WATCH HERE: FRIDAY, 19th NOVEMBER 2021
WATCH HERE: SATURDAY, 20th NOVEMBER 2021
FRIDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2021
Turbulence are:
Omar Hage – lead vocals
Alain Ibrahim – guitar/backing vocals
Mood Yassin – keyboards
Anthony Atwe – bass/backing vocals
Sayed Jreige – drums
Turbulence is a prog metal band from Metn, Lebanon, founded by guitarist Alain Ibrahim and keyboardist Mood Yassin in 2013.
Starting off with 4 highly acclaimed live shows titled “Dream Theater Night” with some of the best local musicians, Alain and Mood soon joined forces with singer Omar El Hajj to write and produce their debut album “Disequilibrium”, which was released to highly positive reviews in 2015, dubbing them as one of the most proficient and promising prog bands in the Middle East.
In a region not famous for this genre of music, Turbulence emerged and left a mark with performances that rival the best prog acts in the world, completing their line-up with Sayed Gereige (drums) and Anthony Atwe (bass) before going on to write and produce their sophomore album “Frontal”, which portrays the band’s ability to combine compelling musical storytelling with modern sounds and production and was released in March 2021 through Frontiers Records.
Moron Police are:
Sondre Skollevoll – Vocals, Guitars
Thore Omland Pettersen – Drums
Lars Bjørknes – Keyboards
Christian Holtsteen – Bass
Moron Police is an award-winning Norwegian prog/pop-rock band considered to be one of Scandinavia’s top live acts. Previously released albums were embraced by fans and critics alike and have earned the band international press coverage and radio play. The band is also known for its unique cover design and art. And their latest album was nominated for both “Album of the Year” and “Artwork of the Year” by The Independent Music Awards!
Or, as the band would describe themselves: Weird band from Norway that makes weird music that some people enjoy.
Sinoptik are:
Dmytriy Afanasiev-Gladkykh – Vocals, guitar, keys
Babayev Ruslan – Drums, backing vocals
Aleksand Savin – Bass, backing vocals
Sinoptik was formed in Donetsk in 2012 and right now based in Kyiv.
Ukrainian rock power trio SINOPTIK, who won the title “The world best rock band” in Berlin (by the version of Global Battle of the Bands), the only independent Ukrainian band who rocked the 80000 people Olympics Stadium in Kiev. Uriah Heep, Marilyn Manson, Within Temptation, Jinjer – are among those rock music giants who noticed Sinoptik and invited them as special guests to share the stage.
The band released 4 full-lenght albums, EP "From Nothing to Forever" and singles. The newest album "The Calling" came out June 11, 2021 and got a lot of reviews from all around the world.
Kingcrow are:
Diego Marchesi – Vocals
Diego Cafolla – Guitars
Ivan Nastasi – Guitars
Riccardo Nifosì – Bass
Cristian Della Polla – Keyboards
Thundra – Drums
The first incarnation of the band was founded in Rome, Italy, by Diego Cafolla (guitars) and Manuel Thundra Cafolla (drums) under the name of "Earth Shaker". Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem "Raven", the band's name was soon altered into Kingcrow and a couple of self-produced demos/albums were recorded. In 2007 and 2008, together with new bassist Angelo Orlando and the new keyboard player Cristian Della Polla, and guitar player Ivan Nastasi, the band performed several live shows at the biggest Italian hard rock-heavy metal music festivals.
After singer Diego Marchesi joined the band in 2009, Kingcrow released their albums “Phlegethon” (2010), “In Crescendo” (2012) and "Eidos" (2015), all of which were met with much acclaim in the prog scene and accompanied with tours with big names such as Redemption, Jon Oliva’s Pain and Pain Of Salvation and a European headliner tour in 2015. The band also played at the ProgPower Europe festival in the Netherlands (2011) and at ProgPower USA in 2012.
Their latest album “The Persistence” was released in 2018 and once again received great reviews and ended on a lot of “best of 2018” lists on magazines and webzines. With each release, Kingcrow have created their own blend of their many musical influences and taken a step further away from their roots. Today, they are regarded as one of the most exciting bands that Italy has to offer.
Luna’s Call are:
Neil Purdy – Guitar and vocals
Jamie Batt – Drums
Liam Underdown – Guitar
Brad Laver – Bass and vocals
Luna's Call are a progressive death metal band from the East Midlands of the UK. Forming a fusion of technical death metal and classic progressive rock, the band creates a distinctive sound in today’s modern metal scene.
