With another year behind us, here is another annual “best of” list. While I hope that a few of you find this to be of interest, I put this annual list together to document my passion for discovering new music. With the internet and the digital format, it seems like there is an ever increasing flood of new music to be had and appreciated. Gone are the days when record companies exclusively controlled the access to the market. All of this makes staying on top of a single genre a huge but rewarding challenge. Before we get to the actual list here are a couple of comments:
1) While I enjoy many sub-genres of metal and rock, I am a card carrying member of the progressive metal faith, so my list does lean in that direction.
2) When there is overlap with Glenn’s list, I have tried to use video clips different than those in his thread.
3) I don’t include live albums in my annual list; however, I would highly recommend both Full Circle by Pagans Mind, recorded at Prog Power Mecca, and European Journey by Threshold.
4) Lastly, most of the members of the bands listed below don’t make a living through their musical passion. Almost all have day jobs like the rest of us. Even before the ink has dried on this list of great albums, several bands or band members have called it a day, sometimes because of financial reasons. So, please support the bands that you enjoy by buying their music and merchandise, going to see them live, and participating in KickStarters or the equivalent. Advertisement over.
So, here is my #1 favorite release of 2015:
1) Arcane – Known-Learned, Australia: It is with enthusiasm and disappointment that Arcane’s latest (double) album makes the top of my 2015 list. The “enthusiasm” originates from fact that this is a terrific album. Modern, emotional progressive metal is how I would best describe it. Similar to Fates Warning, the progressive elements are there, but always held in check relative to the song and the experience. CD 1 is heavy and electric, and CD 2 is mostly acoustic (and not lighter renditions of the songs on CD1.) Both CDs are saturated with darkness, brooding, melancholy, beautiful despair, and retrospection. Jim Grey’s distinctive and haunting vocal style convey warmth and distance at the same time. The “disappointment” is because Arcane has just recently call it quits with band members focusing on other projects. Bummer.
2) Symphony X – Underworld, USA: Symphony X returns with their best album since Odyssey. While still maintaining the heaviness of their previous two releases, Underworld brings back the epicness and melodic moments of V and Divine Wings of Tragedy. If anything, Underworld may be a bit too close to those previous landmark albums. But can you really get too much of a good thing? I say no.
3) A Sound of Thunder – Tales from the Deadside, USA: Prolific ASoT release their best album yet. This concept album is a tour-de-force based upon the Shadowman comic book. In my opinion, Nina Osegueda is THE best female vocalist in metal today and she certainly delivers on Tales. Genius riff meister, Josh Schwartz allows his Black Sabbath and Rainbow influences to shine through. Can’t Go Back is probably my favorite song of 2015 and is so catchy that I might need a lobotomy to get it out of my head. ASoT is definitely catching on with 75 five star reviews by fans on Amazon, which is almost exactly the same as Kamelot’s latest album.
4) Angra – Secret Garden, Brazil: More progressive and more mature, Angra return with a doozy of a great musical journey. Complex but yet very accessible, there is a lot to sink your teeth into here. It is possible that pure power metal fans may see Secret Garden as an unwelcome curve ball. For me, this is a smoking fast ball right down the center of the strike zone.
5) Odins Court – Turtles All the Way Down, USA: With a title like that how could any self-respecting prog minded metaller resist a listen? Answer: Don’t resist and be rewarded. With the addition of Dimetrius LaFavors’ smooth vocals to the creative writing of Matt Brookins and Rick Pierpont’s fret board gymnastics, Odin’s Court deliver their eclectic brand of metal with what may be their most accessible album yet. Box of Dice (Does God Play?) inspired by Einstein’s most famous saying is my favorite extended piece of 2015.
6) Waken Eyes – Exodus, Canada, Sweden and Germany: Already a big fan of Henrik Bath and Marco Minnemann, it didn’t take much for me to give this “project” album a spin. My high expectations were readily exceeded with excellent warm proggy compositions and virtuoso guitar playing. Here’s hoping that they decide to turn the project into an on-going group.
7) Borealis – Purgatory, Canada: Borealis release their strongest album yet with Purgatory. Heavy, catchy and even a little bluesy, Purgatory pleases from beginning to end with not a slight hint of filler. Borealis aimed straight at the heart of the Prog Power community and scored a bull’s eye.
