RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://thedredgemusic.com/ This scribe was quite smitten with the fully formed and utterly rewarding debut offering by the eclectic Norwegian prog rockers The Dredge featuring Helheim drummer Frode “Hrymr” Røsjø, which saw the light of day a couple of years ago, so naturally, expectations were high for their sophomore effort. Sporting the evocative…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://deafbeatvanguard.bandcamp.com/album/libido-induced-anabasis Given that this highly entertaining gem came out in early June and that I either missed or subconsciously overlooked its release date due to laziness, I shall keep it short and simply tell you why Libido-induced Anabasis by the intriguing outfit Deaf Beat Vanguard is worth your time and money. This…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://onsegenensemble.bandcamp.com/album/a-tale-2 The Finnish folk prog rockers known as Onségen Ensemble have unearthed and sculpted a most bewitching and atmospheric offering in the shape of this fifth full-length album of theirs enticingly titled A Tale, and I cannot thank Karisma Records enough for sending a copy of the CD my way. With its pastoral…
VENUE: HulenDATE: 05.06.2026ORGANIZER: HulenPHOTOGRAPHER: Sander Lindholm AndersenPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. Two superb Norwegian acts from Bergen and Trondheim respectively, more specifically Goatmilker and Dune Sea, paid the excellent venue that is Hulen a visit last Friday, and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://bjornriis.bandcamp.com/album/lifandi While many prog fans might associate the talented guitarist Bjørn Riis with the amazing outfit Airbag, the fact of the matter is that Riis has been quite prolific outside his main band these past few years and carved out an equally interesting solo career. The man has never denied where much…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://hexad.bandcamp.com/album/surgical-cuts-in-the-cosmos Three years on from the near-flawless LP titled Delightful Sharp Edges comes a new output by the magnificent Norwegian doomsters Hex A.D., and that is cause for celebration if you are as much into the band’s potent mixture of prog rock, classic heavy metal, stoner rock, and old-school doom metal as…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://agusaband.bandcamp.com/album/panacea Captured for posterity back in September of 2024 in Malmö and sporting a magnificent line-up that is truly gelling and capable of delivering some wonderful surprises, the live LP titled Panacea by the Swedish vintage-sounding prog rock ensemble Agusa is a masterclass in real warmth, genuine excitement, and skill. The group’s…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://35tapes.bandcamp.com/album/veil-on-life The experimental Norwegian prog rockers 35 Tapes have garnered a good and solid reputation on the back of their well-received offerings from these past few years, namely Lost & Found (2020), Home (2021), and Fabric of Time (2023). Their latest opus titled Veil on Life, which came out a couple of…
– VENUE: Kulturhuset i Bergen – DATE: 27.03.2026 – ORGANIZER: Kulturhuset i Bergen, Ottorpedo med Venner Photo by J. Nepper Last Friday night offered something vastly different and delightfully quirky to the usual concert fare in that none other than local legend Ottorpedo and his merry men of musical talent were set to perform at…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://tusm-rke.bandcamp.com/album/balderdom Few if any acts are as musically devious, lyrically interesting, deeply eclectic, and all-out quirky as the inimitable Tusmørke are, and those are obviously traits and characteristics to be loved and admired. Whenever they unearth new material, you know that it is going to be positively strange and surreal yet never…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://pymlicomusic.bandcamp.com/ The classy Norwegian outfit Pymlico never fail to stir the senses and tick all the right jazz prog boxes whenever they gift us with new music, and the upcoming album titled No More, No Less is a perfect example of how to bring inspired and forward-thinking sounds to life in a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://originalasia.com/ Legendary prog rockers Asia returned to the stage last year with a reconfigured line-up featuring original keyboardist Geoff Downes, world-class guitarist John Mitchell, bass player extraordinaire Harry Whitley, and the fabulous drummer that is Virgil Donati. At the renowned venue known as Trading Boundaries in April 2025, the quartet performed the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://primalucerock.bandcamp.com/album/way-of-perfection The French prog metal act known as Primaluce released the impressive Dark Mirrors LP last year, which generated quite a lot of well-deserved praise, and it is therefore a thrill to see and hear that they have maintained their momentum and crafted an equally worthwhile offering in the shape of the…
