Best Prog Albums of 2019 Tier 1 - Purchased Albums

Welcome to my Best Prog Albums of 2019 Tier 1 - Albums I liked so much that I bought in physical form and listened to frequently.

Thank You Scientist - Terraformer 

Progressive Rock/Metal/Fusion

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of The Dear Hunter, Coheed and Cambria, Michael Jackson, Jazz, grey alien conspiracy theories, fun

Terraformer was the most interesting and exciting album of the year.  I love this band and it's not just because they are from my home state.  In a year full of amazing prog albums, and double albums at that, Thank You Scientist (TYS) released the best prog double album.  These 2 CDs are still in heavy rotation in my truck and my wife's car, and you can still catch me once in a while singing the songs but replacing the lyrics with words about my toddler.

For those not in the know, TYS is composed of a drummer, violinist, trumpeter, saxophonist, keyboardist, a bassist who also plays the theremin, a guitarist who plays some of the best solos I've heard in years, and a dedicated singer who can sound like Claudio Sanchez (though I don't hear this), Casey Crescenzo, and Michael Jackson (it takes some getting used to), but who has a body and face you would never in a million years match to his voice.

Every track on this double album is just such a treat to listen to, I can't say much more than just go out and buy it on CD or Vinyl, or stream it on a hi-res service like Amazon Music HD et al.

Soen - Lotus

Progressive Metal/Hard Rock

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of Tool, Opeth

This album is nearly perfect.  The album has a great range of moods from whisper-quiet to full on thrashing.  Every single song is catchy.  Though Soen have been accused of being a Tool ripoff in the past, they have really come into their own with Lotus.

My one and only complaint about the album is that the last track fades out for a good few minutes before the guitar and vocals finally come back in.  I guess this is the only way to make a "hidden track" in the digital era, but I always fast-forward through the silence.

Another one to just go out and buy right now.

Flying Colors - Third Degree

Progressive Rock/Pop

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of Spock's Beard, The Neal Morse Band, Soundgarden, Steely Dan, The Beatles, The Beach Boys...yeah, it's that diverse.

This was my first exposure to Flying Colors, and the first thing that hits you is just how amazing of a singer Casey McPherson is.  There are moments on the album where if I didn't know better I would swear I was listening to Chris Cornell.  There are moments on the album where his voice and lyrics brought me to literal tears.  He is that good.

The album is what you've come to expect from the dynamic duo of Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy over the last 10 years: catchy music that stays in your head and keeps you coming back.

Another instant purchase.

The Neal Morse Band - The Great Adventure 

Progressive Rock

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of retro prog and, well, any of the other numerous Morse/Portnoy projects.

Another double album that rarely left my rotation, especially earlier in the year when it came out.  The album is near-perfect.  I say "near" because there is so much to it, there were bound to be some missteps here and there.

This is the followup to Similitude of a Dream, which is loosely based on Pilgrim's Progress.  The Great Adventure tells the tale of the son of the main character in Similitude.

And yes, like most of Morse's current music, it does lyrics with a Christian theme, but this is by no means Contemporary Christian, Christian Rock, etc.  The most religious it gets is the overall album theme of the search for "A Love That Never Dies."

The first thing you'll notice is how long the album is.  For some it might be a bit much to listen to the entire thing in one sitting.  If you, like me, listen to the bulk of your music in your car in CD format, you'll be amazed how quickly you'll come to love this one.

These songs get stuck in your head and stay there.


Big Big Train - Grand Tour

Progressive Rock

Clean vocals

Recommended for fans of Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Roman history, world history

As much as I love Folklore, I was really excited for this Big Big Train album because they said that they are done with folklore themed albums for now and moving on to other horizons outside of England.  This album harks back to a time when wealthy men would travel Europe to gain experiences and knowledge.

There is a lot to take in here and it can be tricky to miss the larger point if you aren't paying attention.  I would say that the lyrics and song notes help tremendously in understanding each song, so try to get a physical copy or at least the pdf with FLAC from Bandcamp.