8) King Crow – Eidos, Italy: King Crow are a very special band indeed. They return with another brilliant art metal album. Even though this is not quite at the level of their two previous albums, Eidos would be the musical pinnacle of almost any other band. In any event, King Crow have delivered a trio of top quality albums that rarely occurs in our beloved genre.
9) Art of Illusion – Round Square of the Triangle, Poland: This album is the great surprise “find” of 2015 (technically released in 2014). Art of Illusion reminds me of ELP with virtuoso guitar thrown in. Instrumentally, they are as strong as it gets. While a majority of the tracks are instrumentals and, yes, while there is plenty jaw dropping playing, the musicality and listenability never suffer. The three vocal tracks are truly superb. Round Square of the Triangle does leave an impression that this is indeed a debut and that their music can be developed even further. If I am right about this and they take it one step further, Art of Illusion may be the next super stars of the prog metal genre. I’ve included two links below to give an idea of their musical breadth.
10) Sorcerer – The Shadow of the Inverted Cross, Sweden: Sorcerer is big-time epic doom metal at its best. Inverted Cross should warm the heart of any early Sabbath fan and yet it stands on its own musical two feet. While the debut Sabbath album is a benchmark, the vocals and mystical lyrics harken to Rainbow’s first album as well.
11) Lonely Robot – Please Come Home, UK: Prog rock with metal moments, John Mitchell brings us a cerebral and ethereal album that challenges the brain, but is easy for the ears to digest. With Robby the Robot from the 1956 classic Forbidden Planet on the cover and being a fan of old sci fi movies, I couldn’t resist giving this a spin. Once spun, addiction took over.
12) Vanden Plas – Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld II, Germany: Vanden Plas continue, in my opinion, to be the most consistent band pumping out quality music. In fact, I don’t think that they have ever really produced a dud song, let alone a dud album. While both Netherworld albums are probably the most theatrical albums yet by Vanden Plas, each piece of music easily stands on its own merits and can be enjoyed in isolation.
13) Osada Vida – The After-Effect, Poland: Osada Vida is new to me, but this is actually their sixth release. The After-Effect is a platter full of excellent progressive rock. With ten tracks, the music is still song-based, rather than a few extended pieces to show off technical skill. In fact, much of The After-Effect has a slight pop-prog feel for easy consumption.
14) Level 10 – Chapter One, Various: Sir Russell and Matt Sinner team up with well-known guests to deliver a strong album of melodic, straight ahead metal. This is the strongest gig outside of SX for Mr. Allen. With more melody and less adrenaline than the Adrenaline Mob, Level 10 produces a superior and more listenable product. The title of the album suggests that there is more to come and I say “bring it on!”
15) Winery Dogs – Hot Streak, USA: If Level 10 is Sir Russ’s best gig outside of SX, then The Winery Dogs are without a doubt the best thing that Mr. Portnoy has going outside of his former band named by his father. The Winery Dogs have the (almost) unique ability to write semi-pop songs with ear candy appeal and yet back them with amazing chops that can be the focus of the listener or just absorbed while humming along. It goes without saying that they are amazing live.
16) Avatarium – The Girl with the Raven Mask, Sweden: Question: What would you get if you could graft Jefferson Airplane DNA on to Black Sabbath genes? Answer: Avatarium, of course. I just discovered this band and am mightily impressed. My enthusiasm is only bolstered by the fact that a few of the guitar solos sound more than a little like Mr. Blackmore and the abundant use of Hammond organ reminds of Mr. Lord. If I have one very minor complaint, it would be that the album could have benefited by one or two more up-tempo songs like the title track.
17) Kamelot – Haven, Various: Haven is arguably the best album released by Kamelot since their magnum opus The Black Halo. To expect any band to top such an all-time classic is indeed asking too much. But with Haven, Kamelot does come close. All the classic Kamelot trademarks, including dynamic power metal backings, drama infused guitar and neo-operatic vocals, are here in abundance.
