DAVID GILMOUR: Live at Pompeii (2017). Not exactly a review...

This live album was recorded at the Pompeii amphitheatre and it was the first public  performance since AD 79. (Don’t forget that Pink Floyd’s Live in Pompeii had no audience). This was a truly historical moment, and those who were able to be there that night must feel extremely lucky. It was recorded on July 2016, and it was released on September 2017.
  Now, as for the album itself; it is available on double CD, double vinyl, digital downloable format, and as DVD and Blue Ray as well. (The concert was filmed of course). 
  Live at Pompeii includes some of Pink Floyd’s famous songs, mixed with songs from Gilmour’s solo works. (The tour that included the Pompeii concerts was promoting Rattle that Lock album). 
  The songs are all very well performed, Gilmour’s guitar sounds great once more, the production is - of course - excellent, and despite that Gilmour’s voice is not what it used to be, it’s not a big problem. After all, what are the studios for? 
  If I could recommend one version, I would say to buy the DVD or the Blue Ray version, especially if you own a system with good sound quality. That way, you will be able to enjoy the music, but also watch that spectacular concert. 
  I don’t want to write many things here, because everybody knows who David Gilmour is, everybody knows his contribution to music, and I don’t believe that I am the one who can judge. 
Personally speaking, I have the album, I listen to it from time to time, and I am pleased with it. 
                   My Rating: 4.0 (out of 5.0) stars

 Here you can watch a couple of songs that are included in the DVD:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZaEMzJv7_w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnPQNOq8x2s

GANDALF'S FIST: Winter's Mourning (EP) - 2017. My first thoughts...

  Every time Gandalf's Fist is releasing something new, 2 things are certain:

1. It is better than their previous works

2. The band includes more members!

  Since their early days where they were just two people doing all the jobs, they have reached the number of 6 members, with the new additions of Ben Bell on keyboards and Keri Farish on vocals. Both are excellent additions and I'm certain that they will contribute a lot to the band's sound. This first sample is quite reassuring in that...

  Winter's Mourning is a wonderful piece of music in my opinion. It is kind of a dark and melancholic tune, and the kind of song I would like to listen on a cold Winter night. If I had a home near a forest with a fireplace in it, that would have been better; but I'm afraid I have nothing like that. But even without these "special effects" I enjoyed it a lot!

  This EP is released just in time! So, do not hesitate! Write a letter to Santa, hoping that you were a good boy/girl… Maybe Santa will bring it on your (digital) doorstep.

Here you can order the digital version:   https://gandalfsfist.bandcamp.com/album/winters-mourning

                                 4.5 stars

P.S: We want more stuff like that please

INNERSPACE: Rise (2017). My review...

 This is a band I discovered recently, and once more I was surprised by its quality.

Innerspace is a Canadian band, with only 2 album releases so far; The Village (2012) and Rise (2017).

  Rise, is a 70-minute-long concept album, about a dystopian future, which is dark, melanchonic, but beautiful and melodic at the same time. I found many similarities between Rise and Black Science by Machines Dream. (Both are new bands - well, kind of - both are Canadians, both released dark and melancholic concept albums this year, and both doesn’t try to hide their Pink Floyd influences). Their music includes lots of piano and keyboards, but also beautiful guitar riffs and solos. 

  The album opens with a small intro including a choir (Dawn), followed by the wonderful instrumental Tree of Life, which could be easily used as a soundrack for a movie. This was the first song I heard by them, and because of it, I tried to find more info about the band and this album. One of the best songs in the album without a doubt. It is a long, melancholic and very beautiful composition, which has a very interesting turn after the middle of the song.    

  Tree of Life is followed by The Other Side, another sad, but beautiful tune as well. The low tempo and the melancholic style continue with the 4^th song (In Motion), but once more the song includes a significant change and a wonderful guitar solo, which improves the song even more.

