Tag: Prog-Rock
-
Queensrÿche ‘Empire’ (1990)
By the time Empire came out in 1990 Queensrÿche had already earned serious respect in the prog metal world for their precision, ambition, and sharp musicianship. What made this album stand out was how smoothly they blended those progressive roots with a more radio-friendly, melodic sound. Songs like “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity” showed…
Written by
·
-
Muse ‘Absolution’ (2003)
In the pantheon of great alternative rock bands in my generation there’s few who come close to Muse in my book. This is a band who simply isn’t just fun to listen to (although they most certainly are) but also frankly a band who made me recognize the transformative nature of what rock music can…
Written by
·
-
Nova Charisma ‘Metropolitan’ (2024)
Nova Charisma began in 2019 as a creative outlet for vocalist Donovan Melero (of Hail The Sun fame) and guitarist Sergio Medina, both known for their work in the progressive post-hardcore scene. While their main bands emphasized complex, layered arrangements, Nova Charisma aimed to explore a more accessible and direct songwriting approach. Between 2019 and…
Written by
·
-
WILLOW ’empathogen’ (2024)
I was in downtown Palo Alto last night for a Thai cooking class with my mom at Sur La Table. It was a great time, and as we were exiting the store we realized we were a block away from the Coldplay concert at Stanford Stadium and had to juggle our way through all the…
Written by
·
-
Frank Zappa ‘Apostrophe’ (1974)
Frank Zappa was part composer, part comedian, part critic of American culture, and fully unbothered by whether or not you cared. On “Apostrophe” Zappa refined his weirdness into commercial appeal.
Written by
·
-
Emerson, Lake & Palmer ‘Self-Titled’ (1970)
With Keith Emerson’s wild virtuosic organ work, Greg Lake’s soaring vocals and melodic bass, and Carl Palmer’s jazz-informed drumming, the dynamic trio blended classical music, jazz, and hard rock into something ambitious. The album moves from delicate acoustic moments to full-blown symphonic chaos that (at times) feels unapologetically over-the-top. The boys didn’t have any time…
Written by
·
-
Rush ‘Moving Pictures’ (1981)
I have never been the biggest Rush fan but goddamn have I always been a Neil Peart fan. When Peart joined Rush in 1974 the band transformed from a blues rock trio into a progressive rock powerhouse largely due to Peart’s intricate rhythms, polyrhythmic mastery and unmatched precision behind the kit. He was a professor…
Written by
·
-
The Mothers of Invention ‘Freak Out’ (1966)
Led by Frank Zappa’s razor-sharp wit and avant-garde musical sensibilities The Mothers of Invention took rock and roll and dismantled it. Combining a mix of doo-wop, blues, musique concrète, and political satire, Zappa transformed the band from a blues rock outfit to a conceptual juggernaut, catapulting them towards an experimental sound which defied commercial expectations…
Written by
·
-
Coheed and Cambria ‘In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3’ (2003)
Coheed and Cambria blend progressive rock, post-hardcore, and a deep love for sci-fi storytelling. Their albums follow The Amory Wars, a sprawling space opera written by lead singer and frontman Claudio Sanchez. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 is no exception, packed with soaring melodies, intricate guitar work, and dramatic, theatrical vocals. It’s ambitious,…
Written by
·
-
Queen ‘Queen’ (1973)
Queen’s journey began with a chance encounter in London’s dirty rock clubs. Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor were part of a band called Smile when a charismatic fan named Freddie Mercury entered the picture. A visionary with a flair for the dramatic, Freddie suggested the band adopt a more theatrical approach to their…
Written by
·
-
Dredg ‘Catch Without Arms’ (2005)
Growing up in the Bay Area I always felt a special connection to the local music scene and the bands that came from it. Dredg was one of those band for me– they formed just down the road from my hometown in Los Gatos, CA and had a pretty big pop into the mainstream when…
Written by
·
-
Tool ‘Lateralus’ (2001)
Maynard James Keenan is one of alternative rock’s most enigmatic and influential figures. The dude the genre over the past three decades with his distinct voice, intellectual lyricism, and multifaceted artistry. As the frontman of three pretty killer rock bands (Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer) he has a chameleon-like ability to shift between various forms–…
Written by
·
-
Pink Floyd ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ (1973)
Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon stands as one of the most profound explorations of human fragility ever captured. It’s one of my favorite albums of all-time for literally a hundred reasons, an introspective and powerful concoction of musical genius mixed with thematic brilliance. This is an album that makes you think and…
Written by
·
-
Yes ‘Close to the Edge’ (1972)
Close to the Edge is a cornerstone of progressive rock, a sprawling masterpiece that pushed the boundaries of what rock music (and more broadly music in general) could achieve. Released in 1972, the album’s sprawling three epic tracks showcased virtuosic musicianship, complex compositions, and a sense of ambition that was unprecedented at the time and…
Written by
·
-
Genesis ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ (1974)
A lot of people remember Genesis for their pop breakout 1986 album Invisible Touch but forget that ahead of that mainstream success they were a heavyweight prog-rock band with an embarrassment of riches on the talent side of the house. Any band that has Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins on its roster of musicians is…
Written by
·
-
Meat Loaf ‘Bat Out of Hell’ (1977)