Alive was pretty much the jam of the year - so upbeat and catchy!  The Florentine is a fun piece about Leonardo DaVinci with great harmonies from Nick D'Virgillo.  Roman Stone is a long track focused on the rise and fall of the titular empire.  Nick D'Virgillo wrote a fun instrumental piece in Panthenon, and the Roman era wraps up with Theodora in Green and Gold which has some killer melodies and harmonizing.

Ariel is a track about the fairy from Shakespeare's The Tempest as though the spirit were real and influenced the famous poet who drowned, Percy Shelley.  This song ... is ... awesome.  From start to finish you'll experience every emotion from grieving sadness to bittersweet parting sadness.  I don't want to give away more, just buy the album with the lyrics and listen to it.

Voyager is a song about VGER, that guy from Star Trek: The Motion Picture...uh, I mean the Voyager probes that were launched in the 70s to visit the 4 gas giants and beyond.
This lyrical matter might seem a bit unfamiliar for BBT, but they handle it majestically with some great memorable lines such as: "10 miles a second out there in the space between the stars" and "No life, no brave new world, just signals running out of time."  This is another one you must have the lyrics and song notes for to fully appreciate.

Again, just buy the CD or better yet, download in hi-res from Bandcamp or your hi-res streaming service of choice.

Tool - Fear Inoculum

Progressive Metal/Alternative?/Who Cares Tool is Back

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of...hmm, it's weird for me to think about people never having listened to Tool or even heard of them before now, but I suppose they are out there.  Suffice it to say that if you like prog in general, then you'll probably dig Tool.

Wow, 13 years since 10,000 Days, almost 20 years since their masterpiece Lateralus, and nearly 25 years since their then-masterpiece Aenima...holy cow do I feel old!

About a quarter of a century after I discovered them, Tool comes back into my ears and into my life.  Now that we're all so much older, what has changed?

Thankfully not too much.  The guitars and bass still sound just like they did 20 years ago, and that's not necessarily a bad thing!  The second you hear that dry crunchy guitar juxtaposed with that deep, rich, mellow, chorus-laden, to-die-for bass guitar sound, you know who you're listening to.

And the other half of the band?  Well, let's talk about Maynard James Keenan first.  Holy Flurking Shnit!  Maynard's progress as a singer blew me away.  He phrases things now in a way I would never have imagined him capable of when listening to Opiate or Undertow.  From his vocal embelishments and rubatos to his sense of melody and harmony, Jimmy is now James.  Even his lyrics have improved from songs about sexual kinks and general misanthropy to something a bit more subtle and nuanced, which fits just so perfectly with Tool's style.

And now, the MVP of the album, let me introduce to you the one and only Billy Shea...uh, sorry I mean to say Danny Carey.  This guy has just been practicing and experimenting with different electronic drum pads for the past 13 years.  I imagine him counting 7/8 guitar riffs against 4/4 drum beats in his sleep and dreaming about how to make them more complementary and complex.  I imagine him listening to the prog giants of the 70s and thinking about how to incorporate similar but new synth sounds into his already flavorful electronic (and physical) drum palette.

So I've gushed about this album for a few paragraphs now - why not ranked a bit higher?  To be frank, I've grown up.  The things that interested and inspired me when I first got into Tool when I was in High School aren't necessarily the same anymore.

All that said, Fear Inoculum still held up as one of my favorites this year and I keep going back to it.  Although it may be hard to find affordably in a physical format, it is truly a double album, so you should buy the highest quality digital version anyway.  You can get the album in hi-res FLAC from HDtracks.com.

One minor thing I should mention.  Although not an issue for me (and likewise many fellow prog fans reading), all of the proper songs are over the 10 minute mark.  So it's really only 6 songs, a drum solo, and some weird filler tracks that Tool always does to "tool" with you.  If you've never really heard Tool before but also don't have that kind of attention span, I would implore you to at least give Lateralus and Aenima a listen.  Tool has been and still is a great band.

Dream Theater - Distance Over Time

Progressive Metal

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of... Dream Theater (DT)?  You either love them or hate them.

