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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 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…

The album cover for Between Two Worlds by Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate features a surreal, blurred double-exposure effect of a faceless humanoid figure.

CD Reviews

Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate – “Between Two Worlds”- EP

Professor Mark February 19, 2025 No Comments "Between Two Worlds"- EP Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate – "Between Two Worlds"- EP Malcolm Galloway Mark Gatland Progressive rock symphonic rock UK

Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate, is one of the best progressive rock bands from the UK. This year they have released an EP, Between Two…

CD Reviews New CDs and Digital releases

World’s Beyond – “Rhapsody of Life”

Professor Mark February 17, 2025 No Comments Ewoud Dekoninck Female fronted progressive metal Jakob Declercq Robbe Adriaens symphonic metal symphonic progressive metal symphonic rock Tijmen Matthys Valerie De Kempe World’s Beyond – "Rhapsody of Life"Wout Debacker

Another new metal symphonic band has been located, within a famous city in Belgium. Ghent, is the home of the famous city where the War…

CD Reviews

Hartlight – “The Triumph of Metal”

Professor Mark February 16, 2025 No Comments Adrien Djouadou Adrien Guingal Female Fronted Metal Female fronted progressive metal France Guillaume Remih Hartlight Noémie Allet progressive metal symphonic metal symphonic progressive metal The Triumph of Metal

I found another great progressive symphonic metal, female-fronted band from France. The band is Hartlight, and they are about to release their second full album,…

CD Reviews New CDs and Digital releases

Imaginaerium – “Siege”

Professor Mark February 15, 2025 No Comments Clive Nolan Eric Bouillette Imaginaerium – "Siege"Laura Piazzai Luis Nasser Mirko Sangrigoli Progressive rock Simone Milliava symphonic rock

Imaginaerium has returned to tell several stories conceptualized on the term “siege”. The stories range as far back as the archives of the history of…

The album cover for Pearl Hunting by Belle Morte features a woman with long, wavy hair sits in a contemplative pose, adorned in a bohemian-style dress with rich, earthy tones and intricate patterns. She holds a small seashell in her hand. The background blends elements of fantasy and gothic imagery, with glowing strands resembling bioluminescent filaments in her hair. The typography is ornate, with the album title written in a flowing script, while the band's name is styled in a gothic font with a subtle skull motif.

Interviews

Belle Morte – “Pearl Hunting” – Interview

Professor Mark February 9, 2025 No Comments "Pearl Hunting"Anastasia Schebrova Belle Morte Female fronted progressive metal metal metal melodic Metal Progressive Sergey Butovsky

Welcome to the Citadel for Metal Fellowship. Today, we will be speaking with the Minsk, Belarus symphonic metal band Belle Morte. Anastasia Schebrova, the band’s…

The album cover for The Uncertainty Principle by Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate features a retro-futuristic, mid-century modern aesthetic. A central figure, depicted in silhouette, sits at a desk with a glowing aura around their head. The background bursts with an explosion of scientific and mathematical imagery: atomic structures, geometric diagrams, rocket ships, and circuitry. The warm, muted color palette of blues, reds, yellows, and oranges enhances the vintage sci-fi feel.

CD Reviews

Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate – “The Uncertainty Principle”

Professor Mark February 8, 2025 No Comments "The Uncertainty Principle"Ethan Galloway Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate Kathryn Thomas Malcolm Galloway Mark Gatland Progressive rock symphonic rock UK

One of the UK’s best progressive rock bands, Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate is making an early appearance in 2025, with their 8th album, The…

The album cover for Empires Must Fall by Ghost of the Machine features a regal, goddess-like woman seated on an ornate, towering throne. She is adorned in a flowing white and gold gown. The throne itself is intricate, with sharp, angular designs. Behind her, a dramatic sky filled with swirling clouds and golden light. The typography is bold, with the album title written in a flowing script.

CD Reviews

Ghost of the Machine – “Empires Must Fall”

Professor Mark February 5, 2025 No Comments "Empires Must Fall"Andy Milner Charlie Bramald Ghost of the Machine Graham Garbett Mark Hagan Progressive rock Scott Owens Stuart McAuley symphonic rock UK

Ghost Of The Machine, from the UK, have returned with their follow-up album to the critically acclaimed, 2022 debut, album, Scissorgames. The new album, Empires…

CD Reviews

Belle Morte – “Pearl Hunting”

Professor Mark February 2, 2025 No Comments "Pearl Hunting"Anastasia Schebrova Belle Morte Ilya Petrashkevich Ilya Rogovoy Maria Shumanskaya Progressive rock Rostislav Golubnichiy Sergey Butovsky symphonic metal symphonic progressive metal symphonic rock

Belle Morte is a musical project from the Belarus capital of Minsk. They play dark symphonic metal with a gothic/progressive flavor and melancholic vibe. The…