Since the self-release of 2016’s ‘Divinity’, Luna's Call have been performing across the country making a name for themselves and confirming their place in the UK prog death scene. Showcasing their ability to not only perform songs ranging from the brutal and complex to the intricate and beautiful, but to also comfortably share the stage with bands of varying genres.
Their new album 'Void' is a highly ambitious opus crafted from extreme technical wizardry and an eclectic sound palette that reaches from progressive rock, technical death metal and neo-classical. 'Void' was mixed and mastered by legendary producer Russ Russell (Napalm Death, At The Gates, Amorphis).
Listeners will stand in awe of the complexity and dynamic ebb and flow that Luna's Call conjure, pushing their sound and scope further forward with an even grander and more epic statement. 'Void' is a delightful showcase of pummeling drums, shredding riffs, spacey synths and varied vocal styles, across a record that explores themes of observing the Earth's environmental destruction from the vastness of outer space.
Few bands in the UK's heavy underground have quite managed to reach the dizzying technical heights of progressive death metal quartet Luna's Call.
Feather Mountain are:
Jens Baalkilde Andersen – Guitar
Andreas Dahl-Blumenberg – Bass
Christian Dahl-Blumenberg – Drums
Mikkel Aaen Lohmann – Vocals
Feather Mountain becomes one with sorrow
Feather Mountain plays progressive metal and is situated in Copenhagen, Denmark. Their debut album garnered international recognition and impressed the metal scene with a unique aesthetic. In 2021 the band are hungry to set foot on stage again and are planning the release of their second album which centers around a crushing disease affecting the family. On this project Feather Mountain is fused with sorrow and anger as well as hope for a better tomorrow.
Feather Mountain was formed in 2017 and consists of singer Mikkel, bass player Andreas, guitarist Jens and drummer Christian. Their music signature and style is one of duality. Vocals are both vulnerable and powerful as dreamy introspective phrases coincide with rageful climaxes where screams, growls and vocal arrangements all come together in unique expression. Contrasts also exist in the instrumental group where jazzy drums and ambient guitars clash with heavy riffs, slap bass and double pedal play.
Feather Mountain breaks with the common perception of what it means to be a male in the metal scene as we push for a more nuanced view on gender and the masculine, giving way for portraying vulnerability and the feminine This can be seen and heard through our lyrics and live performance as well as in our music video In Passing. Feather Mountain is planning album release, two music video single releases, documentary and release show and tour for 2022.
Photo: Linc Morse
The Stranger are:
Tom Frayne – Vocals
Kalen Austin – Guitar/backing vocals
Andrew Taylor – Guitar
Linc Morse – Bass
Daniel O’Brien – Drums
Filmed by Adrian Goleby
Edited by Linc Morse
Recorded, Mixed and Produced by Kalen Austin
Brisbane based Progressive Metal Quintet, The Stranger, embarked upon their journey in 2013 with the goal of exploring musical expression by leaving no stone unturned. Incorporating influences such as Opeth and Dream Theater, the band has forged a respected name for themselves in the Australian Metal Scene with their eclectic mix of progressive metal, djent, folk, acoustic, and funk. Since their inception, The Stranger has captivated audiences with their energetic live performances and tasteful interplay of instrumental virtuosity and lyrical story telling. The band released their highly acclaimed debut album ‘The Stranger’ in 2017, mixed by David Castillo (Katatonia, Opeth, Eluveitie) and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Caligula’s horse), it is a true representation of their musical endeavours.
Following a successful release of "The Stranger", the band shared stages with Australian and International Progressive Metal Powerhouses such as Caligula’s Horse, Voyager, Ne Obliviscaris, Monuments and The Ocean including festivals such as ProgFest and winning Brisbane's Wacken Battle of the Bands. With their much anticipated sophomore album "Kaleidoscope", the band is set to make a mark on the Australian Heavy Music World and beyond!
Photo: Juliette Rowland
Ask the Slave are:
Elvar Atli Ævarsson – Guitar & vocals
Hálfdán Árnason – Bass
Ragnar Ólafsson – Lead vocals
Skúli Gíslason – Drums
Valur Árni Guðmundsson – Guitar
Dubbed “brain-stimulating musical perverts” by local media, this original problem child of Icelandic progressive rock has been making music true to their credo of “wtf?!” Critics who get it have hailed the band and compared them to Tool, Faith No More, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and even Frank Zappa. The band's eclectic music manages to be at the same time heavy and dark, soft, beautiful, serious, angry and silly.
Ask the Slave recently got singed by the Norwegian label Crime Records and released third album “Good Things Bad People” earlier this year.