18) Shattered Skies – The World We Used to Know, Ireland/UK: Endowed with masterful djent laden chops is a huge understatement for these blokes from the small islands north of mainland Europe. Shattered Skies never fall into the whiny siren calling trap of a lot of djent bands, which I find annoying to say the least. Instead, the vocal lines are as memorable as the instrumental contortions. With that said, it is unfortunate that Shattered Skies and their vocalist have parted ways.
19) Dendera – Pillars of Creation, UK: There is little doubt that the members of Dendera have more than a few Iron Maiden albums sitting on their personal collections. In this case, that certainly is not a bad thing. While the influence is there, they are not direct copies and even if they were, their delivery is just so damn good that there is no vaccination for the Dendera virus. This stuff just rocks!
20) Teramaze – Her Halo, Australia: Glenn’s top 50 list made me explore Her Halo and ultimately include it here. Teramaze was not new to me, in fact, I have their previous albums on my shelf. However, those albums just never really grabbed me, so when I saw that they had a new release, I decided to pass. Fortunately, Her Halo is completely different. The songs here are instantaneously engaging and still maintain the technicality of their previous released material.
21) Riverside – Love, Fear, and the Time Machine, Poland: Riverside’s latest release is a bit less progressive and a bit more popular in its feel than their previous albums. Neither of those two attributes are bad. In fact, Riverside seems to continue to evolve and experiment which is good. I can see them still producing interesting quality music twenty years from now. For me Second Life Syndrome is their high water mark. While this release falls short of that classic, it is not far behind.
22) Caligula’s Horse – Bloom, Australia: Truthfully, Bloom’s less edgy and less dark approach didn’t work for me initially. I wanted more Dark Hair Down. But, with repeated listens Bloom has grown on me. What’s interesting is that I would bet that the band is expecting a broader appeal, but I may indeed be the exception. Don’t get me wrong: Bloom has grown on me and it is a fine release. Further, I am light-years from giving up on this terrific band. Bloom is simply not what I was expecting.
23) Orden Ogan– Ravenhead, Germany: I don’t dislike power metal, but there are several sub-genres that appeal more to me. However, Orden Ogan is an instant blind buy. Why? Because they are just so damn fun. Ravenhead continues the fun like their entire back catalog.
24) Earthside – A Dream in Static, USA: Earthside combines crunchy progressive guitar riffage with orchestration and excellent guest vocalists. This is no low budget affair. From the hired Moscow Studio (?) Symphony Orchestra to the finest of sonic productions to expensive videos, Earthside is certainly going for it – and they get there.
25) Kamchatka – Long Road Made of Gold, Sweden: I have no idea what Sweden and the Siberian island of Kamchatka have in common with the Texan metal, but ZZ Top is the most obvious comparison for this power trio. This may be as far from progressive metal as it gets on this list, but do give this collection of bluesy, tasty tunes a try.
26) Iris Divine – Karma Sown, USA: Hailing from the Washington DC area, Iris Divine is a hugely promising and talented band that has been kicking around for a while, and have two released albums, including Karma Sown. Their influences include Dream Theater and Tool, but retain a uniqueness to their sound. With those influences, you can expect heavy driven technical music; however, the vocals are more powerful than most bands in their peer group. Great stuff!
27) Circle II Circle – Reign of Darkness, USA: If a genie granted me the wish to be a lead vocalist, I would want to sing and sound like Zak Stevens. The voice has always been there since the Savatage days and while the Circle II Circle albums have been good they just didn’t seem to have that little extra spark to make them special. Reign of Darkness breaks through that glass ceiling with great song writing and as a result is Circle II Circles best album yet.
28) Sound Struggle – Rise, US: Glenn pointed this one out to me and I am glad he did. Like Native Construct you get pretty much the entire musical smorgasbord. To these ears, Sound Struggle reminds me of that 70’s classic Tubular Bells, which should be more than enough to get my fellow prog snobs off their butts to give this a try.
29) Universe Effects – The Haze that Surrounds Us, Canada: Metropolis II comes instantly to mind upon first listen to The Haze that Surrounds Us. Indeed the comparison is made even stronger with the LaBrie-like vocals. Even with this slight dig on originality, this release is very enjoyable and worthy of being on this list.
