February, 2025 | Progressive Rock Central.com

CD Reviews

Whitewater’s Dark Planet Expands the Horizons of Ambient Prog

Whitewater – Dark Planet (Bad Elephant Music September 2020) Dark Planet, released on September 16, 2020, by British duo Whitewater, marked an ambitious evolution of…

The album cover for Parasomnia by Dream Theater depicts a dark, decayed room with high ceilings, peeling walls, and an eerie atmosphere. A large arched window allows dim light to cast dramatic shadows across the wooden floor. In the center, two old metal-framed beds sit in disarray, with tangled sheets suggesting unrest. A ghostly woman in a flowing white nightgown hovers barefoot, arms outstretched, her face vacant.

CD Reviews

Dream Theater – “Parasomnia”

Professor Mark February 27, 2025 No Comments "Parasomnia"Cinematic Progressive Metal Dream Theater James LaBrie John Myung John Petrucci Jordan Rudess Mike Portnoy progressive metal Progressive rock symphonic rock

Something many fans of Dream Theater, never thought would have happened again, has happened. Drummer Mike Portnoy has returned to the band and the band…

Bokani Dyer - Radio Sechaba cover artwork. A photo of the artist playing a keyboard.

CD Reviews

Bokani Dyer’s Radio Sechaba Tunes Into South Africa

Kevin Baker February 25, 2025 No Comments Bokani Dyer contemporary jazz South African music world jazz

Bokani Dyer – Radio Sechaba (Brownswood Recordings, 2023) Multi-award-winning pianist and composer Bokani Dyer expands his musical vision with Radio Sechaba, a 15-track album that…

The album cover for Unity by Yosef Gutman Levitt & Itay Sher features a minimalist gradient design. The background transitions from deep blue at the top to a lighter turquoise hue towards the bottom. A small, subtle circular shape, possibly representing a moon or planet, is visible near the lower part of the cover. In the bottom right corner, a warm orange hue appears, contrasting against the cool blue tones. The typography is clean and understated, with the album title Unity centered in white uppercase letters, while the artists' names are positioned discreetly in the upper corners

CD Reviews

Sounds of Devotion: Yosef Gutman Levitt & Itay Sher Reimagine Hasidic Nigunim

Angel Romero February 24, 2025 No Comments contemporary jazz Hasidic music Itay Sher Jewish music western classical music Yosef Gutman Levitt

Yosef Gutman Levitt & Itay Sher – Unity (Soul Song Records, 2024) Bassist Yosef Gutman Levitt and guitarist Itay Sher take a contemporary, orchestral approach…

The album cover for Imaginaerium - The Siege features a fantasy-inspired battle scene. A massive metallic sphere with intricate engravings and a fiery opening looms at the center, seemingly an otherworldly siege weapon. Surrounding it, Roman-style soldiers clad in red capes and armed with spears and shields advance through swirling blue mist. Towering stone fortresses, adorned with flags and statues, frame the scene, while the sky burns with a crimson inferno.

Interviews

Imaginaerium – “Siege” – Interview

Professor Mark February 24, 2025 No Comments Clive Nolan Imaginaerium Imaginaerium – "Siege"Laura Piazzai Luis Nasser Mark Monforti Mirko Sangrigoli Neil Monaghan Simone Milliava

Welcome, to The Noble Shire of Progressive Discussion! Welcome, Clive Nolan and Laura Piazzai, founding members of Imaginaerium; Simone Milliava, guitarist; Mirko Sangrigoli, second guitarist…

The album cover for Repeat After Me by Kneebody features a modernist design with a black background. The artwork includes six colorful, bisected circles arranged in two rows, using blue, green, yellow, orange, and pink hues. The typography is retro-futuristic: "kneebody" appears in lowercase, cream-colored letters, while "repeat after me" is set in a red rectangle with rounded white text. A geometric, textured white shape extends from the right side. The right edge also features the text "GROUND UP MUSIC," indicating the record label.

Music Videos

Kneebody Launches New Single, “Repeat After Me”

Prog News February 23, 2025 No Comments

“Repeat After Me,” the first single from Kneebody’s upcoming album, is available now. Saxophonist Ben Wendel shared, “Just a cheeky title for a cheeky song!…

The album cover for Big Blue Sky by Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham features a desert landscape with a towering pile of guitars—both acoustic and electric—stacked atop scattered rocks and debris. Many of the instruments are painted in shades of blue. The sky is vast and bright, stretching endlessly over the barren terrain.

CD Reviews

Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham – “Big Blue Sky”

Professor Mark February 22, 2025 No Comments Big Blue Sky blues Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham - "Big Blue Sky"Sam Blue Sam Brown Sam White UK

Last year I wrote my first review for Doris Brendel and Lee Dunham. It was for their album, Pigs Might Fly. It was a fascinating…

Stratospheerius by Jody Gianni LR. Band photo outside, sitting and standing by a building.

Music Videos

“Voodoo Vortex” Casts a Spell on Prog-Rock Fans

Prog News February 22, 2025 No Comments electric violin jazz-rock Joe Deninzon Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius Progressive rock

Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius’ latest music video, “Voodoo Vortex (Part 1),” from the album Impostor!, channels the spirit of 1970s progressive rock, fusion, and classic…

Cosmic Cathedral by Chad Hoerner. Band photo outdoors near some goods.

Music Videos

Making Waves: Cosmic Cathedral Drops ‘Deep Water Suite’ Video

Prog News February 21, 2025 No Comments Byron House Chester Thompson Cosmic Cathedral Neal Morse Phil Keaggy Progressive rock symphonic rock

Progressive rock supergroup Cosmic Cathedral has released the video for Deep Water Suite: Launch Out, Pt. One, the first segment of their 38-minute epic composition.…

The album cover for Beat Mirage by Mina Cho’s Grace Beat Quartet is a minimalist design. It features a dark, almost black background with jagged, cracked glass-like textures running across the image. A spectral burst of rainbow light emerges in the upper left portion. The album title, Beat Mirage, appears in bold yellow uppercase letters.

CD Reviews

Grace Under Pressure: Mina Cho & The Beat Mirage

Charlie Melville February 20, 2025 No Comments gugak Insoo Kim Korean jazz Korean music Max Ridley Mina Cho Mina Cho & Grace Beat Quartet piano world fusion world jazz Yeongjin Kim

Mina Cho & Grace Beat Quartet – Beat Mirage (International Gugak Jazz Institute, 2024) Rooted in the larger Gugak Jazz Society, a nine-piece powerhouse devoted…