Framing Skeletons are:
Jeremy Burke – Vocals/Guitars
Bryan Holub – Drums/Back vocal
Ethan Berry – Bass
Framing Skeletons is a progressive metal band from Houston, Texas that fuses the complex polyrhythms and soul-crushing heaviness of djent with the thematic consistency and experimentation of traditional progressive rock. With an ever-changing sound and a prolific output, Framing Skeletons embodies the old adage: “If you don’t like the weather in Houston, just wait five minutes.” If Framing Skeletons isn’t making music that moves you at the moment, just wait, and the band will soon release something more to your fancy.
From the more traditional prog metal of The Blueprint Exchange (2019), to the chugging, bottom-heaviness of Osmium (2020), to the mysterious and languid beauty of Luminescence (2021), Framing Skeletons is amassing an impressive and diverse oeuvre sure to please even the most discerning of metal fans around the globe.
SATURDAY, 20 NOVEMBER 2021
Photo: Petter Sandell
Green Carnation are:
Kjetil Nordhus – vocals
Tchort – guitars
Bjørn Harstad – guitars
Stein Roger Sordal – bass
Kenneth Silden – keys
Jonathan A. Perez – drums
Festival line-up:
Kjetil Nordhus – vocals
Stein Roger Sordal – guitars and vocals
Trond Breen – guitars
Kenneth Silden – keys and vocals
After almost 10 years of total silence, Norwegian prog/avantgarde metal act Green Carnation announced their comeback to the international metal scene for the 15th anniversary of their cult classic Light of Day, Day of Darkness in 2016. And after a very successful comeback year with festival appearances and special shows both in Europe and North America, the band has now released news that they are composing new material and that they will be doing shows in the period until next album release.
Green Carnation from Kristiansand, Norway, was founded as early as 1990, but after founding member Tchort joined legends-to-be Emperor, for their Darkside Eclipse album, and continued in Satyricon and Einherjer, the band was shut down until their debut album, A Journey To The End Of The Night in 2000. Big parts of the line-up was changed until the bands epic Light of Day, Day of Darkness was released in 2001, and the band changed in a more rock’ish direction with A Blessing in Disguise (2003) and The Quiet Offspring (2005), before the stripped-down Acoustic Verses was released in 2006.
The band is also known for having released on of the more spectacular concert DVDs, recorded in the mountains in Norway, under a 30 meters high water dam, and with audience from all over the world. A Night Under The Dam was also released in 2006.
After the successful comeback in 2016, the band continued to do festivals and special shows throughout 2017 and 2018, before announcing in September 2019 that they were on their way to the studio to record a new album, their first in 14 years, to be released in 2020. The new album is recorded in DUB Studio, with producer Endre Kirkesola, which also produced their classic, Light of Day, Day of Darkness, and having since worked with bands like Abbath, In Vain and Solefald.
Leaves of Yesteryear was released in May 2020 through Season of Mist, and the band also released a self financed single, The World Without a View in December the same year. Green Carnation are expected to return to the live scene in 2022.
Photo: Peter de Reyna
The Beast of Nod are:
Paul Buckley – vocalist and loremaster
Dr. Gore – guitarist and composer
“Shoeless” Shane – live bassist
Nikhil Ranganathan – live drummer
The Beast of Nod is the world’s premier intergalactic death metal band. Drawing on technical and progressive death metal for the core of their sound, the California-based act creates shredtastic, bombastic music which focuses on telling the tales of the heroes, villains, and various species that inhabit the band’s exhaustively fleshed-out Universe (which, with the release of Multiversal in 2021, has been replaced by a Multiverse).
In 2021, The Beast of Nod released the full-length record Multiversal, which features Lord Marco (Rings of Saturn, Brain Drill) on drums and array of guest soloists including Joe Satriani and Michael Angelo Batio. The group has also released a critically acclaimed full-length Vampira: Disciple of Chaos (2018), a short compilation EP Cephalopod of Doom (2018), and a collaborative chiptune EP (2020). The lore behind the characters and events described in all of these releases is contained in the illustrated “Encyclopedia of Nod” on the band’s website.
Full-time members of Nod currently include Paul Buckley (vocalist and loremaster), Dr. Gore (guitarist and composer), and “Shoeless” Shane (live bassist).
6:33 are:
Florent Charlet – Vocals
Nicolas Pascal – Guitars and Vocals
Damien Legret – Keyboard
Manuel Gerard – Bass
Cedric Guillo – Drums
6:33 was born in 2010 in Paris. Their first album, "Orphan of Good Manners" (2011) gained them immediate acclaim by the press and the public. 6:33's music is described as a real UFO, without stylistic boundaries. Arno Strobl (We All Die (laughing), Cinc / Carnival In Coal...) was featured as a guest singer on some tracks and their collaboration had become an obvious osmosis.
