CD Reviews | Progressive Rock Central.com

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

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 Cosmos by Flor de Loto features a futuristic, cybernetic humanoid figure with a translucent, glowing face composed of intricate circuitry and luminous energy. The head appears to be merging with a cosmic backdrop, filled with stars and celestial bodies. The overall color palette consists of deep blues, fiery oranges, and electric glows.

CD Reviews

Flor de Loto – “Cosmos”

Professor Mark March 2, 2025 No Comments Alejandro Jarrin Alonso Herrera Alvaro Escobar Andean Progressive Metal Cosmos Diego Sánchez Flor De Loto Mike DiMeo Peru Progressive rock Ray Alder Sergio Cuadros

Flor de Loto, literally, (Flower of Lotus), is a band from Lima, Peru, which fuses progressive rock with the rich sounds of Andean music. And…

The album cover for The Painted River of Light features an abstract, metallic surface resembling a flowing, reflective liquid. The colors blend deep blues, golds, and fiery oranges. A bright, glowing orb sits within the composition.

CD Reviews

Gayle-Force Prog: The Painted River of Light Makes Waves

Kevin Baker March 2, 2025 No Comments Gayle Ellett & The Electromags Progressive rock

Gayle Ellett & The Electromags – The Painted River of Light (PeacockSunrise Records, 2025) With The Painted River of Light, their third release, Gayle Ellett…

CD Reviews

Whitewater’s Dark Planet Expands the Horizons of Ambient Prog

Aiden Robinson February 28, 2025 No Comments ambient Progressive rock Whitewater

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 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 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…

The album cover for Victims of Convenience by Conveniens features a glitchy, distorted aesthetic with bold, overlapping cyan, magenta, and black silhouettes of band members. The typography is similarly fragmented, with a digital or photocopied effect.

CD Reviews

Synths, Jazz, Percussion, Chaos: Conveniens Plays by No One’s Rules

Stefan Bruno February 20, 2025 No Comments

Conveniens – Victims of Convenience (Smith&Maz Music, 2024, originally released by Convenience Records in 1986) Conveniens, an American underground band, emerged in the 1980s. They…