SOEN: Lotus (2019). My "review"...

  After the release of the very good Lykaia (2017), SOEN returned with an even better album.

  I added the album in my collection almost a month ago and I keep listening to it on a rather often basis. Yes, I will agree with all those who are stating that SOEN sound like a mix of Tool and Riverside on many occasions, but that’s not the case. Every band in our days is influenced by other bands, and that is something not very easy to hide.

  The feeling I get when I listen to Lotus is that this time SOEN tried to move away from their usual Tool-like sound, and create something new and more personal. Have they succeeded? Well, not exactly. Still, their influences are present and obvious, but the band seems to be heading into a new musical direction. And that is something good in my opinion.

  The album includes lots of powerful moments, and a few melodic ones, like for example the wonderful title song.

  Every fan of this style of music will definitely find some songs to like in Lotus, but speaking for myself, the songs I like the most so far are: Lunacy, Covenant, Martyrs and of course Lotus.

  I am not going to get into details for each song separately, because my opinion doesn’t really matter, since each person has its own point of view. But I strongly recommend to listen to this album, but not only once. Give it some time and be sure that it will grow on you.

  For me, Lotus is one of the best releases of 2019 so far.

Here's a sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLSh0E0Rikc

                   Totally recommended!

                    My Rating: 4.0 Stars

Prog n Roll radio show (17/3/2019). The complete playlist...

Hello all!
  A couple of days ago, one more Prog n Roll radio show was on air as usual. This time we had nothing special prepared; just some good music.
  Once more, we divided the 2 hours of our show into 4 half-hour parts, and we played different stuff on each part. For example, the 2nd half-hour included only new releases.
  In case you are interested, here's the complete playlist:

1st Part: MIKE OLDFIELD: Tricks of the Light / PANIC ROOM: The Waterfall / KARNATAKA: Tide to Fall / DAMANEK: The Crawler.

2nd Part: TIM BOWNESS: Rainmark / RED BAZAR: Nothing Left / JOOST MAGLEV: Ever After / STEVE HACKETT: Beasts in Our Time.

3rd Part: THIN LIZZY: Black Rose / RAINBOW: A Light in the Black / IRON MAIDEN: Phantom of the Opera.

4rth Part: HORISONT: The Night Stalker / SULFUR GIANT: Vertigo / WITCHWOOD: A Place for the Sun / SIENA ROOT: We are Them.

  I would also like to inform you that on Sunday the 24rth of March we won't have a show. Prog n Roll will return on Sunday the 31st of March.

Thank you all!

Take Care.

Peter Hammill Live in Athens (8/9-3-2019). The setlists...

A few days ago Peter Hammill, the legendary leader of Van Der Graaf Generator, visited Athens for two live gigs.
Having seen his live performances 4-5 times in the past, I decided to skip his gig this time.
As far as I heard and read, his performances were excellent  (as usual), and his setlists were based mostly on his solo works and included just a few Van Der Graaf Generator songs.  
And something very important: He played a different setlist each night.
Here you can take a look at the setlists:
8/3/2019

My Room (Waiting For Wonderland) (VDGG song) 
Too Many Of My Yesterdays

Mirror Images (VDGG song)
The Unconscious Life
Anagnorisis
Losing Faith In Words
Amnesiac If I Could
Time For A Change
Stumbled
Torpor
Modern
Labour Of Love
Friday Afternoon
Four Pails
Traintime
Stranger Still

Encore: 
Vision

9/3/2019

(This side of) The Looking Glass

Empire of Delight

The Mousetrap (Caught in)

After the Show

His Best Girl

I Will Find you

Lizzard Play (VDGG song)

Slender Theads

(On Tuesdays She Used to Do) Yoga

Once You Called Me

Sitting Targets

Patient

Faculty X

Your Tall Ship

Milked

A Better Time

In the End

Encore:

Refugees (VDGG song)

Prog n Roll radio show, incl. song requests (10/3/2019). The complete playlist...

Hello all!
  Last night, one more Prog n Roll radio show was on air as usual. This time the playlist was including the songs that our listeners asked for. 
  During the previous weeks, we were asking from our listeners to request a song of their choice and we would play it during last night's show. Some responded, some others didn't.
  The truth is that once more the playlist was including some great songs, and it was kind of mixed up, as you will see by yourselves...
  So, here's the playlist from last night's show:

1st Part: THE NEAL MORSE BAND: Welcome to the World / SOEN: Covenant / THE LAST DETAIL: Man of our Time / SGT. TENCHIPOOS LONELY BLIMEY BAND: Mexico.