VENUE: GrieghallenDATE: 03.02.2026ORGANIZER: FKP Scorpio NorgePHOTOGRAPHER: C. Nepper Legendary British hard rockers Uriah Heep surely need no introduction as their classic song material is the stuff that prog-esque dreams are made of. Timeless outputs such as Demons and Wizards and The Magician’s Birthday from 1972 still resonate with fans of old while simultaneously finding new…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://toyweather.bandcamp.com/album/feathers-in-a-strange-wind What a treat it is to see this musically adventurous and superbly arranged piece of work being released on CD and vinyl; it deserved a proper physical release as opposed to merely existing in the digital sphere. Main man Svein Hovland’s knack for crafting uniquely atmospheric compositions that seamlessly move back…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.stevemorseofficial.com/ The supremely skilled Steve Morse, who has delighted us for decades with his vibrant and vigorous work with Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Flying Colors, Kansas, and not least his solo offerings, is back with a new album that sees him team up with such renowned musicians as bass player Dave LaRue…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://apollonrecords.bandcamp.com/music Originally released twenty-five years ago, what better way to mark the occasion and celebrate its anniversary than having Jacob Holm-Lupo remaster the material and release it on vinyl and digitally via Apollon Records Prog for the first time ever?! Inspired by the likes of Camel and Uriah Heep, this self-titled offering…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://doublemute.bandcamp.com/album/corporate-culture-final-v2 One of the most unique entities out there today is undoubtedly the deeply intriguing Double Mute and their highly eclectic and delightfully twisted on all things progressive. Also, for the sake of clarity, let there be no doubt that main man Jake Rosenberg is a musical genius whose ideas and visions…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://aflyingfish.bandcamp.com/album/el-pez-que-vol-act-ii The previous full-length extravaganza by A Flying Fish appropriately titled El Pez Que Voló – ACT I was one of the prog rock highlights of 2023, so naturally, this recently released successor sporting a most fabulous artwork was highly welcome, and given the content and lyrical narrative of the album, I…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://airbagsound.bandcamp.com/album/airbag-dysphoria-live-in-the-netherlands A live album by Norwegian prog rock stalwarts Airbag is not something to be taken lightly; it is a huge-sounding representation of some of their most outstanding and inspired epics being performed by a tight, well-oiled machine that knows exactly how to stir the senses and stimulate the mind of the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://larsfredrikfroislie.bandcamp.com/album/quattro-racconti The splendid and gloriously appealing Fire Fortellinger opus from 2023 by Wobbler keyboard maestro Lars Fredrik Frøislie is one of those all-around remarkable experiences that I return to at least once a week, and new layers and nuances are discovered every time I do so. With its warm, vibrant, and analogue…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://ringvanmbius.bandcamp.com/album/firebrand The legendary Norwegian proggers collectively known as Ring Van Möbius have consistently made remarkable albums of which no two were alike, and that turns out to be the case with Firebrand also, which came out in early October via Apollon Records Prog. The record differs from everything that came before…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://robec.bandcamp.com/album/the-forest-is-too-loud This one did not entirely come out of the blue as I was fortunate enough to get to listen to a few snippets and extracts from it when stopping by for coffee and a chat at Gymnocal Industries’ headquarters on two or three occasions, and I was immediately hooked and started…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://goatmilker.bandcamp.com/album/goatmilker From the wonderful albeit rain-soaked city of Bergen comes a strangely invigorating and energetic outfit named Goatmilker, and if for some reason their charming moniker is not enough to convince you that these chaps are fucking cool then their songs undoubtedly will. Somewhere between raw and catchy stoner rock and progressive…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://glutton.bandcamp.com/album/skiva-heter-vishnu The musically eclectic and consistently playful Norwegian trio known as Glutton are experts at churning out highly dynamic and oftentimes explosive songs that shift seamlessly between hard-hitting jazz rock, old-school prog, and a wee bit of psychedelia for good measure, and the results are not merely satisfying but also thoroughly intoxicating.