) an upbeat disco-funky instrumental over which lyrical saxes perform. We're definitely in the world of Smooth Jazz now. Great funk bass, sax play (from both Grover Washington, Jr. and Ernie Watts), and use of brass section for accents. A top three for me despite the fact that it never really realizes its tremendous potential. (8.875/10)

A4. "Show Us The Way" (4:55) beautiful gentle electric guitar arpeggi provide all the support necessary to buoy the gorgeous deep vocals of jazz singer Jon Lucien. A top three song. (9/10)

B1. "Balls To The Wall" (5:00) opens for 30-seconds like a heavy metal/power rock song with Ray Gomez's electric guitar and Alphonso's power chords and Chester Thompson's racing drum play before turning Mahavishnu funk. From here out everyone is so tight keeping up with Chester and Alphonso. Another top three song for me. (8.875/10)

B2. "Tales Of Barcelona" (2:16) interesting Mahavishnu-like power prayer. (4.5/5)

B3. "Flight To Hampstead Heath" (5:55) opens with a very proggy harpsichord-like arpeggi track over which Alphonso solos with a fretless electric bass. Ruth Underwood's work is so perfect! As is the amazing chemistry between Alphonso and Chester Thompson. My favorite song on the album despite it being far more prog-rock than j-r fusion-- more like something from a NOVA or STEVE HACKETT album. (9.25/10)

B4. "One To One" (3:53) another funk track that feels like something between Jan Hammer and Weather Report. Lots of spice and hot sauce coming from all directions--especially the horn section but also from Alphonso, the guitar, keys, and percussion. Nice Fender Rhodes solo in the second minute. Ray Gomez gets the next solo and it's good though far more rock-oriented than prog or j-r fuse; he's definitely a master of sound clarity. Alphonse's Jaco-like interplay with the horn section in the final minute is cool. Solid. (9/10)

Total Time 35:14

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of eclectic jazz-infused music, pop to funk to j-r fuse to prog: it's all here!

The band was confronted with a daunting task of matching the previous masterpiece "Free hand" (it wasn't possible to overachieve it in 1976) and they didn't lack experimentation on the 1976's "Interview". The band is still deeply rooted in complex progressive rock and medieval music but allowing new synths and beats to appear. The first track is astonishing work on the organ/piano, typical GG vocals, rhytmical complexity (not sure how to play this cut live), this is still GG at their best. Simplification signs arrive with the reggae workout "Give it back" which is still more complex than 99% reggae works in the world. It is more accessible and still contains tons of keyboards. "Design" is a step in avantgarde with vocals providing tempo, background and lead melody whereas "Another show" has a whole lot of dynamic pyrotechnics in the 3,5 minute. "Lost my head" alongside the first track match the GG best of material although with the latter it is more for its execution than invention. GG playing is no worse than before but let's admit it, the compositions are less memorable and inventive. 3,5 stars

Many early 70's prog bands hit their most mature and sometimes also the best album between 1974-1975. Gentle Giant had arguably several very strong albums and it is difficult for me to pick the best one, but "Free Hand" is in the Top 3. The band developed from "The power and the glory" by relying more on synths/moog rather than organ, suppressing the hard rock element slightly and also creating more coherent listening experience. The most important contributor though - the compositions are not only elaborate, they are well thought out and developed. Saxophones soften the vibes. Medieval elements are very present and they almost get at the level of "Gryphon" apart from vocals which are much more advanced. "On reflection" is an extremely well executed medieval-inspired piece. The title tracks marries airy moody keyboards with funky clavinet. "Mobile" leaves the album on the active challenging note that brings promises to the future. I'm very thankful, once again, for all the keyboardist contribution which really create the backbone of the instrumental sound and moods. One the best prog masterpieces of '75 and a crowing achievement by the band.

1. Preboreal hypnotic dub bass bringing a dreamlike rise that casts a chill, has THE OCEAN really calmed down or is it just a preamble? This synth which navigates from one anvil to another is just perfect, contemplative and dreamlike with this French phrasing which calls out to you, in short the black prog blood flows here, ah this synth... 2. Boreal follows and shows the beginning of the violent latent atmosphere, in the good sense of the word 3. Sea of Reeds continues to focus on the dark sound, distilling only a distant heavy climate; the reminiscences go straight to what the second era ANATHEMA did so well; in short, we are in progressive territory without knowing it 4. Atlantic for the sound flirting with that of SMASHING PUMPKINS and OCEANSIZE, with field trumpet, military not jazzy, dub for the electro side; good to remember that we are on a heavy nag all the same so the explosion is only logical

5. Subboreal to the sound of The GATHERING for an alternative, metronomic and extreme shoegaze, for those who don't expect this rise in controlled violence it must be hard 6. Unconformities is missing from my file, too bad I'm going to listen to it in my corner on YT... Yes the title which raises questions with this feminized, a sound on a supercharged PORTISHEAD with the trumpet which now reassures and with this orgasmic crescendo sublimated by the vocal, instrumental surge; you have to breathe, catch your breath, prog metal is at this price, come on let's shout with Loïc this is the motto of this cataclysmic title that should not be missed 7. Parabiosis gives in shared violence with its ambient brake; we are far from the alternative beginning, here the perfusion flows freely and drives the point home in brutal atmospheres; on a CULT OF LUNA for example but more prog, on a less compulsive TOOL, a short piece that intrigues 8. Subatlantic with the oriental ambiance, its latent sound, we return to the beginning of the album; that no, the dark-obscure side of the beast comes out in spurts, in bursts; the drums make the link between the screamed voice and the plaintive, depressive guitars.