I don't really care to get into the Mike Portnoy vs. Mike Mangini battles.  They are both amazing drummers, among the best in prog today.  As a listener, I am enjoying the current situation with Portnoy working with Neal Morse's bands and his many other bands, and with Mangini in DT.

That being said, if you've been skeptical about getting back into DT after Portnoy's departure or after the last few albums (which I thought were all top-notch and should be re-evaluated by haters), you should really give Distance Over Time a listen or two.

This album is so good.  John Petrucci comes at you with so many catchy riffs and James LaBrie with so many catchy vocal melodies.

There is this one part with Petrucci and Mangini end the song with this really long super fast and proggy run from high to low and it is jaw-dropping.  I almost drool every time I hear it.

Another fantastic album available in hi-res from many sources.

IZZ - Don't Panic

Progressive Rock

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of Yes, King Crimson, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

This album is a partial concept album by the New York Prog group IZZ (pronounced like the word "is") based on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  The two songs that kick off the album are Don't Panic and 42, with references to the book aplenty and extra nerdy lyrics about some Number Theory facts about 42, i.e., "Pronic, primary pseudoperfect," meaning that 42 is a pronic number (being the product of 2 consecutive integers, i.e., 6 and 7), and 42 is also a primary pseudoperfect number, being that it is equal to the sum of all of its prime factors dividing it and 1: 42/2 = 21, 42/3 =14, 42/7 = 6.  So you have 21 + 14 + 6 = 41 and then add one to get the answer to life, the universe, and everything...wait, what was the question?

Musically this album is a real treat.  With fantastic vocal arrangements by numerous vocalists, fun guitars and keys, and a rhythm section reminiscent of the glory days of Yes and King Crimson, Don't Panic is a winner.

This album has the goods to satisfy the SF/math/prog nerd in you.

RPWL - Tales From Outer Space

Progressive Rock

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of Pink Floyd, Science Fiction

I don't have a whole ton of stuff to say about this one other than they are a former Pink Floyd cover band from Germany who have been putting out albums for a long time.

This SF/Space themed album is just a solid prog release with great music to chill out to in the vein of Floyd.

The Claypool Lennon Delirium - South of Reality

Psychadelic Prog Rock

Clean Vocals

Recommended for fans of Primus, The Beatles, Les Claypool, Sean Lennon, John Lennon...dare I say Yoko Ono?

Not a whole ton of stuff to say for this one either, other than if you love Primus and love The Beatles, it's pretty much a no-brainer.  Sean Lennon sounds almost exactly like John Lennon and uses just as many experimental sounds and lyrics.  Les Claypool gives another over the top bass performance with great lyrics and vocals that harmonize surprisingly well with the son of John and Yoko.

There are some references to the story of the grasshopper from the first album by this collaborative, but I haven't had a chance to give the earlier one a listen yet.  Either way, it won't affect your enjoyment of this album at all.

Another chill out and enjoy listen.

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Thanks for reading and join me next time for Tier 2 of my Best Prog Albums of 2019.

Kobe Bryant and Neil Peart

What is it about the death of a living legend that brings people together?

Kobe Bryant died tragically in a helicopter crash on 01/26/2020 along with his 13 year old daughter and 7 other people on board.

Neil Peart died from an aggressive form of brain cancer on 01/07/2020.  His then 19 year old daughter died in a car accident in August 1997 and his wife 10 months later from cancer.

"So?"
"And?"
"I don't watch basketball."
"I don't listen to prog rock."
"I never even heard of him!"
"How does this affect me?"
"Why should I care?"

First, some facts:

Kobe Bryant was an amazing basketball player.  Among the best.  During his time in the NBA with the L.A. Lakers, he earned many stats in the top 10 of the NBA.  He is considered to be one of the best basketball players of all time.

Neil Peart was an amazing prog rock drummer.  Among the best.  During his time with Rush, he
recorded over a dozen albums and won numerous "best drummer" awards.  He is considered to be one of the best drummers of all time.

Two gods among men.  Beyond raw talent, relentless practice, and an obsession with perfection, what made these men tick?  Both men traveled internationally at a young age, Kobe to Italy, Peart to England.  Both would return home shortly, sans college education and launch their careers.