When the band parted with its former singer, Arno and 6:33 decided to record some more songs together, resulting in the 2012 digital EP, "Giggles, Garlands and Gallows". Available for only a month, the EP got downloaded nearly 2500 times to a unanimous success. Both 6:33 and Arno Strobl decide the adventure can't end that way and the album "The Stench from the Swelling (a true story)" is released in 2013. Featuring both Arno Strobl and the band's new singer, Rorschach, it storms both the press and fans.
The mind-blowing scenic performances of the band and the increasing interest in its music leads 6:33 to open for artists such as Shaka Ponk or Devin Townsend. The third album, "Deadly Scenes" (2015) shows a real turning point for the band. Its popularity increases, while its musical and visual personality is getting stronger and more theatrical and cinematic. Their shows turn into a spectacle that Tim Burton would envy! This is once more proven with their performance "The Asylum Picture Show 2.0" (2017), showed for the first time at the Divan du Monde in Paris.
It took them almost 4 years since then to finish the new album: "Feary Tales For Strange Lullabies: The Dome", which has been released on October 1st 2021.
Photo: Alex Kleis
Chaosbay are:
Jan Listing – Vocals, guitars
Alexander Langner – Guitars
Matthias Heising – Bass
Patrick Bernath – Drums
Prog, Djent, Metal, Pop… The four guys from CHAOSBAY have kept the metal world in suspense since their second album ASYLUM 2020. The newcomers from Berlin/Germany shine with their razor-sharp riffing, exuberant virtuosity, and the gift of turning every song into an accessible emotional experience with their epic melodies despite all the complexity. ASYLUM received consistently positive reviews from the trade press (Rock Hard, Metal Hammer, Eclipsed, Visions…). The concept album was both, a great musical journey and in terms of content, a total work of art as unlike many other genre colleagues it dealt with an almost political topic which was the refugee crisis in Europe since 2015.
Chaosbay manage to combine a political stance with the power of ProgMetal and at the same time create timeless catchy tunes that are second to none. Their music invites the audience to instantly create pictures in their heads and therefore to become artists themselves.
Photo: Elin Laghammar
Karmanjakah are:
Viggo Örsan – guitar
Jonas Lundquist – vocals
Lukas Ohlsson – bass
Sebastian Brydniak – drums
Camera: Love Gruvberg
Set design & logo: Kassandra Widmark Utas
It’s bright rather than dark, dreamy rather than evil and sensitive rather than careless. And how this hopefulness and beauty overgrows the hard musical core of modern prog metal is really what makes it stand out. Karmanjakah is the sound of an abandoned metropolis, reclaimed by nature.
Founding members Viggo and Jonas grew up together in Stockholm, Sweden listening to all kinds of music. When they heard Meshuggah for the first time, something happened and they started writing music together. It all started as a one-off project to make a progressive metal release. After a long while of writing demos, Jonas and Viggo wanted to level up their ambition and were joined by bass player Lukas Ohlsson and drummer Sebastian Brydniak. Karmanjakah was formed during the recording of the debut EP "Karmanjakah" in 2016 and was received positively by the prog metal community. In 2018, the band released a music video for the song “The Mill” and played some first shows with bands like Ghost Iris, Time, the Valuator and Aviana.
A lot of songwriting, inspiration and logistics was going on behind the scenes, and in January 2019 the group started recording what would become the debut album “A Book About Itself” which finally dropped in February 2021. Inspired by our inner infinity, chaos theory & the recursion of life, and a world that feels like it’s constantly on the tipping point, the 10 tracks of dreamy but hard prog metal in “A Book About Itself” leave a bittersweet aftertaste of the reality of life and death.
Photo: Jonas Jeremiassen Tomter
MEER are:
Johanne-Margrethe Kippersund Nesdal – vocals
Knut Kippersund Nesdal – vocals
Eivind Strømstad – guitar
Åsa Ree – violin
Ingvild Nordstoga Eide – viola
Ole Gjøstøl – keyboards
Morten Strypet – bass
Mats Lillehaug – drums
Back in 2008, when MEER started out, the band was simply a duo known as TED GLEN EXTENDED, before expanding the lineup and becoming the MEER of today, with eight members including Johanne Kippersund on vocals, Knut Kippersund on vocals, Eivind Strømstad on guitar, Åsa Ree on violin, Ingvild Nordstoga Eide on viola, Ole Gjøstøl on keyboards, Morten Strypet on bass and Mats Lillehaug on drums.
