Music
Prog
Ghosts In The Half Light
Released 20 years ago, Porcupine Tree's Deadwing was the album that Lava Records hoped would turn over a profit. Although things didn't quite work out that way, the band's eighth studio record did raise their profile and launch them to American audiences. Steven Wilson, Gavin Harrison, Lava's Andy Karp and scriptwriter Mike Bennion reflect on the journey that took Porcupine Tree from playing to 30 people to filling 1,500-capacity venues and even scoring a ride in Neil Peart's Aston Martin.
10+ min |
Issue 165
Prog
Morphin' Glory
Finnish progressive metal veterans Amorphis are 15 albums into a career like few others. As the band release Borderland, bassist Olli-Pekka Laine tells Prog, the nexus of death metal and neo-prog is a truly strange place to be.
5 min |
Issue 165
Prog
Emotional Rescue
On her seventh album, Welsh art-rocker Cate Le Bon has returned to her homeland after a period of living in California. On the emotional Michelangelo Dying, she comes to terms with a broken heart and even teams up with fellow countryman John Cale. The singer-songwriter tells Prog about what she refers to as her \"necessary exorcism\" and why she's looking forward to playing her new songs live.
5 min |
Issue 165
Prog
WARRINGTON-RUNCORN NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Ambient artist travels back to the 70s with synth-heavy utopian soundtracks.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
Gut Feeling
When Crown Lands found themselves without a label, they immersed themselves in total creative freedom, magic mushrooms and 80s King Crimson. The result is a widescreen three-album arc, starting with two psychedelic meditation records: Ritual I and Ritual II. Prog catches up with the duo to find out more about their epic prog dreams.
5 min |
Issue 165
Prog
BE PROG! MY FRIEND
After a successful comeback in 2024, Be Prog! is expanding carefully. Now set in a sci-fi-styled corner of the Poble Espanyol museum, organisers have added four extra bands and upgraded the food and chill-out zones. Across 12 colourful sets, the atmosphere at Catalonia's premier prog gathering is joyous.
3 min |
Issue 165
Prog
PINK FLOYD
Alienation, loss and a legendary live bootleg - the prog giants' post-Dark Side masterpiece gets the ultimate 50th-birthday box set treatment.
3 min |
Issue 165
Prog
BARRY PALMER
Triumvirat's former vocalist on doing The Bump, working with Mike Oldfield and his latest project with Magenta's Robert Reed.
4 min |
Issue 165
Prog
GONGOVERCOME TROUBLED TIMES
New album birthed from a period of personal challenges and heavy deadlines.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
Hand of Fate
Norwegian art-rockers Gazpacho stare fate in the face with their latest album, Magic 8-Ball, but things could have turned out very differently had it not been for Hollywood script-writers. Songwriter, producer and keyboard player Thomas Andersen discusses kismet, creating great art and never being afraid to rip things up and start again.
7 min |
Issue 165
Prog
THE BEYOND CRAWL
There was a strong sense of desperation lingering in the air at the end of the 80s.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
Tripping Yarns
When Cardiacs leader Tim Smith died in 2020, no one thought the long-awaited follow-up to Guns would see light of day. But Smith's brother Jim teamed up with bandmates Craig Fortnam and Kavus Torabi to piece together the fragments of music that had been left behind and now, after years of hard work, LSD is finally here. The team behind it tell Prog about the missing piece of Cardiacs' jigsaw and what else lies in store.
7 min |
Issue 165
Prog
ANDY GLASS (SOLSTICE)
The great and good of progressive music give us a glimpse into their prog worlds. As told to Grant Moon.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
RADIANT THOUGHT
Shaped by international collaboration, the Portuguese project blends atmospheric prog metal with raw emotion.
1 min |
Issue 165
Prog
THE GIFT REFLECT ON LIFE'S JOURNEY
The influence of the Bard is keenly felt on their new album, their first since 2019.
1 min |
Issue 165
Prog
BIG BIG TRAIN RETURN WITH THEIR FIRST-EVER NARRATIVE CONCEPT ALBUM
The band have taken cues from the work of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch's for their latest musical statement.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
No Safety Net
He's one of prog's visionaries, and now a key period in Peter Hammill's creative life is being celebrated in a new 20-disc box set. The Charisma & Virgin Recordings 1971-1986 collates 13 of his early solo albums along with a selection of era-specific rarities, and, what's more, a new authorised biography has also just hit the shelves. Prog catches up with the Van der Graaf frontman to unbox his early years as a solo artist.
7 min |
Issue 165
Prog
STEVE BINGHAM
One-time No-Man touring musician experiments with looping for violin.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
VOWER
Black Peaks, Toska and Palm Reader members unite for heavy, emotional second life.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
SANS FROID
Powerful Bristol-based art-rockers bring their angst to prog.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
HOW TO POLISH A PINEAPPLE
Bruce Soord spruces up a fresh batch of The Pineapple Thief's classics with new set.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
OZRIC TENTACLES: Through The Magick Valley KSCOPE
Another hefty trawl through the most cosmic of catalogues.
1 min |
Issue 165
Prog
Take a Bow
Yes have been a progressive rock institution for nearly 60 years, so the only thing they need to prove at this point is whether their current line- up - vocalist Jon Davison, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist/ backing vocalist Billy Sherwood, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and drummer Jay Schellen are capable of doing justice live to their incredible catalogue.
3 min |
Issue 165
Prog
MAGNUS MARTIN SOLO LP INCOMING
New album heads into mythical areas as it draws from wider musical influences.
1 min |
Issue 165
Prog
Crowing Once More
Nine years after their unexpected reunion, Atomic Rooster have returned with their first studio album in more than 40 years. The spooky Circle The Sun shows off an Edgar Allan Poe-inspired gothic vibe with an updated line-up that fans say takes them right back to the 70s. Prog catches up with guitarist Boltz Bolton and drummer Paul Everett find out more.
5 min |
Issue 165
Prog
MAGNUS MARTIN SOLO LP INCOMING
New album heads into mythical areas as it draws from wider musical influences.
1 min |
Issue 165
Prog
IN MEMORY OF JOHN LODGE
As long-serving co-vocalist and bassist with The Moody Blues, John Lodge helped keep the Moodies' flame burning even after the band had stopped touring. His distinctive falsetto harmonies and bass-playing helped shape the band's iconic sound and cement their status. In addition to gigging right up to his unexpected death in October at the age of 82, he also released a handful of solo albums, including his 2023 updated version of Days Of Future Passed, which was praised by critics and fans alike.
7 min |
Issue 165
Prog
JAMES KENT
Perturbator's James Kent discovered Vangelis through his pioneering movie soundtracks - and the composer's music continues to inspire him.
2 min |
Issue 165
Prog
AURI
As the moonlight pierces through the stained glass windows of the Union Chapel with the stage illuminated by lanterns, Johanna Kurkela takes to the stage in a dazzling ballgown, opening the show with Those We Don’t Speak Of before the rest of Auri join her on this autumnal night.
2 min |
Issue 164
Prog
JHB GUITARIST DELVES DEEP
Nick Fletcher's fifth album, Mask of Sanity, is inspired by the psychologist Carl Jung.
1 min |