30) Pantommind – Searching for Eternity, Bulgaria: Pantommind gets better with each release and Searching for Eternity is no exception. Terrific smooth vocals, tight playing, and plenty of chops endow Pantommind’s music. Unfortunately, if information on the web is correct, this will be their last album. Here is the promo to Searching for Eternity:
31) Lord – What Tomorrow Brings, Australia: Lord follows-up their outstanding Digital Lies with an EP and I usually don’t place EP’s on my list, but with the excellent 24 minute title track of epic power metal awesomeness I couldn’t resist. Even at 24 minutes, assimilation is as easy as Borgs stumbling across some lost souls in a galactic freighter. The EP also contains several covers including a top notch rendition of Message in a Bottle. (Angra also included a terrific version Synchronicity II on their latest release.)
32) Seriously Black – As Daylight Breaks, Various: Composed of members from bands that are no strangers to the PP community including the talented voice of Urban Breed, Serious Black certainly has the power metal pedigree for success – and succeed they do indeed. Possessing a BIG sound, lots of technical skill and power metal writing at its finest, As Day Breaks is a must for prog and power heads alike.
33) Native Construct – Quiet World, USA: Wild, wacky and almost disjointed, Native Construct isn’t prog squared, but rather prog factorial! While most bands have a Gaussian distribution of styles with a discernable mean, Native Construct is as close as it gets to white uniform randomness. Native Construct’s formula seems to be stochastic chaos as opposed to the deterministic formula of almost all other bands. Synching your brain to all this craziness is a delightful challenge. (Sorry to all the techno nerd talk, but I couldn’t resist!)
34) Marbin – Aggressive Hippies, Israel and USA: Aggressive Hippies is my artsy entree this year. The origin of the album title comes from the story of the band being held at gun point by some hillbilly hippies to get them to hang out with them for some chemically induced jamming. Marbin is a rock/metal/jazz hybrid instrumental outfit that fuses Stevie Ray Vaughn-like guitar work with sexy saxophone. Honing the skill with hundreds of gigs in the last several years, I was fortunate enough to catch them live at the Prog Day festival. I was blown away!
35) Royal Hunt – Devil’s Dozen, Sweden and USA: For me, Royal Hunt has not always been a blind buy. Some of their albums simply didn’t resonate with me, even though I love keyboards. On the other hand, albums like Paradox are phenomenal. Fortunately, Devil’s Dozen is excellent. Certainly, the song writing is more to my taste. Interestingly, the guitar seems more present in the mix and the overall sound has more punch. DC as always delivers.
36) Blind Guardian – Beyond the Red Mirror, Germany: To the shock and horror of this audience, Blind Guardian has not be part of my collection. However, with their 2016 PP appearance, I decided to give their latest release a try. I am more than glad I did. To all you old hands, you already know about the huge sing-a-long choruses and hard driving instrumental backing. Baptism complete.
37) Ascendia – The Lion and the Jester, Canada: I didn’t need a PP appearance to get The Lion and the Jester - I was enjoying it long before the announcement. There is a lot to like about Ascendia including tight memorable compositions and big-time delivery, but it may be the powerful vocals of Nick Sakal that places them firmly on the prog power map.
38) Black Star Riders – The Killer Instinct, US and Ireland: The Black Star Riders are Thin Lizzy reincarnated. Not only do they have Scott Gorham, guitarist from the Lizzy’s peak of popularity, and Ricky Warwick, an Irish singer who nails Phil Lynott vocal style, but they write tunes that are clearly in the Thin Lizzy strike zone. Ok, maybe this should disqualify them from this list, but my love of Thin Lizzy and the quality of Black Star Riders material lands them squarely right here.
39) Spock’s Beard – The Oblivion Particle, USA and Japan: Spock’s Beard are clearly masters of their trade. Technically, they have few if any equals, but for me they have at times seemed a bit too “clinical”, stressing precision over “impact”. (I always preferred ELP over Yes for the same reason.) The Oblivion Particle has ample “impact” for this listener, making it a very enjoyable album.
