The Best of this year on a view of this grumpy costumer:
Thank You Scientist - Stranger Heads Prevail
Haken - Affinity
I think I don't need to say too much about these two bands they are the most creative bands of 2016, sometimes if you like something heavier and technical you could pick up Haken, but if you want to feel an atmosphere like a big band you could get Thank You Scientist, Love these albums!
Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence:the first single of this album really blew my mind, I had never bought something of DTP, but this time I really had to honor his work buying the digital version of Transcendence, awesome!
Headspace - All That You Fear is Gone: even some haters hated this album, I really love it, the sophitiscation of it can be noticed in each song when we listen to it, great!
Myrath - Legacy: Dude, this album got the energy award, what's a blast of energy!
Fates Warning - Theories of Flight: I was not used to listen to their songs, but after this album I'm really becoming a follower, great!
Theocracy - Ghost Ship: it's there another band that I was not sympathetic, but now I'm really enjoying their work, Prog Power Kings!
Periphery III - Select Difficulty:on this album they really put the right dose of melodicism and heaviness, plus djentness, that's fucking awesome!
Animal As Leaders - The Madness of Many:I was more into Javier work than Animal as Leaders, even I listen to their previous albums, I think on this album they are really better than before, this shit is great!
Textures - Phenotype:I start this year listening to their songs and I think they are so good to be away from this list. They are really exceptional musicians!
Karmakanic - DOT: this is the best progressive rock album of this year, I fucking love this album!
Anderson/Stolt - Invention of Knowledge: perhaps I'm wrong but, even liking Anderson, I think what's best in IOK is Roine Stolt and the arrangements that probably were wrote by him, anyway it's a great album!
Honorable Mention: CM Concert was a blast, what's a flawless band!
I'd like to thanks everyone who gets here, thanks! You All Have a Great Holidays!
When this album came out I bought it to sell here in Brazil, but I never say a word about it, since I'm really nostalgic about Roy Khan, I think it would be great to say something about Kamelot - Poetry for The Poisoned - Live From Wacken:it's really an epic album, not only because it got Roy, but it has some live songs, it's the last album with him, also it got some perfect songs such Hunter's Season, House on a Hill, My Train of Thoughts, and also the incredible Poetry for ThePoisoned: Incubus, So Long, All is Over, Dissection - Once Upon a Time, too bad Roy did not come back yet, however, Let's praise what's to be praised!! \m/
Kamelot - Poetry for The Poisoned - Limited Tour Edition
CD 2 LIVE AT WACKEN OPEN AIR 2010 (Limited Tour Edition) 1. The Great Pandemonium 2. The Human Stain 3. Center of the Universe 4. Pendulous Fall 5. Hunter's Season 6. Karma 7. Forever 8. March of Mephisto
Tell me once upon a time I close my eyes And see myself reborn Righting the wrong I won't stay to stand in line Or wait for God to shine all over me I wait for the storm
even I did not say a thing about them before, I'm used to listen to their songs, it's been a while I like their work, although this new album is really more pleasurable than their previous work, for me in this new album They are sounding more technical, melodic, classical, djent for sure, and there is something more that we can catch listening to 'The Madness of Many', for example some arpeggiothat Tosin or Javier play at the end of Inner Assassins track, that's really remarkable, I really wanna buy it..
but the insanity is we pay for it $9,99 on itunes but on 'google play br' we pay around $12,70 (42 reais), wtf?! How we should buying it if it's so expensive, also it don't come with cover art, just a few files and that's it, not cool guys, not cool..
Since Last Year I've been really suspicious about this Prog Award. I wonder why a lot of unknow bands get this and those bands that are really more popular did not get a thing. I mean.. Dream Theater were nomineed in three categories, dt has a lot of die-hard fans, if it was really chosen by the audience, Oh boy.. dt should've won this shit. I'm not saying that I really love the new album, that's the opposite, but They should've got it. Also Haken or even Between the Buried and Me did not get a thing. This is why I just stop to vote on these crap, mainly because it's not for real, that's not who's really great as musician who gets that, that's really who they like to win, that's not too different when compared to grammy awards, Do someone really believe that shit is for real ? I mean, Does the person who takes the prize really deserve it ? Is the music so complex and at the same time catchy that You cannot stopping to listen to it ?