Swiftly rising to the top in their respective careers, expanding to numerous different areas, but both branched out to literary careers.  Kobe Bryant wrote The Mamba Mentality: How I Play, the mamba referring to the snake which Bryant uses as a metaphor for his speed and precision on the court.  Neil Peart wrote several works of fiction and non-fiction, from Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road - an account of his experience riding his motorcycle across North America following the loss of his daughter and wife, to an expanded back story of Rush's last album Clockwork Angels with noted science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson.

Neither man was perfect, as you can research for yourself, but who among us is?  This is about the good stuff.

Both men worked hard to become the best in the world at their jobs, to the point where millions of people looked up to them.  They are the kind of people who are "always there" to point to, to think about, to talk about with friends or even strangers. 

"Remember when Kobe went over 60 on the Knicks?" 

"Remember that sick solo Neil Peart played at The Garden State Arts Center back in 97?"

Go ahead and google "Top 5 NBA players of all time" and "Top 5 drummers of all time" and look whose picture comes up first (as of this writing).

It goes without saying that it is sad to see a beloved icon or celebrity die.  But there is something more that hits the core of you when that person is one of the best of all time; a hero - your hero.

That is why we should all care about Kobe and Neil.

Hail the victorious dead!

Hibernal - Beyond

If you are unfamiliar with Hibernal like I was, it is the brainchild of Mark R. Healy from Australia.  Along with Rowan Salt, a cast of professional voice actors, actresses, and quality sound effects, each album by Hibernal is a science fiction (sf) short story mixed with some of the most chill post rock available.  There is no singing and minimal song structure, only atmosphere and acting.

You might be thinking, "yeah, I'll pass," but that would be a mistake. The voice acting isn't your typical prog cheese in a can and the stories are great.  Full disclosure, I've been an avid fan of sf since I was reading H.G. Wells and Michael Crichton in middle school.  Mark writes good science fiction.  His work is closer to the harder stories you might find in Analog SF magazine than your typical space opera junk sf.

In fact, Mark is a professional writer as well as musician.  His books are available on Amazon and most of them are free if you have a Kindle Unlimited account.  You can also get 2 free books from Mark R. Healy's website directly if you subscribe to his newsletter.  [I'm not making money off of anything here, simply providing information and links for your convenience, dear reader! -FL]

If this style of music isn't your typical jam, I'd say give it a try anyway if just for the story.  Each album is priced right and in fact, as of this writing, all 9 albums can be had in CD quality FLAC on Bandcamp (see link below) for less than $15.00 USD.  For the well-initiated in modern prog, the closest thing I can compare it to musically would have to be Riverside's Eye of the Soundscape.

Let's talk about Beyond.  I'm obviously not going to give away the story, but here are the first lines of the first track, The Emptiness, to whet your appetite:

It was meant to be a routine mission.  A crew of two sent to investigate an anomaly in the Rigel system at the foot of Orion.

We'd done this kind of jump a hundred times before, maybe more.

But when we came out of the slingshot, we had no way of knowing what lay ahead; a force that was vast, incomprehensible.  As ancient as the stars themselves.

And in the emptiness of space, it waited for us.

Rigel is the big bright blue star at the bottom right.

As you let that sink in, the drums kick in with a slow beat while rhythmic keyboards and electric guitar set the soundscape.  Lifeless World has a more bass-driven rhythm with some nice reverb-heavy guitar tones.  The guitar is more central in Deep Down, with some subtle bending and vibrato with tones punctuated here and there by a distorted keyboard.  It'd be futile to give a track by track analysis.  Suffice it to say that the musical atmosphere provides an appropriate background for the actors and the highly rhythmic nature of the music accentuates the time-sensitive nature of the story.

In all, Hibernal - Beyond is a fun listen.  It's a bit more heavy on the electronics than I'd prefer - I specifically miss the acoustic and distorted guitars, but I think it makes sense to leave them out, given the cold, hostile environment of deep space where the story takes place.  That being said, I can't complain too much about an album that had a pretty good sf short story with some atmospheric music that kept me entertained almost an hour and cost less than five bucks.