40) Ghost Ship Octavius – Ghost Ship Octavius, USA: The saying “Can we have everything louder than everything else?” is what comes to mind upon first listen to this debut. Impact and punch are what Ghost Ship Octavius is all about. Thrash and power fans will love this one. This is another example of a great debut that leaves the impression that they can actually take it up a notch in the future.
1) While I enjoy many sub-genres of metal and rock, I am a card carrying member of the progressive metal faith, so my list does lean in that direction.
2) When there is overlap with Glenn’s list, I have tried to use video clips different than those in his thread.
3) I don’t include live albums in my annual list; however, I would highly recommend both Full Circle by Pagans Mind, recorded at Prog Power Mecca, and European Journey by Threshold.
4) Lastly, most of the members of the bands listed below don’t make a living through their musical passion. Almost all have day jobs like the rest of us. Even before the ink has dried on this list of great albums, several bands or band members have called it a day, sometimes because of financial reasons. So, please support the bands that you enjoy by buying their music and merchandise, going to see them live, and participating in KickStarters or the equivalent. Advertisement over.
So, here is my #1 favorite release of 2015:
1) Arcane – Known-Learned, Australia: It is with enthusiasm and disappointment that Arcane’s latest (double) album makes the top of my 2015 list. The “enthusiasm” originates from fact that this is a terrific album. Modern, emotional progressive metal is how I would best describe it. Similar to Fates Warning, the progressive elements are there, but always held in check relative to the song and the experience. CD 1 is heavy and electric, and CD 2 is mostly acoustic (and not lighter renditions of the songs on CD1.) Both CDs are saturated with darkness, brooding, melancholy, beautiful despair, and retrospection. Jim Grey’s distinctive and haunting vocal style convey warmth and distance at the same time. The “disappointment” is because Arcane has just recently call it quits with band members focusing on other projects. Bummer.
2) Symphony X – Underworld, USA: Symphony X returns with their best album since Odyssey. While still maintaining the heaviness of their previous two releases, Underworld brings back the epicness and melodic moments of V and Divine Wings of Tragedy. If anything, Underworld may be a bit too close to those previous landmark albums. But can you really get too much of a good thing? I say no.
3) A Sound of Thunder – Tales from the Deadside, USA: Prolific ASoT release their best album yet. This concept album is a tour-de-force based upon the Shadowman comic book. In my opinion, Nina Osegueda is THE best female vocalist in metal today and she certainly delivers on Tales. Genius riff meister, Josh Schwartz allows his Black Sabbath and Rainbow influences to shine through. Can’t Go Back is probably my favorite song of 2015 and is so catchy that I might need a lobotomy to get it out of my head. ASoT is definitely catching on with 75 five star reviews by fans on Amazon, which is almost exactly the same as Kamelot’s latest album.
4) Angra – Secret Garden, Brazil: More progressive and more mature, Angra return with a doozy of a great musical journey. Complex but yet very accessible, there is a lot to sink your teeth into here. It is possible that pure power metal fans may see Secret Garden as an unwelcome curve ball. For me, this is a smoking fast ball right down the center of the strike zone.
5) Odins Court – Turtles All the Way Down, USA: With a title like that how could any self-respecting prog minded metaller resist a listen? Answer: Don’t resist and be rewarded. With the addition of Dimetrius LaFavors’ smooth vocals to the creative writing of Matt Brookins and Rick Pierpont’s fret board gymnastics, Odin’s Court deliver their eclectic brand of metal with what may be their most accessible album yet. Box of Dice (Does God Play?) inspired by Einstein’s most famous saying is my favorite extended piece of 2015.
6) Waken Eyes – Exodus, Canada, Sweden and Germany: Already a big fan of Henrik Bath and Marco Minnemann, it didn’t take much for me to give this “project” album a spin. My high expectations were readily exceeded with excellent warm proggy compositions and virtuoso guitar playing. Here’s hoping that they decide to turn the project into an on-going group.
7) Borealis – Purgatory, Canada: Borealis release their strongest album yet with Purgatory. Heavy, catchy and even a little bluesy, Purgatory pleases from beginning to end with not a slight hint of filler. Borealis aimed straight at the heart of the Prog Power community and scored a bull’s eye.