Let's see the some names that Got The Prize this year: Limelight:The Anchoress.. (here in Brazil we call it JABÁ) man, these guys should be paying a lot of Jabá for sure!
Album of The Year: Who was nomineed ?
Tesseract: Polaris
Hawkwind: The Machine Stops Dream Theater: The Astonishing Haken: Affinity iamthemorning: Lighthouse Big Big Train: Folklore Between The Buried and Me: Coma Ecliptic Anderson/Stolt: Invention of Knowledge
Who got this ?
iamthemorning: Lighthouse who ?
iamthemorning: Lighthouse!
Haken ? Between The Buried and Me ? Thank You Scientist ? They weren't nomineed ? no shit..
You cannot even trust in a magazine to bring up something serious, that's disappointing.
Some years ago I think I heard a few songs of Theocracy, but that time I really didn't appreciate them. Weird how I get to know their new work, I was surfing with a new browser without adblock and suddenly starts an ad with Ghost Ship video, and Yeah.. that was an awesome ad! Anyway, this new album is really catching, with some great instrumental work, sometimes They're really sounding Symphonic, heavy for those who like, power, and it brings some atmosphere that leaves anyone fascinated, I'm really loving this release, fucking beautiful!
I learned about Devin Townsend around 2012 when He released his live album (By a Thread - Live in London), I remember to hear a couple of songs (Supercrush andNumbered) of that live release and I really got excited about the musicality of him and his band, although sometimes I thought he was kinda crazy (in a good way) and genius at the same time, but the truth is DTP has this futuristic, theatrical, atmospheric and still heavy sound. They really got this unique tune that we can't figure out where we can find something like that, and probably we cannot, it's really rare and in Trancendence it's not different, that's great!
I know DGM work since 2007, since that time I really dug their work, also I think They are exceptional musicians and great guys even not knowing every band member, and a couple of times I had the privilege to talk to Andrea by email when I got some band merch and that was great costumer experience, anyway..Speaking of The Passage, I think they're sounding more mature, heavier and at the same time melodic, we can notice some different tunes, new solo ideas, Mark sometimes is singing differently (The Secret Part I) when compared to old times, Emanuele also has great key parts as we can hear in the opening track (main theme). I think they really upgraded their song, I cannot say I really love the lyrics, but these do not cloud the beauty of this album, for those who like (I do) some hard rock/speed/metal, that's the album! a little advice: the more you listen to 'The Passage' more it grows inside.
I know Gemini Syndrome since They released "Lux" in 2013, although I get to know their work around 2014 and since that time I really think they are a great band, although I think the highlights go to the vocalist (Aaron Nordstrom) who really fits perfectly on it, and also the combination of the guitars (Daniel Sahagún and Charles Lee Salvagio) with the bass (Alessandro Paveri) plus the drumming (Brian Steele) make their songs more attractive when compared to bands of the same sub-genre, great album!!
Gemini Syndrome - Memento Mori
01. Anonymous 02. Remember We Die 03. Zealot 04. Gravedigger 05. Inception 06. La Devastante Veritá 07. Awaken 08. On Point 09. Sorry Not Sorry 10. Alive Inside 11. Lucido Somnium 12. Say Goodnight 13. Eternity 14. Ordo ab Chao 15. Brought to Light
I really do not agree with this premise these guys are very similar to Coheed and Cambria, perhaps they could be CEC with steroids. Undeniable the jazz influence in their songs, sometimes it reminds something From The Dear Hunter mixed with Jamiroquai, plus a lot of prog passages. For who likes excelent instrumental work, dude, these guys are essential!