With such a large lineup, it was inevitable that a variety of styles and influences would find their way into MEER’s material, creating a sound that is an eclectic mix of orchestral pop, classical music and progressive rock. It is a massive sound comprised of fantastic melodies and harmonies, not to mention quite a few surprises along the way.
Omnerod are:
Romain Jeuniaux – Vocals, guitars
Anthony Deneyer – Vocals, guitars
Pablo Schwilden Diaz – Drums
André Six – Bass guitars
Omnerod is a Progressive Metal band from Brussels, Belgium, created in 2009 and today driven by the tenacity and imagination of Romain Jeuniaux (Guitar and vocals), Pablo Schwilden (Drums), Anthony Deneyer (Guitar and vocals) and André Six (Bass).
Influenced by classic and modern progressive acts as well as inspiring sources from various other genres, Omnerod crafts richly layered and intricate songs that flow from beautiful melodies to roaring aggression. Always thriving to explore fresh musical grounds, Omnerod has for now released two albums exploring contrasted visions of progressive music, and is now working on a third full-length effort that should yet again showcase new artistic directions.
Acolyte are:
Morgan-Leigh Brown – Vocals
David Van Pelt – Keys & Synth
Jason Grondman – Bass
Chris Cameron – Drums & Percussion
Brandon Valentine – Guitar
Painting a vibrant musical landscape of theatrical melodies, crushing and melodic riffs, soaring leads and exemplary technical musicianship, Acolyte stands tall in the Australian music scene as a powerful and exploratory blend of classical and modern progressive music. Acolyte’s anticipated studio album „Entropy“ was out on May 14th via WildThing Records and Blood Blast Distribution. Mixed and Mastered by Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus).
Photo: Julian Helms
A Kew’s tag are:
Julian Helms – Lead Vocals
Johannes Weik – Guitar, Vocals
Florian Weik – Drums
Vincent Mehnert – Bass
Progressive Rock with acoustic guitar - that's new. Consisting of Julian Helms (lead vocals), Johannes Weik (guitar, vocals) and Florian Weik (drums), this trio explores the genre boundaries anew. Supported by bassist Vincent Mehnert, A kew's tag combine concert virtuosity with atmospheric melancholy at their concerts. After the self-released debut album, their second LP Silence of the Sirens was released under the label Magic Mile Music in 2015.
After several tours through Germany, in 2017 A kew's tag played at two of the most important national festivals in Progressive Rock, the Night of the Prog and Euroblast.
With their third album, the trio goes one step further. The concept album "HEPHIOZ", which was released on September 3rd, 2021, presents a musical-poetic story and the strongest and heaviest sound this band has ever had. Released on a limited 180g coloured vinyl in gatefold, "HEPHIOZ" has already convinced many critics and enthused the prog world.
Grace is a multi-instrumentalist from south-east London. As a child, she grew up in the world of classical music playing Piano and French Horn to high standards in various orchestral settings. Studying composers such as Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Bernstein.
She’s previously toured internationally across Europe in various concert bands, winning a gold award at the World Music Championships in Kerkrade, NL (2017) - in fact the highest score of any UK entrant across all categories that year.
Being a huge fan of progressive rock and metal in her teens, she realised that she didn’t possess the skills as an instrumentalist to write metal music. So naturally after completing two Grade 8 exams (in Piano and French Horn), she picked up Guitar and Bass aged 18. After a few years of building a rudimentary home studio, many hours of practicing, sound designing, and procrastinating - Grace finally got to work and started writing and self recording ‘Existence is Temporary’ in the summer of 2020.
Her debut EP is a musical representation of an extended existential crisis Grace had in 2017. A sudden realisation of how finite time can be, how much there is to explore in life, and what happens after we’re gone. Whilst this is an instrumental EP, there is storytelling behind the scenes through the use of spoken word, vocal snippets, sampling, and visuals in the form of some of the trailers and music videos.
Grace worked with Gareth Mason (Novena, Slice The Cake) and Jonas Johansson (Slice The Cake) from ‘The Bakery’ to handle the mixing and mastering of the EP. Jonah Robertson (Empire Bathtub) who performed the spoken word, and Andrew Scott who provided the drum parts. As despite Grace’s best efforts, she hasn’t gotten around to perfecting drums just yet...
Grace also worked with Yusuf Niazi, Joshua Wainwright, Ieva Ungurryte, and Helen Squires from ‘Pursued By A Dragon’, as well as Shelby Logan Warne (Kyros, Old Street Studios) in order to create the headline music video for the track ‘Where Am I?
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