8) King Crow – Eidos, Italy: King Crow are a very special band indeed. They return with another brilliant art metal album. Even though this is not quite at the level of their two previous albums, Eidos would be the musical pinnacle of almost any other band. In any event, King Crow have delivered a trio of top quality albums that rarely occurs in our beloved genre.
9) Art of Illusion – Round Square of the Triangle, Poland: This album is the great surprise “find” of 2015 (technically released in 2014). Art of Illusion reminds me of ELP with virtuoso guitar thrown in. Instrumentally, they are as strong as it gets. While a majority of the tracks are instrumentals and, yes, while there is plenty jaw dropping playing, the musicality and listenability never suffer. The three vocal tracks are truly superb. Round Square of the Triangle does leave an impression that this is indeed a debut and that their music can be developed even further. If I am right about this and they take it one step further, Art of Illusion may be the next super stars of the prog metal genre. I’ve included two links below to give an idea of their musical breadth.
10) Sorcerer – The Shadow of the Inverted Cross, Sweden: Sorcerer is big-time epic doom metal at its best. Inverted Cross should warm the heart of any early Sabbath fan and yet it stands on its own musical two feet. While the debut Sabbath album is a benchmark, the vocals and mystical lyrics harken to Rainbow’s first album as well.
11) Lonely Robot – Please Come Home, UK: Prog rock with metal moments, John Mitchell brings us a cerebral and ethereal album that challenges the brain, but is easy for the ears to digest. With Robby the Robot from the 1956 classic Forbidden Planet on the cover and being a fan of old sci fi movies, I couldn’t resist giving this a spin. Once spun, addiction took over.
12) Vanden Plas – Chronicles of the Immortals: Netherworld II, Germany: Vanden Plas continue, in my opinion, to be the most consistent band pumping out quality music. In fact, I don’t think that they have ever really produced a dud song, let alone a dud album. While both Netherworld albums are probably the most theatrical albums yet by Vanden Plas, each piece of music easily stands on its own merits and can be enjoyed in isolation.
13) Osada Vida – The After-Effect, Poland: Osada Vida is new to me, but this is actually their sixth release. The After-Effect is a platter full of excellent progressive rock. With ten tracks, the music is still song-based, rather than a few extended pieces to show off technical skill. In fact, much of The After-Effect has a slight pop-prog feel for easy consumption.
14) Level 10 – Chapter One, Various: Sir Russell and Matt Sinner team up with well-known guests to deliver a strong album of melodic, straight ahead metal. This is the strongest gig outside of SX for Mr. Allen. With more melody and less adrenaline than the Adrenaline Mob, Level 10 produces a superior and more listenable product. The title of the album suggests that there is more to come and I say “bring it on!”
15) Winery Dogs – Hot Streak, USA: If Level 10 is Sir Russ’s best gig outside of SX, then The Winery Dogs are without a doubt the best thing that Mr. Portnoy has going outside of his former band named by his father. The Winery Dogs have the (almost) unique ability to write semi-pop songs with ear candy appeal and yet back them with amazing chops that can be the focus of the listener or just absorbed while humming along. It goes without saying that they are amazing live.
16) Avatarium – The Girl with the Raven Mask, Sweden: Question: What would you get if you could graft Jefferson Airplane DNA on to Black Sabbath genes? Answer: Avatarium, of course. I just discovered this band and am mightily impressed. My enthusiasm is only bolstered by the fact that a few of the guitar solos sound more than a little like Mr. Blackmore and the abundant use of Hammond organ reminds of Mr. Lord. If I have one very minor complaint, it would be that the album could have benefited by one or two more up-tempo songs like the title track.
17) Kamelot – Haven, Various: Haven is arguably the best album released by Kamelot since their magnum opus The Black Halo. To expect any band to top such an all-time classic is indeed asking too much. But with Haven, Kamelot does come close. All the classic Kamelot trademarks, including dynamic power metal backings, drama infused guitar and neo-operatic vocals, are here in abundance.
18) Shattered Skies – The World We Used to Know, Ireland/UK: Endowed with masterful djent laden chops is a huge understatement for these blokes from the small islands north of mainland Europe. Shattered Skies never fall into the whiny siren calling trap of a lot of djent bands, which I find annoying to say the least. Instead, the vocal lines are as memorable as the instrumental contortions. With that said, it is unfortunate that Shattered Skies and their vocalist have parted ways.