I feel like I lack the words to say Know What you need me to say now So I should cool it down Just to be straight This is more than I can take Anything but What's growing inside your world
I know Periphery since they released "This Time it's Personal" and it's really hard to mention something bad about their albums, and this time it's not different. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think They are sounding heavier than their "Alpha-Omega", by the way in each album they are releasing lately, they are sounding more heavy, that's really great for who likes (like me). Man, these guys really got their trademark upon music history, if u hear something heavy, djent, groove, progressive, sometimes atmospheric, it's where you find these guys, obviously great!
Sometimes these things are really tricky. I remember once I try to hear a few songs from Haken - The Mountain, that time I had heard some people saying good things about them, like they were really awesome, but that time I really couldn't see that, it's like something was blocked in my head. The weird is that now (better late than never) I really like this album not as much as I like Affinity, but these guys really got, by the way these guys really got the scepter and the crown!
I am a follower of Karmakanic since "Entering Spectra", I think they've changed a little bit when compared to old times, but it's undeniable They did not supress their prog sparks. DOT is an album that show us in a subtle way many progscapes, sometimes it reminds something from Tangent, there is a flute, there are many great instrumental performances, although what gets my attention is Lalle Larsson keys which are really more intense in this new album than their previous, a remarkable release for sure!
“I got my inspiration to start writing DOT when I stumbled upon a text by the famous American author and astronomer Carl Sagan. He was talking about how small and insignificant we are in this vast universe. Of course that can sound like a cliché and a lot of things have been said about our existence, universe, why are we here, where are we going, when will it end, when did it start, whats the purpose of it all? And so on. But he put it really elegantly in this rather short text, so I never looked at it as a cliché. The inspiration for him was actually a picture of the earth that Voyager 1 took 1990 from the outer areas of our solar system. The earth appeared in the picture as a small pixel, like a pale blue dot suspended in a sunbeam.” “Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every motherand father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every ‘superstar,’ every ‘supreme leader,’ every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
I never thought Someday this would be possible, I remember in 2008 I was grumbling about how hard is for some bands coming to Brazil, but this time is truth. Circus Maximus is coming for only one performance (September 17), anyway it couldn't be better, it's gonna be a blast!
Also I couldn't forget about CM started a campaign to release a DVD/Bluray, it has a lot of perks for who want to get this (as to get your name in the booklet) https://www.indiegogo.com/project/preview/229bd238 .
Even that I learned about Redemption first than Fates Warning, mainly because Ray Alder who is the lead singer of both, They are really well-know in progressive scenario, although I've never been a follower. But this new album (Theories of Flight) really draws my attention, even if this album doesn't show musical instruments playing one thousand notes per second, it really impresses for being pleasantness, it's like every song was made with the right notes. I do like every song, but The Ghosts of Home is the most complex and progresive song of the album, although I really like SOS, in sum Theories of Flight is an enjoyable and great album!
Fates Warning - Theories of Flight
01. From the Rooftops 02. Seven Stars 03. SOS 04. The Light And Shade of Things 05. White Flag 06. Like Stars Our Eyes Have Seen 07. The Ghosts of Home 08. Theories of Flight
I ain't a lover of 'old school' progressive tunes, but a few songs from 70s are really enjoyable and speaking exactly of Anderson(his voice reminds me of John Woloschuk from Klaatu)/Stolt - Invention of Knowledge, it's really so, for those fans of classic tunes and even for who don't like these, Invention of Knowledge is indeed a classic prog album, but even so they bring up a lot of fresh stuff, such as: the instrumental sometimes really reminds the symphonic progressive side of "TFK", it's beautiful!
Anderson/Stolt - Invention Of Knowledge
01. Invention 02. We Are Truth 03. Knowledge 04. Knowing 05. Chase and Harmony 06. Everybody Heals 07. Better by Far 08. Golden Light 09. Know…
Despite this album is a great release of 2016, Inside Out that is the record label of Anderson/Stolt, and also The Flower Kings, did not launch any single. Sometimes I really don't understand how these record label managers could be so dumb as They are. As Sumerian Records, Roadrunner and some other labels do the right publicity, Letting the people decide if it's worth to be bought, some others go back to stone age, fuckers!
