ProgRock.com iPhone App Now Available!

ProgRock.com iPhone App Now Available!

by | Nov 8, 2020 | News

ProgRock.com Listeners,

The new ProgRock.com app for iTunes is now available! If you are an iTunes listener, you app should have automatically updated last week. If it is still not working, please remove and redownload.

Happy listening!

Mark’s Quick Review: Abel Ganz’s – The Life of the Honey Bee and Other Moments of Clarity

Mark’s Quick Review: Abel Ganz’s – The Life of the Honey Bee and Other Moments of Clarity

by | Jun 21, 2020 | News, Reviews

I go into this review really liking Abel Ganz and, frankly, the people behind the band.  My wife and I may be the only two Americans that have seen the band twice.

Denis, when sending me this album, warned me it was much different than their previous albums.  He was right.  Not only is it different from previous albums, but each song also differs from its predecessor.

Still, it’s a well crafted effort that is cohesive and intoxicating. This is a diverse album that may take a few more listens than other albums before you know how much you really like it.

Because the album is so diverse, I am sure that everyone will have a different favorite song, which is also indicative of a great album.  For me Sepia and White is my favorite.  It’s as good as any anthem I have heard.

The Title track opens that album and embodies everything I like about the band. I really enjoy the brass work at the end of the track.

The second track, One Small Soul, is the single and is the wonderful melody that I have come to expect in my favorite progressive rock. Jack Webb’s keyboards at times sound like they were pulled straight out of a Bruce Hornsby album.

Arran Shores is a short instrumental piece which is a good segway to the second half of the album. This is where I think the differences in this album are shown, because frankly, up to this point it didn’t sound that different from previous releases, but that might just be ignorance on my part as I do not play an instrument.

Denis is a secret weapon behind the mic as he embodies the soulful aspects of Peter Gabriel on The Light Shines.

This rating is indicative of a band I would like to fly into Chicago for a show.  I hope they take me up on it.

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS: Request One Small Soul Here

Click above to purchase at Amazon US or Amazon UK and we’ll get a little referral bonus on your whole order. Even if you don’t order this album

If you have never read the key for my ratings below please do so one time. I feel my ratings are tougher than my peers. Some other reviewers may inflate their ratings in hopes to get people and bands the share the link to the review. When you have a domain like progrock.com you don’t need to drive traffic to your site.
So you can count on my reviews to be fair and any bias I might have whether positive or negative will be clearly explained including a rating for my opinion of the band prior to reviewing the album. Also Check my last.fm link to see how compatible our music tasts are.

https://www.last.fm/user/mon40/library/artists

Key:
These ratings are just attributes and may not have correlation to the most important: OVERALL RATING

PREVIOUS BAND RATING
0: Never heard of them or debut album.
2: Someone recommended. I give them another shot.
4: Some good moments in the past but never put together an album I really liked.
6: Some 4 or 5 star songs but albums can be hit or miss for me.
8: I like 80% of their songs and probably went to see them live.
10: I would, and probably have gone on a plane to see them live.

ACCESSIBILITY EXAMPLES
2: Weather Report
4: Zappa
6: Genesis – Selling England by the Pound,
8: Marillion – F.E.A.R
10: Kino – Picture

HEAVINESS EXAMPLES
2: IQ – Seventh House
4: Discipline – Unfold Like a Staircase
6: Porcupine Tree – In Abstentia, Shadow Gallery – Tyranny
8: Vanden Plas – Chirst 0, Dream Theater – Scenes From a Memory
10: Opeth – Black Water Park

MELODIC EXAMPLES:
2: Opeth – Black Water Park
4: Vanden Plas – Chirst 0, Dream Theater – Scenes From a Memory
6: Porcupine Tree – In Abstentia, Shadow Gallery – Tyranny
8: Discipline – Unfold Like a Staircase
10: IQ – Seventh House

OVERALL RATING:
2: Will Never listen to again and deleted under no circumstances should you buy this
4: Not my thing maybe one redeeming song.
6: I like parts of this and I would check them out if they were near me.
8: I would get in the car and road trip to see this album live
10: I would get on a plane to see this performed live