2nd Part: REO SPEEDWAGON: Dead at Last / QUEEN: The Prophet’s Song / BAROCK PROJECT: Broken.

3rd Part: VOID COMMANDER: Astral Bodies / UFO: Rock Bottom / LED ZEPPELIN: Immigrant Song / RAINBOW: Stargazer.

4rth Part: DAVID BOWIE: Life on Mars? / MACHINES DREAM: Weimar / PORCUPINE TREE: Arriving Somewhere.

  I would like to thank all those who participated with the requests in last night's Prog n Roll and all those who keep listening to our show for so many years.

Thank you all!

Prog n Roll's special "epic" show (3/3/2019). The complete playlist and more...

Hello all!
  Last night we celebrated Prog n Roll's 250th broadcast with a special show that included only "epic" songs; and by "epic" I mean songs with a minimum length of 10 minutes.
  We had a good crowd listening once more, and we had lots of fun on the chatbox.
  The playlist was including mostly "modern" stuff and not old ones, as you will realise by looking at it. Because of the length of the songs, we played only eight, which were the following:

1st Part: KAYAK: Walk Through Fire / PORCUPINE TREE: Anesthetize.

2nd Part: GANDALF’S FIST: The Lamplighter (Pts IX – XIII) / DRIFTING SUN: Cascading Tears.

3rd Part: THRESHOLD: Lost in Translation / AYREON: The Day that the Wolrd Breaks Down.

4rth Part: STEVE HACKET: Those Golden Wings / MARILLION: Grendel.

I would like to thank all those who keep listening and supporting our show for so many years. Your love and support means a lot to us.

Thank you very much!

 

PROG n ROLL Radio Show celebrates its 250th broadcast with a special "epic" show. (3/3/2019)

  I'm very glad to inform you that tomorrow, the online radio show Prog n Roll will celebrate its 250 broadcasts. We prepared a special playlist especially for the occasion, that will include only "epic" songs. (Meaning songs of a minimum 10 minutes in length).
  We are expecting a big crowd to appear on our chatbox, including lots of musicians from many bands around Europe.
  So, if tomorrow night/evening you think you'll be interested, here's the link of the radio station: www.justincaseradio.com
Prog n Roll is an online bilingual broadcast, that begins at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CET).
We hope to "see' some of you there.
Thank you!

STEVE HACKETT: At the Edge of Light (2019). My review...

  Earlier this year, the legendary ex-guitar player of Genesis, Steve Hackett, released his 26^th studio album, named as At the Edge of Light. Having enjoyed his two previous works Wolflight and The Night Siren (but mostly Wolflgiht), I didn’t hesitate at all!

  I don’t know how to describe it, but this album begins where the previous ones stopped. It is more or less in the same style, but in my opinion is better than both of them.

  Steve Hackett (as it seems), decided that the style of music he wants to play is this; Progressive Rock with lots of Ethnic influences, and many soft melodic turns. He gave us a first idea of that style with – the very good – Wolflight, he went a step back with The Night Siren, and now it was the time for the killing blow! And that blow came with the release of At the Edge of Light.

  To be honest, I wasn’t so hopeful after The Night Siren, and that’s why I caught by surprise. Because, I still cannot believe how good this album is!

  Steve Hackett managed to “marry” his very rich Progressive Rock heritage with tunes from - mostly - Anatolian traditional music, and the result is simply breathtaking! Of course, the cherry on the cake is his top-notch guitar performance, but that’s not a surprise.

  The listener gets a first idea of what’s going to follow with the 2-minute-long Fallen Walls and Pedestrals, that works as the album’s intro. And then comes Beasts in our Time, one of the album’s finest moments without a doubt.

  But the album’s absolute highlight is (in my opinion) the 11-minute-long, Those Golden Wings, which, constantly shifts between gentle rhythms, orchestral backed vocals to a real ear-worm of a riff, to a Carmina Burana-esque choral section to be finally resolved with a three minute guitar solo.

  At the Edge of Light includes 10 tracks, and to be honest, to only one that I do not like (yet), is Shadow and Flame, because of its strong Indian influences that were never my cup of tea.

  I do not wish to continue writing more things, because there is no point doing that. If you take a look around the internet, read the reviews for this album, and even better, listen to it, you will understand why everybody’s talking about it.

  For me, this is a wonderful album, that shines above most albums that has been released during the last years. As for Steve Hackkett, I believe that this is one of his best works ever!

It is available in CD / DVD / digital format, and in double vinyl (incl. the CD).

Not paying attention to this album would be a huge mistake!

                  My Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5.0)

If you click on the following YT link you will be able to listen to Those Golden Wings. 

Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amy5RsEpizI