Putz, Today I was back to 2007, what was a fucking year, although I do remember Poverty's No Crime - Save My Soul, I remember when I heard for the first time"Open Your Eyes", that was a hell of song, a lullaby for my ears, and I stil do not understand why it doesn't have many songs on YouTube, probably the fuckers of record labels do not allow that, anyway it's really worth it!
Poverty's No Crime - Save My Soul
01. Intro 02. Open Your Eyes 03. Save My Soul 04. End in Sight 05. The Key To Creativity 06. In The Wait Loop 07. The Torture 08. Spellbound 09. From a Distance 10. Break the Spell
It's hard to find some bands that really try to innovate their songs, usually we hear a lot of bands trying to be like band "A" or "B", but Haken really managed to bring something new without being boring. In Their new album they put a lot of new elements that at least I don't remember they did before, these futuristic digital atmospheres they implanted in Affinity is really something technical and at the same time enjoyable to hear, I could quantify the new things, but I really like the djent part (in 1985) most, awesome !
I really like BBT work, they are great musicians, but They hadn't ever been on tour or record a live cd as we see now, and They don't disappoint doing that. If the word "beautiful" meant something else, probably it would be "From Stone and Steel". I think it's essential for prog lovers or for who like good music, classy!
"Figure I have lost my way along these dark denuded trails, headed north out of my place and sought the plains and wooded hills broken by grey lines and wheels and bright steel.
Hit the ground running hard upon hard broken shattered stone. Past the tree line nothing grows but wind distorted pioneers, like you and I, but you and I take shelter from the dark sky."
I remember when around 2013 The first song I heard of KWE was (Rose of Sharyn), that time
I really like their music, although I found that They were very melodic, even with great songs such
My Curse, My Last Serenade, The End of Heartache.. Speaking of Incarnate, I think They managed to
combine the greatness of Heavy Metal + Core and being melodic in the right measure bringing to life
this album that's one of the best of their career, exceptional for those who like metalcore, fucking awesome!
Buy it!! Gather all your pain and suffering Turn them into strength and weaponry To overcome the enemy that’s in you Come face to face with a war that rages in you
This album is essential for those who are SB fans or for prog lovers. It's featuring Nick D'Virgilio, Neal Morse and Ted Leonard and in the last track (Falling For Forever) They gathered to create this Epic which starts with a classic tune, also They're gathering once again for Morsefest in July 1-2. that's really great!
Spock's Beard - The First Twenty Years
Disc 1 1. The Light 2. Thoughts 3. The Doorway 4. June 5. Day For Night 6. At The End Of The Day 7. Solitary Soul 8. Wind At My Back Disc 2 1. The Bottom Line 2. She Is Everything 3. On A Perfect Day 4. Jaws Of Heaven 5. Waiting For Me 6. Tides Of Time 7. Falling For Forever
Because these things that I wonder why I don't poop money, shit! Also I do not understand why bands like sb do not try to promote these songs or any songs. They should follow good examples as Trivium or Killswitch Engage that really promote their music, put their whole album to be heard, How they expect to sell cds if the people do not know about them, that's a shame! also it's to be greedy.
The haters will hate probably, at first I'd like to say the people who like prog metal they were supposed to like metal, if don't, I think they supposed to have "the astonishing" or something from Miley Cirus that's exactly for those who do not like metal, also assuming that Circus Maximus is at first a Metal Band Who plays a sub-genre of metal (prog metal) I think it's okay being this way. CM are sounding more metal, and sometimes they remind something from 80s or 90s (Flames, Remember), some synthesizers really remind something from those times, but even going that way, They did not lose the progressive side, this album is definitely for who likes metal and not having a closed mind. Also I think "Making Music" (CM) is bigger than just a sub-tag, summing up, Havoc is a great album I don't think is better than Nine, but anyway it's great!
Circus Maximus - Havoc
01. The Weight 02. Highest Bitter 03. Havoc 04. Pages 05. Flames 06. Loved Ones 07. After The Fire 08. Remember 09. Chivalry 10. Loath (Bonus Track)
The first song I've heard from their new album was "Your Life Will Change", that time I found it very tight and promising. After I listen to the album many times, once again I can say it's very tight with songs in the right measure, mixing heavy passages with soft tunes. But the most interesting song is "Polluted Alcohol" that has this Western atmosphere that suddenly start to become more and more modern, besides Damian voice that's great, awesome!