19) Dendera – Pillars of Creation, UK: There is little doubt that the members of Dendera have more than a few Iron Maiden albums sitting on their personal collections. In this case, that certainly is not a bad thing. While the influence is there, they are not direct copies and even if they were, their delivery is just so damn good that there is no vaccination for the Dendera virus. This stuff just rocks!
20) Teramaze – Her Halo, Australia: Glenn’s top 50 list made me explore Her Halo and ultimately include it here. Teramaze was not new to me, in fact, I have their previous albums on my shelf. However, those albums just never really grabbed me, so when I saw that they had a new release, I decided to pass. Fortunately, Her Halo is completely different. The songs here are instantaneously engaging and still maintain the technicality of their previous released material.
21) Riverside – Love, Fear, and the Time Machine, Poland: Riverside’s latest release is a bit less progressive and a bit more popular in its feel than their previous albums. Neither of those two attributes are bad. In fact, Riverside seems to continue to evolve and experiment which is good. I can see them still producing interesting quality music twenty years from now. For me Second Life Syndrome is their high water mark. While this release falls short of that classic, it is not far behind.
22) Caligula’s Horse – Bloom, Australia: Truthfully, Bloom’s less edgy and less dark approach didn’t work for me initially. I wanted more Dark Hair Down. But, with repeated listens Bloom has grown on me. What’s interesting is that I would bet that the band is expecting a broader appeal, but I may indeed be the exception. Don’t get me wrong: Bloom has grown on me and it is a fine release. Further, I am light-years from giving up on this terrific band. Bloom is simply not what I was expecting.
23) Orden Ogan– Ravenhead, Germany: I don’t dislike power metal, but there are several sub-genres that appeal more to me. However, Orden Ogan is an instant blind buy. Why? Because they are just so damn fun. Ravenhead continues the fun like their entire back catalog.
24) Earthside – A Dream in Static, USA: Earthside combines crunchy progressive guitar riffage with orchestration and excellent guest vocalists. This is no low budget affair. From the hired Moscow Studio (?) Symphony Orchestra to the finest of sonic productions to expensive videos, Earthside is certainly going for it – and they get there.
25) Kamchatka – Long Road Made of Gold, Sweden: I have no idea what Sweden and the Siberian island of Kamchatka have in common with the Texan metal, but ZZ Top is the most obvious comparison for this power trio. This may be as far from progressive metal as it gets on this list, but do give this collection of bluesy, tasty tunes a try.
26) Iris Divine – Karma Sown, USA: Hailing from the Washington DC area, Iris Divine is a hugely promising and talented band that has been kicking around for a while, and have two released albums, including Karma Sown. Their influences include Dream Theater and Tool, but retain a uniqueness to their sound. With those influences, you can expect heavy driven technical music; however, the vocals are more powerful than most bands in their peer group. Great stuff!
27) Circle II Circle – Reign of Darkness, USA: If a genie granted me the wish to be a lead vocalist, I would want to sing and sound like Zak Stevens. The voice has always been there since the Savatage days and while the Circle II Circle albums have been good they just didn’t seem to have that little extra spark to make them special. Reign of Darkness breaks through that glass ceiling with great song writing and as a result is Circle II Circles best album yet.
28) Sound Struggle – Rise, US: Glenn pointed this one out to me and I am glad he did. Like Native Construct you get pretty much the entire musical smorgasbord. To these ears, Sound Struggle reminds me of that 70’s classic Tubular Bells, which should be more than enough to get my fellow prog snobs off their butts to give this a try.
29) Universe Effects – The Haze that Surrounds Us, Canada: Metropolis II comes instantly to mind upon first listen to The Haze that Surrounds Us. Indeed the comparison is made even stronger with the LaBrie-like vocals. Even with this slight dig on originality, this release is very enjoyable and worthy of being on this list.