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://asira.bandcamp.com/ What we have here is a highly interesting and uniquely crafted release that displays passion and ambition in equal measure. Somewhere between post-black metal, modern progressive rock, and experimental shoegaze lies this epic and emotionally intense opus titled As Ink in Water by the Reading-based outfit intriguingly named Asira. Sweeping melodies,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://panzerpappa.bandcamp.com/album/landsbysladder It has been a long time since I last sat with a new record by the lovely Norwegian proggers known as Panzerpappa between my hands, but I can honestly that this time around has been the most exciting and stimulating one yet. Landsbysladder, which roughly translates to village gossip, sees the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/terminal-twilight-remaster Originally released fourteen years ago, Terminal Twilight marked a return of sorts as White Willow had more or less ceased activities for a while following the release of Signal to Noise (2006), and although it is hardly the most accessible entry in the group’s varied discography, Terminal Twilight is the most…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/vintersorganic/ The first time I came across Vintersorg main man Andreas Hedlund’s fabulous singing was when I saw Borknagar perform live in Aalborg, Denmark, on the back of their splendidly melodic Quintessence album in what seems like another lifetime. But that was then, this is now, and the first new material by…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://deeppurple.com/ A much-overlooked entry in Purple’s impressive catalog is the classy and well-written Rapture of the Deep, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. What better way to mark that occasion than remixing and remastering the entire thing and including a handful of bonus track?”! I have always felt that their…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://ritualsweden.bandcamp.com/merch/ritual-the-hemulic-voluntary-band-cd A most playful, eclectic, and wildly entertaining release inspired by Tove Jansson’s immortal Moomin universe, this remastered issue of the fourth album by Swedish prog rockers Ritual, which originally came out in 2007, delivers a fabulously good time with just the right amount of subtle darkness and melancholy seeping in when…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://whispersofgranite.bandcamp.com/album/liquid-stone What a marvelous musical treat Liquid Stone is. Whispers of Granite consists of two immensely skilled individuals, namely Norwegian vocalist and vocal composer Trude Eidtang and German keyboardist and composer Andreas Hack, and this debut offering of theirs is a superb example of how to weave art rock, prog, brooding folk…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://apollonrecords.no/products/lorentzen-leave-nobody-behind-cd Apollon Records were kind enough to hand me a copy of Leave Nobody Behind, which was composed and crafted by the talented Eivind Lorentzen (ex-Gentle Knife, Oldenborre, and Synsbedragerne), and the idea behind the album and lyrics seemed a rather interesting and intriguing one on paper. Floating somewhere between atmospheric prog,…
Up from the ashes comes a most unwelcome specter of the past, namely a 10-track compilation containing re-mixed and re-mastered songs dating from 2008-2010 by the now-defunct ambient/post-rock entity known as Sagntid, which was released on June 26. Consisting of the entire debut album titled The Slipstream World of Sagntid and three additional compositions lifted from…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://helheim.bandcamp.com/album/hrabnar-ad-vesa It is a thrillingly peculiar thing when one receives a promotional disc for a new album by Viking metal legends Helheim in the sense that you never quite know to expect from them except for all-out quality, which is a great thing, because these veterans never fail to amaze this scribe…
In what has become a tradition of sorts, this scribe caught up with renowned keyboard player Mark Stanway who is primarily known for his magnificent work with such legendary acts as Magnum and Grand Slam. Since 2018 he has been occupied with a fabulous musical outfit known as Kingdom of Madness, and this talented ensemble…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.jonanderson.com/ None other than the legendary and inimitable Jon Anderson assembled a group a few years ago endearingly named the Band Geeks and recorded something akin to a Yes fan’s wet dream in the shape of this superb-sounding live album. A collection of epics and classics by Yes sure sounds good, does…