  Fill the Void is the 5^th track, and one more song including a major change in style. After a short piano intro, the song changes completely, with loud guitar riffs and a fast and powerful tempo.

  Sunset is another melodic instrumental, but not as melancholic as Tree of Life. (And 6 minutes shorter). The first part of the album closes with Under the Spotlight; a good and powerful composition. 

  And then, the second part of the album begins, which includes the Dystopian Delirium, divided into 5 parts. It begins with another intro, followed by Shadow of Freedom, which sounds like it was recorded by Dream Theater! But then comes the album’s longest track (Forsaken Dreams), which is one of the highlights. Stronger than Death continues in almost the same style, and then comes Dusk, which is the album’s finale, including a choir in the same style like Dawn; the opening song (and Tree of Life as well). 

  And just like that, 70 minutes have passed, and I reach my hand and press the “repeat” button. Because one time is not enough.

  I am not sure if I will finally include Rise in my list with the best 10 albums of 2017, but it seems very possible to happen. This is an album that definitely deserves your attention! Give it a try, and have your ears wide open!

                                4.0 (out of 5.0) stars

Here's a sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVKDUSWUkfU

PROG n ROLL's Special theme show (3/12/2017). The complete playlist and more...

Hello all!
  Last night, the first Prog n Roll radio show of December was online; this time with a special theme show.
  This time, we had with one of our friends and listener, and altogether prepared and presented the show. We wanted to make something different than usual, and we thought of making a show including only cover versions. And so we did! The only exceptions, were 2-3 songs recorded by the original artists, but in different versions.
  We had a very big crowd listening, including people form many countries once more, such as: England, Greece, France, Germany, Sweden and United States. Among them, we also had 6-7 musicians from many different bands, and altogether we spent 2 very pleasant hours with good music and lots of fun on the chatbox.
  I think that it was a really interesting and fun show, and judging from the people's reactions, everybody had great time!
  Here's the complete playlist:

Part 1: QUEEN: We Will Rock You (Live) / RUSH: Summertime Blues / HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES: Five to One & Break on Through medley / RAMONES: When I was Young / MARILYN MANSON: Sweet Dreams / RAMMSTEIN: Stripped.

Part 2: ROGER WATERS: Knocking on Heaven’s Door / THE J CONSPIRACY: Have a Cigar / SUBTERRANEAN MASQUERADE: Space Oddity / DAVID BOWIE: Port of Amsterdam / FISH: Five Years.

Part 3: SCORPIONS: Holiday (acoustic) / ERIC BURDON & WAR: Paint it Black / JULIE DRISCOLL: Let the Sunshine in / ROD STEWART: You Keep Me Hangin’ on / JOE COCKER: You’ve Got to Hide your Love Away.

Part 4: ALL ABOUT EVE: The Witches Promise / TRIDDANA: All Souls Night / NIGHTWISH: Phantom of the Opera / IRON MAIDEN: Doctor Doctor / MACHINE HEAD: Hallowed be Thy Name.

  I would like to thank all those who joined our show, hoping they had a wonderful night with us. Also, my friend Yannis, who helped us with the creation and the presentation of the playlist. It was a great show for us as well!

Thank you all!

TIGER MOTH TALES: The Depths of winter (2017). Something like a review...

 Tiger MothTales is the personal project of the English singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Jones. The Depths of Winter is his 3^rd release, that comes after Cocoon (2014) and Story Tellers Part.1 (2015).

  Some time ago, I wrote a piece about Story Tellers Pt.1, which I believe it was a really wonderful album. In case you are interested, you can find it here: http://gfreedomathina.blogspot.gr/search?q=tiger+moth+tales

  When I heard about his new work I felt really excited, and I couldn’t wait to listen to the new material. And when I finally got it, I was a little bit surprised by the overall style of the album, because it is more “serious” and more melancholic than the previous 2 albums. For that reason, I had to listen to it a few times in order to feel familiar with it. Especially in comparison with Story Tellers, a fun and rather happy album, the difference in the major style and sound is more than obvious.