Hibernal - Beyond is available in CD quality from Bandcamp and on Amazon Music HD.

Mythology - The Castle of Crossed Destinies

Nobody knows their real names hidden by pseudonyms.

Nobody knows their origins.

Nobody knows when this album has been recorded.

Only two things are certain: first: this album is an incredible mixture of '70s hard rock, progressive rock with jazzy touches and a mystic atmosphere and second: the name is Mythology.

With an introduction like that, I'm interested.  I had a bit of a difficult time researching Mythology, mainly because The Castle of Crossed Destinies is actually a 1973 novel by Italian author Italo Calvino.  The novel is about a group of travelers who experience a traumatic event and go mute as a result.  They meet up in a castle and resort to telling their tales each through a series of Tarot cards, which are printed in the book's margin.  But who is the one narrating the description of the Tarot - is it the author, the character observer, or the reader?  Full disclosure, I did not read the book, but I would like to because it sounds interesting!

I am not certain, but I would assume this album is based on the novel.  This legendary recording obscurity can be streamed on Amazon Music HD, and that's exactly what I did before I did a little searching and found it available to own in CD quality FLAC on Qobuz. 

The only other tidbit of information I was able to dig up about Mythology is the lineup:

Chad Samoth - drums
Athos Sade - lead vocals
Lady Sif - backing vocals
Aton Dasha - guitar
Dan Moses - keyboards
Santo Asteda - bass guitar
Dana Shettom - sax, mellotron

 Let's get listening.

1)  The Castle of Crossed Destinies

I'm not even one minute into this album and I'm hearing great drums, keyboards, and heavy guitars that blow me away.  Follow all that up with some deep singing from Athos Sade that lies somewhere among the scoops and swoops of Ian Anderson, the over-the-top vibrato of Eddie Vedder, the tenacity of Jack Black, and the low growl of Jim Morrison.  Welcome to classic prog rock, baby.  "You can join us, but you have to lose yourself."

2)  Missed Chances

Some lovely wordless vocals by Lady Sif with a piano start things off followed by a symphonic riff with synth horns that prepares the listener for the battle to come.  The vocals are doubled an octave higher mostly through the track adding to the weirdness.  After a bluesy guitar solo, a killer saxophone solo by Dana Shettom rife with blue notes, trills, and bends plays off the other instruments, making things extremely jazzy and tasty.  There are a couple places where the rhythm section drops out and it's just sax with slight reverb alone before a jazzy drum beat and syncopated piano backing comes back in.  If you didn't know better you'd think you were listening to a jazz combo.  The symphonic riffs return to bring us out of battle and back home.

3)  The Moon

The short track The Moon is lush with instrumentation and vocal backing.  The brevity and calmness of the piece makes me think of the first part of King Crimson's Moonchild...or maybe it's the title...either way it's an enjoyable listen.

4)  Now I'm Blind

"I used to play with my goblins" ...or did he say goblets?  It doesn't matter.  Do I detect a harmonica in the background?  This team has all retro prog bases covered!  A stacatto riff heavy with bass and keys sets things in motion with a riff that reminds me of Sabbath's Snowblind...or maybe it's the title...  A solo with some of the craziest keyboard note bending by Dan Moses I've ever heard finishes off the song.

5)  The Emperor

Clocking in at just over 11 minutes, this track starts off with a synth lead effect that sounds very similar if not identical to the one (or ones) Tool used a few times on Fear Inoclulum.  Its shimmering overtones are a luxury to behold.

Some backing vocal with wide vibrato respond to the call of the lead vocal - The Emperor addressing his loving empire?  The beautiful synth lead voice returns halfway through the song with some faster paced drumming.  A slow tempo resumes with the highest vocals so far on the album.

The last third of the song features some Sabbath-esque vocals with guitars doubling.  "The Emperor is dead!" shout the people of the kingdom with sorrow...or is it joy?

6)  Don't Be Afraid

This track is short but trippy with the various instrumental voices and vocal backing.