Bat Out of Hell is the first edition of the musical trilogy that made Meat Loaf a household name over the course of four decades. Bat Out of Hell and its two companion albums (1993’s Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell which features his most famous song “”I’d Do Anything for Love (But…
Written by
·
-
The Nice ‘The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack’ (1968)
In the summer of 1968 prog-rock’s foundation was still being laid. Using elements of psychedelic pop that came to prominence off the heels of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and combining it with Cream’s affinity for blues-rock jamming found on Disraeli Gears, The Nice wedged themselves between the two and in the…
Written by
·
-
Hail the Sun ‘Wake’ (2014)
If you mistake Hail the Sun for an Anthony Green project like Circa Survive or Saosin you’re not alone– upon first hearing “Rolling Out the Red Carpet” I thought I’d stumbled upon one of his many side projects. Lead singer Donovan Melero is a dead ringer for Green vocally (always a good thing) and the…
Written by
·
-
Circa Survive ‘On Letting Go’ (2007)
When former Saosin lead singer Anthony Green left Saosin to form a new project in the mid-2000’s it was soul-crushing to 15 year old me. I was an avid fan of their 2003 EP Translating The Name and couldn’t imagine a world in which they wouldn’t be making music together. It all worked out in…
Written by
·
-
Corelia ‘Nostalgia’ (2011)
I first stumbled on Corelia a few years after college and can’t really recall how I found them. But I purchased the album digitally in 2012 on my iTunes account (remember when people did that?!?!) and I’m constantly reminded of them every time I connect my phone to the Bluetooth speakers in my car. Nostalgia…
Written by
·
-
Elder ‘Reflections of a Floating World’ (2017)
It’s rare that I hear a band for the very first time and am immediately impressed by their ingenuity– listening to a full album every day for 450 days in a row will do that to you, especially when you supplement that already staggering habit with hits of singles throughout the day. But when I…
Written by
·
-
Mahavishnu Orchestra ‘Birds of Fire’ (1973)
Led by jazz fusion legend John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra was one of the pre-eminent jazz fusion groups operating in the early 70’s. Prior to the band’s formation McLaughlin had played in jazz icon Miles Davis’ band during the bulk of the 1960’s, and after going out on his own to form a solo career, formed…
Written by
·
-
The Alan Parsons Project ‘Eye In The Sky’ (1982)
For those unfamiliar with The Alan Parsons Project you’ll immediately recognize the first song off Eye In The Sky entitled “Sirius”. It’s ubiquitous with American sporting events, first becoming popular during the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990’s and later as any introduction during an entrance to any big sporting event, and it…
Written by
·
-
Carmen ‘Fandangos In Space’ (1973)
When you think of flamenco and prog-rock it’s usually not in the same sentence. And yet here we are. And you’ll be happy you came. Carmen’s decidedly out there (and utterly excellent) 1973 album Fandangos In Space is something only the wild early 70’s prog-rock explosion could produce, and the world is absolutely better off…
Written by
·
-
My Chemical Romance ‘The Black Parade’ (2006)
The Black Parade was emo’s answer to The Who’s Tommy, a concept album that sounded more like a Broadway musical production than a standard rock record. From soaring guitars to a rollicking rhythm section to Gerard Way’s distinctive gritty falsetto and dramatic enunciation, The Black Parade was Vaudeville on steroids and one of the most…
Written by
·
-
Jethro Tull ‘Aqualung’ (1971)
If you’ve ever listened to a man play a flute and say “goddamn that would sound dope as hell in a rock and roll band” then boy do I have an album for you. Jethro Tull’s 1971 prog-rock classic Aqualung is notable for many things– its reflection on spirituality and the sometimes fraught relationship it…
Written by
·
-
Goose ‘Dripfield’ (2022)
It’s rare that a jam band can translate what makes them special throughout the course of an entire studio album. There’s something that is indelible about witnessing a live performance from a band like Goose or Grateful Dead that transcends the experience of listening of music through headphones– the buzz of spontaneity that permeates the…
Written by
·
-
Minus the Bear ‘Omni’ (2010)
Minus the Bear’s alternative prog rock bonafides had been well established by the time 2010’s Omni was released. As a high schooler I burned up their debut album Highly Refined Pirates, which featured math rock staples such as “Monkey!!!Knife!!!Fight!!!” and “Absinthe Party At The Fly Honey Warehouse”. These were the days when alternative indie bands…
Written by
·
-
Dream Theater ‘Images and Words’ (1992)
Dream Theater is one of the “Big Three” in prog metal, and alongside Queensrÿche and Fates Warning helped prog metal become more than just a small niche genre stuck in between the demise of 80’s glam metal and 90’s alternative rock. Images and Words is an eclectic grab bag of prog rock influences– from New…
Written by
·
-
Polyphia ‘Remember That You Will Die’ (2022)
Polyphia is one of the (if not the) most popular instrumental prog-rock bands operating today and their 2022 album Remember That You Will Die underscores just why– it’s filled with hooks aplenty and simply virtuosic instrumental performances. Guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage absolutely shred throughout the entirety of this 39-minute affair, taking their metal…
Written by
·
-
Peter Gabriel ‘So’ (1986)
So is a dichotomy. On one hand it is a pop record with massive hooks. On the other hand, it is a nuanced prog-pop album that features sonic choices that challenge the listener to re-imagine what a song could be. I’m not sure if there’s been album that has walked the tightrope between artistic integrity…
Written by
·