  If I had to compare this album with his 2 previous ones, I would say that I would place it over Cocoon, and below Story Tellers. It includes some wonderful melodies, like for example Winter Maker; which I can’t stop listening to, or Hygge, with the strong Genesis influences. Another song that I have to point out is The Ballad of Longshanks John.

  There are 3 long (over 10 minutes) songs included here, all of them very interesting ones; Winter Maker, Exposure and The Tears of Frigga. But as I wrote above, Winter Maker is the best of them by far.

  Another very interesting point is that, despite that Tiger Moth Tales is an one-man-band, the sound is very rich, and not depending on keyboards like many other one-man-bands and projects. If you don’t know that, it's not possible to guess that every instrument here is played by only one person. And for that, it gains lots of points from me.

  I can’t say that I’m perfectly pleased or disappointed by that album, simply because I was expecting something very different. Well, maybe I’ll have to wait for Story Tellers Pt.2 for that.

But the truth is that, The Depths of Winter is a very serious and well-made piece of work. 

    And for those reasons I will rate it with 3.5 (out of 5.0) stars.

Prog n Roll's special 200th show, now available as podcast...

I would like to infrm you that since today, Prog n Roll's special 200th broadcast is available on the show's Mixcloud page.
That night we did a really good and interesting show, including parts from some selected older shows, from 2012 till nowadays; mixed with good music of course.
So, by clicking on the following link you will visit Prog n Roll's Mixcloud page, where you can listen to the 200th show, among others that are already uploaded there.
https://www.mixcloud.com/ProgandRoll/  
You can also become a follower and get informed about the shows that we will be uploading.
I hope that you will like it.
Enjoy!

Prog n Roll radio show including the Listener's Happy Hour. (26/11/2017). The complete playlist.

Hello all!
Last night, one more Prog n Roll radio show was online. Because it was the last show of this month, it was including the Listener's Happy Hour; during which, we are playing the songs that were requested by our listeners.
This time, we had not so many requests, but almost all the songs were very good choices, and from many different music styles and genres once more.
I believe it was a very pleasant show in general, and as it seemed, most of the people enjoyed it. 
Here you can check the complete playlist:

Part 1: STEVE WALSH: The piper / KANSAS: With this heart / STRAWBS: When the spirit moves / GANDALF’S FIST: The battle for Tannhouser gate. 

Part 2: TRAFFIC: When the eagle flies / FANTASY: Gnome song / CRESSIDA: To play your little game / NEWSCHWANSTEIN: Ice with dwale.

The Listener's Happy Hour:

Part 3: MOTORHEAD: Overkill (live) / IRON MAIDEN: Powerslave / THRESHOLD: Narcissus / DEEP PURPLE: Keep on moving.

Part 4: APHRODITE’S CHILD: The four horsemen / MARILLION: Forgotten sons / THE FLOWER KINGS: In the eyes of the world.

I would like to thank all those who listened to our show once more, and all those who participated in the Listener's Happy Hour with their requests.

Thank you very much!

GFreedom's Juke Box No.208

Hello all!
After a week's break, my usual Saturday Top-5 song list is back.
I listened to lots of music during this week, and I believe that the best songs are the following ones:
KANSAS: With this Heart (The Prelude Implicit - 2016)
IRON MAIDEN: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Powerslave -1984)
MARILLION: Fugazi (Fugazi - 1984)
CLIVE NOLAN: Stand Fast (King's Ransom - 2017)
GANDALF'S FIST: The Battle for Tannhouser Gate (A Day in the Life of a Universal Wanderer - 2017)
I will also add the YouTube songs for the songs in my list, so in case you are interested, just click on the links and listen to them. The only song I couldn't find was Clive Nolan's Stand Fast.
Enjoy the music!
Have a beautiful weekend.
Thank you!
KANSAS: With this Heart
IRON MAIDEN: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
MARILLION: Fugazi
GANDALF'S FIST: The Battle for Tannhouser Gate

INFRINGEMENT: Transition (2017). My "review"...

