Angel Romero | Progressive Rock Central.com

Solstice - Clann cover artwork. A band photo.

CD Reviews

Clann Destined: Solstice Finds Harmony in Roots and Risks

Solstice – Clann (Progrock.com Essentials, 2025) With Clann, their eighth studio release, the venerable British progressive rock band Solstice gracefully bridges the band’s prog-rock roots…

The album cover for Happy Family – 4037 features a handmade twisted blue wire that spells out “Happy Family” on a worn, yellow-orange cardboard backdrop. Stylized wire flowers accent the design. In the foreground, a yellow apple marked with the red number “4037” sits atop a woven surface.

CD Reviews

Happy Returns: Happy Family’s “4037” Marks a Grateful Reawakening

Angel Romero April 7, 2025 No Comments avant-garde rock Canterbury Happy Family Progressive rock

Happy Family – 4037 (Cuneiform Rune 4037, 2025) After more than a decade of inactivity, Japanese progressive rock group Happy Family returns with 4037, a…

The album cover features a serene night scene with a cluster of trees reflected perfectly in calm water, creating a symmetrical composition. Above, a vivid, starry sky with hints of a glowing nebula. The text reads The Haas Company Vol. 3 — Song for Mimi, with a note below indicating Featuring Samuel Hällkvist.

CD Reviews

Mimi’s Electric Company — The Haas Company Vol. 3 Sparks with Samuel Hallkvist

Angel Romero March 30, 2025 1 Comment fusion Guy Prat jazz-rock Jerry Goodman Kirwan Brown Mark Feldman Nicholas Draps Pete Drungle Progressive rock Robert Wechsler Samuel Hallkvist Scott Tixler Sean Lennon Steve Haas The Haas Company Todd Reynolds

The Haas Company Vol 3 – Song for Mimi Featuring Samuel Hallkvist (Psychiatric Records and Tapes, 2025) (Psychiatric Records and Tapes, 2025) In a remarkably…

The album cover for Mirage by Camel features a distorted image of a camel standing in a desert landscape. The distortion gives the illusion of a heatwave or optical mirage, aligning with the album's title. The background includes faint outlines of palm trees and pyramids. The band's name “Camel” appears at the top in large, curved lettering, with “Mirage” in a more angular, bold font beneath it. Ornamental corners frame the image.

CD Reviews

No Illusion: Camel’s ‘Mirage’ Blows Us Away Again

Angel Romero March 24, 2025 No Comments Camel Progressive rock symphonic rock

Camel – Mirage, 2CD / Blu-ray Remastered Edition (Esoteric/Cherry Red Records, 2025) Mirage is one of the masterpieces of 1970s British progressive rock. Camel at…

The album cover for Here Come the Robots! by The John Irvine Band depicts a post-apocalyptic cityscape with crumbling, burning skyscrapers. Amid the ruins, large, menacing robots stride through the rubble.

CD Reviews

Mechanical Precision: The John Irvine Band’s Final ‘End of Days’ Chapter

Angel Romero March 23, 2025 No Comments fusion jazz-rock Progressive rock The John Irvine Band

The John Irvine Band – Here Come The Robots! (self-release, 2025) Here Come the Robots! is the eighth album by the John Irvine Band and…

CD Reviews

IQ Scores Big Again with Dominion

Angel Romero March 14, 2025 No Comments IQ mellotron Michael Holmes Neil Durant Paul Cook Peter Nicholls Progressive rock symphonic rock Tim Esau

IQ – Dominion (GEP Records, 2025) After a six-year hiatus, IQ returns with Dominion, an epic recording that demonstrates their enduring command over symphonic progressive…

The album cover for Liquid Reality by Anupam Shobhakar features a central figure, presumably Shobhakar, who stands in a cosmic portal, clad in black and holding an intricately designed electric instrument. Framing the scene is an ornate, temple-like archway with intricate carvings, steeped in deep reds and blacks, evoking a sense of ancient grandeur. Two multi-armed goddess-like statues flank the entrance. Above, a single eye watches from within the arch.

CD Reviews

Fretted and Fretless Guitar Wizardry: Anupam Shobhakar’s Liquid Reality

Angel Romero March 4, 2025 No Comments Anupam Shobhakar electric guitar fusion Indian music jazz-rock

Anupam Shobhakar – Liquid Reality (Self-Released, 2025) Indian-American musician Anupam Shobhakar’s Liquid Reality, set for release on March 14, 2025, coinciding with the Hindu festival…

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 Remnants of Light by Needlepoint features a black-and-white hand-drawn illustration with a folk-art aesthetic. A barefoot figure, dressed in loose clothing, sits on the ground surrounded by scattered leaves, resting their head on one hand in a contemplative pose. Around them, several crows gather, seemingly engaged in an interaction with the leaves. Behind them, bare trees, a stone wall, and a distant village. Above, a vast flock of birds forms a flowing pattern in the sky.

CD Reviews

A Fine Needle in the Prog Haystack

Angel Romero February 17, 2025 No Comments Canterbury Needlepoint pastoral folk Progressive rock psychedelic rock

Needlepoint – Remnants of Light (BJK Music, 2024) With Remnants of Light, their sixth album, Needlepoint continue to carve out a singular space within Norway’s…

UK band photo from 1978. Black and white.

Artist Profiles

UK, the Late 1970s Prog-Rock Supergroup

Angel Romero February 13, 2025 No Comments Progressive rock symphonic rock UK

Regardless of the shifting musical landscape and industry pressures, the late 1970s still managed to generate one of the finest progressive rock bands of the…