Packaging:
0: Did not send
2: Sleeve or jewel-case with only single card front.
4: Some interesting information in packaging.
6: Nice art and some information
8: Nice art and full lyrics
10: Full lyrics, composer credits, are for each specific song

See if our likes are similar See my Last.fm Page

Mark’s Quick Review: The Fierce and the Dead’s – Live USA 2017

Mark’s Quick Review: The Fierce and the Dead’s – Live USA 2017

by | Nov 10, 2019 | News, Reviews

The Fierce And The Dead are:

Matt Stevens – guitar, synth, piano
Kev Feazey – bass, programming, synth, percussion
Steve Cleaton – guitar, piano.
Stuart Marshall – drums, percussion

This is a recording of the live show recorded at RoSfest in 2017.  Yours truly was there to see this show and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Not only was their set great but the four of them had so much fun on and off the stage.  Smiling around them was infectious. I had also seen the Galahad show that was recorded at RoSfest called Sleepless In Phoenixville a few years earlier and i was hoping for the same quality.  I certainly got what I hoped for the recording does a great job at capturing the live show.

This UK instrumental band is not your typical prog band.  I would say that the music is on the outer fringes of progressive rock and is most like post rock genre.  I usually describe this band as not prog but as a band that appeals to a prog fans.  Their influence are quite varied
If you are a fan of the band its an “auto buy”.  If you are new to the band you should queue up a song on the station and decide for yourself.  I put a link to the song Truck its a must for all fans of Edgar Winter Band

The rating of the album has to do more with personal taste and less to do with the quality of the album or the music.  Which is why I suggest people look at my last.fm account to see how well my tastes align with each reader.

ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS: Request Truck Here

Click above to purchase at Amazon US or Amazon UK and we’ll get a little referral bonus on your whole order. Even if you don’t order this album

If you have never read the key for my ratings below please do so one time. I feel my ratings are tougher than my peers. Some other reviewers may inflate their ratings in hopes to get people and bands the share the link to the review. When you have a domain like progrock.com you don’t need to drive traffic to your site.
So you can count on my reviews to be fair and any bias I might have whether positive or negative will be clearly explained including a rating for my opinion of the band prior to reviewing the album. Also Check my last.fm link to see how compatible our music tasts are.

https://www.last.fm/user/mon40/library/artists

Key:
These ratings are just attributes and may not have correlation to the most important: OVERALL RATING

PREVIOUS BAND RATING
0: Never heard of them or debut album.
2: Someone recommended. I give them another shot.
4: Some good moments in the past but never put together an album I really liked.
6: Some 4 or 5 star songs but albums can be hit or miss for me.
8: I like 80% of their songs and probably went to see them live.
10: I would, and probably have gone on a plane to see them live.

ACCESSIBILITY EXAMPLES
2: Weather Report
4: Zappa
6: Genesis – Selling England by the Pound,
8: Marillion – F.E.A.R
10: Kino – Picture

HEAVINESS EXAMPLES
2: IQ – Seventh House
4: Discipline – Unfold Like a Staircase
6: Porcupine Tree – In Abstentia, Shadow Gallery – Tyranny
8: Vanden Plas – Chirst 0, Dream Theater – Scenes From a Memory
10: Opeth – Black Water Park

MELODIC EXAMPLES:
2: Opeth – Black Water Park
4: Vanden Plas – Chirst 0, Dream Theater – Scenes From a Memory
6: Porcupine Tree – In Abstentia, Shadow Gallery – Tyranny
8: Discipline – Unfold Like a Staircase
10: IQ – Seventh House

OVERALL RATING:
2: Will Never listen to again and deleted under no circumstances should you buy this
4: Not my thing maybe one redeeming song.
6: I like parts of this and I would check them out if they were near me.
8: I would get in the car and road trip to see this album live
10: I would get on a plane to see this performed live

Packaging:
0: Did not send
2: Sleeve or jewel-case with only single card front.
4: Some interesting information in packaging.
6: Nice art and some information
8: Nice art and full lyrics
10: Full lyrics, composer credits, are for each specific song

See if our likes are similar See my Last.fm Page

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