  For those who don’t know them, I should inform you that Infringement is a quartet from Oslo, Norway. The band has been active for a couple of years now, and a few months ago, they released their debut album, Transition. The line-up is a typical Rock one, with Bass, Guitars, Drums and Vocals. For the needs of the recordings 6 more musicians were used, in keyboards, sax, percussion and vocals. From these “extra” musicians the name of Clive Nolan (in keyboards) is the one that “shines” the most.

  Their sound is a “typical” Neo Prog” sound in my opinion, including many mellow moments, mixed with guitar riffs and interesting turns. Also, the presence of keyboards in making their sound richer, and for that reason they should maybe consider having a keyboard player as their 5^th member.

  Their overall style and sound is bringing to my mind bands like Arena, Pendragon and Marillion mostly, but every now and then you can discover influences from other Prog band as well.

  Transition includes 9 tracks and has a total time of almost 50 minutes.  There isn’t any real epic included, and the longest track is the almost-10-minutes-long Patina, with Clive Nolan on keyboards. The second longest track is Adolescence, which, further than Clive Nolan on keyboards (again), it also includes some very nice guitar work. The guitar player’s performance is very good, and you will find many interesting and enjoyable riffs and solos throughout the album.

  If this was a vinyl album, I would say that I really like the A-side far more than the B-side; because the first 4-5 songs are all very good ones.

 This is a good and very promising debut album without a doubt. Especially the fans of Neo Prog will appreciate it. Give it a try!

Favourite songs: Conception, Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, Passage.

                        My rating 3.5 (out of 5.0) stars.

PROG n ROLL'S 200th Broadcast! A small "review" and the complete playlist.

Hello all!
  Last night, Prog n Roll radio show was online once more, but this time it was different than usual.
  This was our 200th broadcast, and for that reason, we wanted to present something very special to our listeners; and I believe we did!
  We tried to make a small travel through time, and to our past shows, because many of our listeners never had the chance to listen to some of our older ones. So, we included parts from shows that took place during the 5 years that Prog n Roll is active; like for example the show No.5, which was a tribute to The Lord of the Rings, or the show No.24, which was including a tribute to the Rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. We also included parts from shows that we had some guests behind the microphone, some others during which we made some special presentations and so on...
  Also, during the last weeks we asked from our listeners to record a short audio spot for us and/or the show, and many people responded to that; including many musicians as well. So, we gathered all the spots that we received, and played them last night.
  We had a very good crowd gathered, and the shoutbox was on fire once more. I believe that it was a very different and definitely interesting show, and judging by the people's reactions, they surely enjoyed it.
 Here you can take a look at the playlist if you want:

Part 1: GENESIS: Dancing with the Moonlight Knight / FISH: The Company / Part of PnR show No.114, incl. MIKE OLDFIELD’s Shadow on the Wall / Part of PnR show No.24, incl. What’s the Buzz from JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. 

Part 2: Part of PnR show No.151 incl. High Ball Shooter by DEEP PURPLE / THIN LIZZY: Killer on the Loose / RAINBOW: Stargazer / Part of PnR show No.75 incl. Birthday song by SALANDER.

Part 3: Part of PnR show No.124 incl. Ambush by CLIVE NOLAN / Part of PnR show No.192 incl. Jinn by SOEN / DRIFTING SUN: Wings of Hope.

Part. 4: SALANDER: Aldri / Part of PnR No.5-Lord of the Rings tribute / BROCKEN PARACHUTE: Nine Miles to Babylon / INNERSPACE: Tree of Life. 

I would like to say a very big 'thank you' to all those who chose to listen to PnR once more, and to those who recorded and send us all these lovely audio spots. We are definitely proud for having such wonderful people in our audience!

We will "see" you again on Sunday the 26th, for the last show in November.

Thank you all and take care!