30) Pantommind – Searching for Eternity, Bulgaria: Pantommind gets better with each release and Searching for Eternity is no exception. Terrific smooth vocals, tight playing, and plenty of chops endow Pantommind’s music. Unfortunately, if information on the web is correct, this will be their last album. Here is the promo to Searching for Eternity:
31) Lord – What Tomorrow Brings, Australia: Lord follows-up their outstanding Digital Lies with an EP and I usually don’t place EP’s on my list, but with the excellent 24 minute title track of epic power metal awesomeness I couldn’t resist. Even at 24 minutes, assimilation is as easy as Borgs stumbling across some lost souls in a galactic freighter. The EP also contains several covers including a top notch rendition of Message in a Bottle. (Angra also included a terrific version Synchronicity II on their latest release.)
32) Seriously Black – As Daylight Breaks, Various: Composed of members from bands that are no strangers to the PP community including the talented voice of Urban Breed, Serious Black certainly has the power metal pedigree for success – and succeed they do indeed. Possessing a BIG sound, lots of technical skill and power metal writing at its finest, As Day Breaks is a must for prog and power heads alike.
33) Native Construct – Quiet World, USA: Wild, wacky and almost disjointed, Native Construct isn’t prog squared, but rather prog factorial! While most bands have a Gaussian distribution of styles with a discernable mean, Native Construct is as close as it gets to white uniform randomness. Native Construct’s formula seems to be stochastic chaos as opposed to the deterministic formula of almost all other bands. Synching your brain to all this craziness is a delightful challenge. (Sorry to all the techno nerd talk, but I couldn’t resist!)
34) Marbin – Aggressive Hippies, Israel and USA: Aggressive Hippies is my artsy entree this year. The origin of the album title comes from the story of the band being held at gun point by some hillbilly hippies to get them to hang out with them for some chemically induced jamming. Marbin is a rock/metal/jazz hybrid instrumental outfit that fuses Stevie Ray Vaughn-like guitar work with sexy saxophone. Honing the skill with hundreds of gigs in the last several years, I was fortunate enough to catch them live at the Prog Day festival. I was blown away!
35) Royal Hunt – Devil’s Dozen, Sweden and USA: For me, Royal Hunt has not always been a blind buy. Some of their albums simply didn’t resonate with me, even though I love keyboards. On the other hand, albums like Paradox are phenomenal. Fortunately, Devil’s Dozen is excellent. Certainly, the song writing is more to my taste. Interestingly, the guitar seems more present in the mix and the overall sound has more punch. DC as always delivers.
36) Blind Guardian – Beyond the Red Mirror, Germany: To the shock and horror of this audience, Blind Guardian has not be part of my collection. However, with their 2016 PP appearance, I decided to give their latest release a try. I am more than glad I did. To all you old hands, you already know about the huge sing-a-long choruses and hard driving instrumental backing. Baptism complete.
37) Ascendia – The Lion and the Jester, Canada: I didn’t need a PP appearance to get The Lion and the Jester - I was enjoying it long before the announcement. There is a lot to like about Ascendia including tight memorable compositions and big-time delivery, but it may be the powerful vocals of Nick Sakal that places them firmly on the prog power map.
38) Black Star Riders – The Killer Instinct, US and Ireland: The Black Star Riders are Thin Lizzy reincarnated. Not only do they have Scott Gorham, guitarist from the Lizzy’s peak of popularity, and Ricky Warwick, an Irish singer who nails Phil Lynott vocal style, but they write tunes that are clearly in the Thin Lizzy strike zone. Ok, maybe this should disqualify them from this list, but my love of Thin Lizzy and the quality of Black Star Riders material lands them squarely right here.
39) Spock’s Beard – The Oblivion Particle, USA and Japan: Spock’s Beard are clearly masters of their trade. Technically, they have few if any equals, but for me they have at times seemed a bit too “clinical”, stressing precision over “impact”. (I always preferred ELP over Yes for the same reason.) The Oblivion Particle has ample “impact” for this listener, making it a very enjoyable album.
40) Ghost Ship Octavius – Ghost Ship Octavius, USA: The saying “Can we have everything louder than everything else?” is what comes to mind upon first listen to this debut. Impact and punch are what Ghost Ship Octavius is all about. Thrash and power fans will love this one. This is another example of a great debut that leaves the impression that they can actually take it up a notch in the future.