Don't be afraid!  This album is really good and a lot of fun to listen to.  It accomplishes what a lot of modern retro-prog outfits tend to over promise on their albums.  From start to finish you feel like you are indeed listening to a record from the 70s, and that is a really good thing.  

I will admit I didn't dig the vocals at first, as they reminded me a bit of Bob Dylan, but the more I listened, the more I gleaned the different influences and realized they are just another small spice to the music and not the center.

I hope Mythology gets a chance to step into the limelight and enjoy the gilded stage in the future.  They deserve to be heard and enjoyed.

Mythology - The Castle of Crossed Destinies is available in CD quality from Qobuz, and on Amazon Music HD.

Sons of Apollo - MMXX

Sons of Apollo are back with MMXX (that's 2020 for you non-Romans), the follow up to their debut Psychotic Symphony.  I have to admit that while I did enjoy Psychotic Symphony the few times I listened to it, I just never really got into it like I did with a lot of other albums that year.  That being said, I guess the best way for me to discuss MMXX would be to do so track by track, so here I go!

1) Goodbye Divinity
The first track starts off with a slow groove that reminds me of that iconic metal album buildup, kind of the way Dream Theater kicks off Train of Thought with As I Am.  A simple but pounding riff kicks things into high gear before Jeff Scott Soto's rich voice weaves a melodic chorus with a hook meant to catch.  Some flashy finger work by Derek Sherinian and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal take us through the middle section and back to the chorus.

2) Wither to Black  
This song starts off with a moderate tempo snare-led drum beat with bass drum triplets.  This is one of those songs where the guitar plays one long chord while the singer does some fast vocals for a few bars, then stops singing and the guitar does a fast riff for a few bars (I'm looking at you, Black Dog!).  It's a straightforward rocker.  Overall, this song doesn't do much for me, but Ron has a good guitar solo.

3)  Asphyxiation
Syncoption + Dissonance = RAWR!  It's what sounds to me like F and B at the same time haphazardly accenting a muted pedal on the low B string which can only be described as Korn attempting to play Blue Rondo a La Turk.  I suppose I can't complain too much, I mean it could be a djent riff.  And at least Ron has the good sense to play the riff without that diminished accent during the verses.

After a fairly pedestrian chorus, the opening riff returns to lead us into a keyboard solo, guitar solo, followed by the best part of the album so far with the whole band going full-on prog madness just before the 4 minute mark.

4)  Desolate July
The faint sounding of a heavy bell...
Hey, is this For Whom the Bell Tolls or Hell's Bells?  Nah, the bell is sounding B, not E or A...hmm...how are they gonna start this song?
A soft piano riff with a soft keyboard voice starts it off...so far so good.  Jeff Scott Soto sings soft and deep and then lets out his signature howl to kick off the song.  There is a short keyboard solo followed by a short guitar solo and Mike Portnoy gets a chance to shine on the drums a bit toward the end of the song.

5)  King of Delusion
Another keyboard/piano intro, but the piano is much more proggy - a slow arpeggiated riff in 4/4 followed by a measure in 7/8.  This is followed by a riff in 5/8 that trips you up with some 16th note triplets the first time they're heard, but the second time, they lift you up and carry you into the next part which sounds like it would be right at home in a Mozart piano sonata if not for the underlying dissonance.

It's one of the highlights of the album so far and it is a pure joy for the ear.

What seems like the heaviest riff of the album so far kicks things into high gear.  The verse and chorus are good; they remind me of Symphony X, specifically the Iconoclast album.

A soft section interrupts things a while and Derek busts into his piano riff again, but things are much more hurried this time with a frantic drum beat.  Another heavy riff, short keyboard and guitar solos bring us to one final chorus and Jeff ends the song with some wild screaming that feels a bit forced.

6)  Fall to Ascend
Drum city!  This intro reminds you that Mike Portnoy is still one of the best drummers in prog today.  I read recently that he is less concerned about speed and crazy solos than writing good songs as he is getting older.  About a third of the way through, a fast guitar riff followed by trading solos give the Sons a chance to have a bit of good old prog metal fun.

