CD Reviews | Progressive Rock Central.com

The album cover for A Faraway World by Orpharion depicts a young woman in a green dress standing before an ancient stone portal, which reveals a swirling vortex leading to a distant, glowing castle. The scene is set within a dark, enchanted forest, with soft light filtering through the trees. A white stag appears on the left. The band's name is rendered in ornate, metallic lettering with a lyre motif, while the album title is scripted at the bottom.

Orpharion – “A Faraway World”

Professor Mark March 23, 2025 No Comments "A Faraway World"Ebru Kiliç Imtholiel Ertunç Şenel Female Fronted Metal Gençay Sayin Görkem Çelik Istanbul Kublai Kapsalis Orpharion symphonic metal symphonic progressive metal symphonic rock Turkey

Just found another excellent new female-fronted metal band. This time from the country of Turkey. Orpharion, this new Turkish band, will release their debut album,…

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

Beyond Frequencies – “Everything I Am”

Professor Mark March 22, 2025 No Comments "Everything I Am"Beyond Frequencies Blazy Flash Christoph Siemons Fabian Zimmermann Female Fronted Metal metal Switzerland

Beyond Frequencies is a Swiss band, whose sound reminds me so much of Nemesea, from the Netherlands. Their new album, Everything I Am, is an…

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…

CD Reviews

LunarWay – “Eternal Moments”

Professor Mark March 14, 2025 No Comments "Eternal Moments"Alina Yermakova Cinematic Progressive Metal Dmytro Volokhov Ernest Dashevskyi LunarWay Serhii Balashov Serhii Bezzubenko symphonic metal Ukraine

LunarWay is a relatively new and excellent, female – fronted metal band! They formed in September 2016, in the second largest city of Ukraine, Kharkiv.…

The fantasy-style album cover for Sykofant by Sykofant presents a surreal landscape dominated by the massive skull of a whale or similar large creature. The skeletal remains lie in a desolate, reddish-brown terrain, surrounded by blackened, charred tree trunks. The sky burns in eerie hues of red and orange.

CD Reviews

Sykofant’s Shape-shifting Self-Titled Debut

Aiden Robinson March 10, 2025 No Comments Progressive rock Sykofant

Sykofant – Sykofant (Sykofantastic Records, 2024) Sykofant is a progressive rock band from Oslo that that blurs the lines between prog-rock and hard rock. Sure,…

CD Reviews

Lost in Translation, Found in Sound: Schaerer’s Anthem for No Man’s Land

Charlie Melville March 10, 2025 No Comments Andreas Schaerer contemporary jazz fusion jazz Kalle Kalima Lucas Niggli Luciano Biondini

Andreas Schaerer, Luciano Biondini, Kalle Kalima, Lucas Niggli – Anthem For No Man’s Land (ACT, 2025) Swiss vocalist Andreas Schaerer, often compared to Bobby McFerrin…

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 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…