Headspace - All That You Fear is Gone
1. Road to Supremacy 2. Your Life Will Change 3. Polluted Alcohol 4. Kill You With Kindness 5. The Element 6. The Science Within Us 7. Semaphore 8. The Death Bell 9. The Day You Return 10. All That You Fear Is Gone 11. Borders and Days 12. Secular Souls
To Color is not to fake it Tomorrow We shall embrace To Color is not to fake it Tomorrow We shall replace it Here in a Strange Time And the heart becomes await till One day your return The day you will return There we'll find a New Tomorrow Then we'll turn Another Page Today through the Heartache and the Sorrow We will be redeemed..
For those who did not have a chance to see Cynic Live like me. They provided a live video on You Tube when they were touring on Osaka, Japan. My godness, the quality is mind blowing, besides this is Cynic!
Cynic- Live In Japan
00:00 Veil of Maya 06:00 Adam's Murmur 10:30 True Hallucination Speak 16:45 Elves Beam Out 21:42 Moon Heart Sun Head 29:10 The Space for This 36:30 Integral 42:20 Carbon-Based Anatomy 50:20 The Lion's Roar 57:05 Kindly Bent to Free Us
for those who are trying to download that, it's recommended to install video download helper for firefox, or in Maxthon browser to install SaveTube addon. This is really to keep.
I hadn't ever been a Myrath fan, even they are great musicians, for me they never created an album that really impresses me, but Legacy has something far superior than their previous albums. They managed to add their dna plus musicality, technique, metal, and a plenty of energy, that's a perfect recipe for great prog music, fucking awesome!
Myrath - Legacy
01. Jasmin 02. Believer 03. Get Your Freedom Back 04. Nobody's Lives 05. The Needle 06. Through Your Eyes 07. The Unburnt 08. I Want To Die 09. Duat 10. Endure The Silence 11. Storm Of Lies 12. Other Side
It's weird how the things come out, Once I was surfing tv channels when suddenly
I stumbled upon that shredding momentum, I really needed to know what was that band, at least that
guitar player, after I dug a little bit I learned that was Impellitteri, the uncanny is that I had never
heard about them or him. Man, For those who like Heavy Metal as I do, that's really terrific!
I hadn't ever listened to a Textures song. I learned about them after They released "New Horizons" lyric video, after listening to it several times I really needed to get Phenotype, and after I listened to the album: man, that's fucking awesome! the key element of Phenotype are the two first songs which are really astonishing! If you really like something heavier, technical, powerful, headbangful, that's the album!
'I heard you crawling carrying your burden down the yearning hills we set a flame the beacons envious whisper I heard you crawling carrying your burden down the yearning hills we set a flame the beacons envious whisper searching! searching!'
The Mute Gods is a new band composed by Nick Beggs,Roger King and Marco Minnemann who is well-know for his great performances in DT documentary. In their debut They manage to create this progsphere and adding some new elements we are not used to hear/see in progressive bands, as we can see in their 'Do Nothing Till You hear from Me' video, with which you can interact, then there would be 360 ways to see it. It's been a long time I don't listen to a debut album that really impresses me as it does, great album!
The Mute Gods - Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
01. Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me 02. Praying to a Mute God 03. Nightschool For Idiots 04. Feed the Troll 05. Your Dark Ideas 06. Last Man on Earth 07. In the Crosshairs 08. Strange Relationship 09. Swimming Horses 10. Mavro Capelo 11. Father Daughter
For those who see music as a whole and not concerning about tags, This new Cloudscape album is soawesome, as in their previous album They really managed to create this great metal energy, it's a shame these guys are not know for many, it's not because lack of talent, it they got a lot, awesome new album!
Buy It! All your dreams can take you to a New Design Once for all We need leave all behind forever.. Embrace the sun light up tomorrow during a lighting yesterday A New Horizon waiting A New Design..