7)  Resurrection Day
A fast guitar riff that takes advantage of the open E string as a pedal kicks things off nicely.  This is another one that reminds me of later Symphony X for some reason, but that is definitely not a bad thing!  Some good solos, including a couple by Billy Sheehan (finally); I feel like he's kind of been absent until now.

8)  New World Today
The first track over 10 minutes and in fact almost 16 minutes is saved for last.
A nice sweet guitar melody peppered with some Eruption-esque flashiness starts us off.  The song takes off with a hurried rhythmic riff with 3 measures of 5/8 and one of 7/8.  It's of the sort we've come to know well from post 90s prog, and while it may seem dated to some, it will be nostalgic and comfortable for others, myself included.

The first section concludes and it's metal madness time!  Highlights of this section include a stacatto keyboard lick leading us into another bass solo!  A super fast guitar riff in a time signature that hiccups a beat keeps things interesting during this section and solos ensue.  Things then slow down a bit and, yes, more solos ensue, including the best keyboard solo of the album.

The hurried rhythm of the beginning returns, but seems less hurried and more victorious this time.

So what is the verdict?  There are undoubtedly some great prog metal moments on MMXX, specifically on the second half of the album which are all good tracks.  Unfortunately, the great moments are too few and 4 good tracks doesn't make a great album.  The songs are simply too forgettable.

Jeff Scott Soto's voice was so grungy that I had to stop and think about the fact that he was in Journey for a time.  I wanted to go back and compare his voice now to Yngwie Malmsteen's first album Rising Force.  As I was listening to it, I realized that I was enjoying myself more than I had been listening to MMXX.

I listened to all the songs on MMXX in Amazon HD a few times each, and perhaps more repeated listening might change my mind, but there is just better music out there right now.  Sorry, Sons of Apollo!

Sons of Apollo - MMXX is available on Amazon Music HD,  HDtracks.com in 44.1/24 bit, Qobuz in the same quality hi-res, Deezer, and Tidal.

Karfagen - Birds of Passage

In early 2019, the Ukrainian symphonic prog rock band Karfagen released the incredible Echoes from within Dragon Island.  In January of 2020, they followed up that masterpiece with Birds of Passage.

If you are unfamiliar with Karfagen, they are headed by the mighty Antony Kalugin.  With Antony involved with 3 bands, an orchestral project, and his own solo output, the man is prolific to say the least.  But it makes you wonder, being stretched across all those projects, surely the quality of the music must suffer, right?  O, say not so!

Consider Birds of Passage:  the titular opus is split into two parts, each exceeding 20 minutes, followed by 2 short bonus tracks and a short recapitulation of the intro (only included on the digital version).  The lyrics in Part 1 are set to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poems Birds of Passage and Daybreak, while Part 2's lyrics are set to William Blake's Eternity and The Ecchoing Green, and the bonus track Spring (Birds Delight) is set to Blake's Spring.  The piece is punctuated here and there with Antony's short statement:

This Time, this place,

This world, your grace!

Your time, your faith,

Your voice, your grace!

Musically, Birds of Passage has everything you'd expect from good modern symphonic prog album: lots of different moods, layers, textures, and dynamics; the odd and mixed time signatures (the main riff of Part 1 starts off in a bouncy 7/4), layered vocals, expert guitar, bass, and drums; and of course, keyboards.  For a nice change of aural texture, a classical guitar kicks off Part 2. 

The bulk of the time you spend listening to this album will be spent on listening to achingly lovely keyboard voices that appear and disappear, can be as subtle as a little lamb or a quick flourish that grabs you gently and says, "get ready for the next part!"  Nothing is too dissonant, abrasive, heavy, fast, or dense.  This is truly music for relaxation and contemplation.

The band even went so far as to record some birds in Germany during the summer, which is a bit ironic when you consider the poetry of Part 1 seems to be based in winter and Part 2 in spring.

Karfagen - Birds of Passage is available on Amazon Music in HD, on Bandcamp in 24-bit high res, as a Tidal Master.