Australia's finest prog metal band surely has to be Caligula's Horse, having released their sixth studio album 'Charcoal Grace' via Inside Out Music in January of 2024, continuing their line of work of incorporating the aesthetics of djent into their signature style of melancholic yet powerful blend of heavy progressive music. Sam Vallen, Jim Grey and co. have this time organized their album around longer pieces, bookmarked by two longer epic tracks, while spreading the 25-minute-long title track over four parts in the middle of the album. While the band has done longer pieces throughout their discography, they have never before presented their work in such a way, which is an interesting decision, also making this album their longest running one to date, surpassing 2017's 'In Contact' by some seconds.

The sound of this album does not diverge too much from what the band did in the beginning of the decade with 'Rise Radiant', their pandemic album, whereas a stronger djent influence was becoming more prevalent, focusing a lot on technique and resulting in a more compressed and massive sounds, in comparison to their cleaner and more "stripped" dynamics from before (2015-17). It has to be mentioned that the vocals are as good as always, Jim Grey is undoubtedly a very powerful vocalist who is able to elevate the compositions and bring them a very eerie, majestic and emotive edge. Sam Vallen displays his signature guitar sounds serving the band just perfectly, while the rhythm section is mostly entirely delightful and well-done.

It is the compositional aspect of the tracks on 'Charcoal Grace', however, that seems to have been overshadowed by the more technical approach, as the two tracks bookmarking the album (and clocking in at ten and twelve minutes respectively) get slightly diluted over the course of their playtime, as if there was not a clear direction or a clear vision of where these songs should arrive. Surely they are packed with graceful riffs, intense hooks, and gorgeous vocal melodied, but they seem to be less focused than previous longer compositions done by C-Horse, who had cemented themselves as masters of suspenseful heavy progressive music, always leading you to a very powerful climax through the band members' manifold creative ways, as they had perfectly achieved that with 'In Contact'. This aspect of their music seems to be mostly missing here.

It is recaptured mainly and seemingly in the shorter tracks like 'Golem' or 'The Stormchaser', two highlight tracks. The title track, dissected into four pieces, as ambitious and powerful it may seem, fails to leave a lasting impression of a strong, oriented epic song, perhaps missing a very recognizable and memorable underlying thread or theme, perhaps being occasionally overplayed. While it has its highlights, whether it be the beautifully intricate introduction to 'Prey', or the acoustic tranquility of 'Vigil', or even the chorus build-up of 'Give Me Hell', it is too fragmented, which could also be why it was presented as four tracks rather than a continuous long piece.

In essence, 'Charcoal Grace' is a good and strong album, nicely ornamented, but mostly lacking the punch and focus that the band's usually got, and it will probably go on to be one of the more polarizing releases by Caligula's Horse.

And there goes the album with the most decent prog rock cover and title! GG took their mission and chops seriously once again and deliver the album which is, in my opinion, little surprising and rather, continues in their mid 70's slightly streamlined but still very powerful and unique maze of complex rhythm changes, brilliant vocal exercises and excellent symphonic moments. The first track, "Proclamation" can be a suitable representative track of the album with all traits I've mentioned above. It is also less repetitive that what you hear later through the album. "So sincere" can be rhythmically one of their most challenging track, sounds very incoherent at first listens but you'll hear the binding motive later on. "Aspirations" has a modern facade with lush keyboards, simplified drumming and greater accessibility. "Playing the game" is the second great epic on the album with typical GG motives. The second half of the album is slightly worse but all in all, it is still a very strong album.

1. Rytter av dommedag for a deluge of vintage notes which echo what was done in time, hence my disappointment since the creation is missing; 16 minutes of thinking about, of bathing in a barely brackish musical climate is a painful observation of poorly digested revival 2. And sted under himmelhvelvet in radio edit and the same feeling with the folk voice that goes to the lands of ÄNGLAGÅRD and the more recent TUSMØRKE; what's the point of 'pumping' a sound that has proven itself but has lost its faith and energy these days? So unless you want to keep blinders on your ears and don't want musical evolution, beautiful is not synonymous with great and this sound fits well into a bygone vintage sound.

3. Jærtegn yes the harpsichord is beautiful, a memory of an ancient time, yes Lars sings well and it feels like we are around a Viking fire, yes but it goes around magnificently in circles, a bitter observation, yes it lacks that energy which in WOBBLER or KALUGIN makes you strain your ears and listen again for their own sound 4. Naturens katedral comes to change my mind, why? A more tortured sound which takes from the 70's and monopolizes it to create, which will even push the musical vice to flirt with the hard prog Dinos before their time, yes GENESIS with DEEP PURPLE used the organ for hard rock psyche scents ; in short it swirls, it swells, we feel the prog blood flowing, the one that makes you move and not doze off; grandiose title through the use of instruments for a tormented but progressive bucolic journey, but why did we have to wait for the last title? (2.5)