Inspired by a handful of trips to Newcastle upon Tyne and Tynemouth these past few years and more specifically the rich history surrounding those parts of England and the whole cultural landscape in the Northeast, a morose and reverb-drenched collection of tunes collectively known as From the Windswept Shore of Tynemouth has presented itself. In…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://andersbuaas.bandcamp.com/album/trollringen The epic and ambitious trilogy titled The Witches of Finnmark (2017-2019) by the immensely talented Anders Buaas was a captivating musical saga, and I was therefore rather curious as to whether something sporting the intriguing title Trollringen would somehow follow in that same vein or perhaps be more akin to the…
Blue Öyster Cult, the legendary American rock band formed in the early ’70s, has always occupied a unique space in rock history. Known for their fusion of hard rock, proto-metal, and psychedelic influences – not to mention their love of science fiction and the occult (cough Godzilla cough) – BÖC has built a legacy around…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://moonsoon1.bandcamp.com/album/east-of-asteroid Fervently dynamic and emotionally potent, this quietly thrilling debut album by Moonsoon is neither short on finesse nor heart. An output of great depth then, and even though it shows major affection for the Floydian soundscapes of the seventies and eighties, it never shows off or reads as pastiche, nor does…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://tusm-rke.bandcamp.com/album/en-pakt-med-naturen Norwegian proggers Tusmørke are not only one of the most prolific and creative outfits in this green and pleasant land of ours but also one of the very best and most rewarding listens there is. Their discography is both vast and unique, and their take on psychedelic folk prog is as…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://pymlicomusic.bandcamp.com/ Core is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian prog rockers Pymlico to have been released by Apollon Records (and the ensemble’s eighth overall as far as I recall), and it is easily the group’s most organic, accessible, and memorable output to date, which is saying something. The brilliant and intuitive interplay…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://softffog.bandcamp.com/album/focus Considering the fact that these kick-ass Norwegian jazz proggers wrote and recorded such a stunning and unique debut album as they did back in 2022, it should come as no surprise that some of us had high hopes for this sophomore effort of theirs and expected great things. Soft Ffog are…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://larsfredrikfroislie.bandcamp.com/album/gamle-mester The immensely talented Lars Fredrik Frøislie of Wobbler fame released one of the most delightful and perfectly evocative albums of 2023, namely the stunning Fire Fortellinger. The follow-up titled Gamle Mester landed on my desk a few days ago, and after multiple spins I can safely conclude and inform you that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://agusaband.bandcamp.com/ Agusa is a most engrossing and delightful addition to the already impressive prog rock roster of Karisma Records. Formed in Sweden back in 2013 and having released several noteworthy songs and gems since then, this musically adventurous ensemble takes us right back to the late 60s and early 70s by means…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://oakinoslo.bandcamp.com/album/the-third-sleep It seems like only yesterday that I had the great pleasure of reviewing the previous album by these talented prog rockers, namely the stately The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise (2022). With its deep-seated melancholy, genuine sense of yearning, and utterly captivating songs, said output was something to be admired and a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://floodgatemoodsproductions.bandcamp.com/ To Leave One Living Thing, the latest 2-track EP by Danish/Norwegian post-rockers Picture Ann, is out now via all the usual digital shops and retailers including Bandcamp and Spotify. The two tracks that constitute this hypnotic gem explore the notion of legacy and what each one of us leaves behind, be…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://sykofantband.bandcamp.com/ The previous effort by the musically devious Norwegian prog rockers Sykofant, namely the self-titled album from last year, inhabited and exuded so many wonderful traits and positives that it became one of the highlights of 2024 to this scribe. The ferventness and vigor of said record also permeates this delightfully…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/77WTLOCAmi8iysa1VuxNuX?si=FU3Huoz3TfaFebp8TSdHwA Udenfor, the latest 2-track EP by Danish/Norwegain post-rockers Picture Ann, is out December 18. The title track came about one late afternoon when walking through a wintry cityscape, pondering the impact of Don DeLillo’s The Body Artist on yours truly and how that overlooked literary gem eloquently and elegantly thematizes…
