prog rock

Skin & Bone is the latest single from the up and coming Alt Rock powerhouse the DemiMondaines.

The Scarborough, UK based quartet have created a Progressive Hard Rock anthem which wouldn’t be out of place containing any tracks by Muse, Dream Theatre, Deftones or Opeth. The instrumental segments are absolutely out of this world. As you listen to the muddy reverb from the guitar glide against the solid bassline around the cathartically inducing tight roll and snares from the drums it’s hard not to be drawn into the intricate weavings of the mix especially with the addition of the keys.

The vocals may stay in the Classic Rock arena, yet there is nothing archetypal about the DemiMondaines sound which is proven by Skin & Bone in the slightly extended mix which practically drips raucously infectious euphoria.

You can check out the DemiMondaines latest single Skin & Bone out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud now.

Keep up to date with the band’s future releases by following them on Facebook

Review by Amelia Vandergast

There aren’t many guitarists kind enough to serve up six whole minutes of relentlessly heavy instrumental Rock, thankfully Leo Raposão was inclined to pick up his Gretsch and treat Heavy Rock fans to his latest single Sandstorm. The single is just one of the four tracks from his 2018 EP ‘the Four Directions’. By the time you’ve reach the end of the release, it’s easy to feel like you’ve just been on an epic aural journey. Each pull of the angular guitar sound collides with the tight roll of the drums to create an almost lucid arrangement.

With Sandstorm there really isn’t any room for vocals, the progressions of the guitar carry plenty of emotive momentum as they weave through the intricate breakdowns and hooks which makes Sandstorm a track which is all too easy to slip into. And let’s be honest, any artist who can pull off an instrumental only track already has a testament to their talent. Judging by Sandstorm, I’d go right ahead and say Leo Raposão is one of the greatest guitarists I’ve heard this year.

You can check out Leo Raposão’s latest single Sandstorm which was released in July 2018 yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The latest single by the Million Reasons, draws you in with a dulcetly sweet prelude, setting you up for a sensually paced guitar-driven Rock hit which any fans of Incubus will absolutely adore. Reminiscence between the vocalists is so stark, yet the instrumentals couldn’t be anymore different. Within their sound, they treat you to an infusion of high-octane, hard hitting groove which adds to the raucous momentum of the track allowing the soundscape to explore a myriad of intertwining melodies. The slightly extended Prog Rock track treats you to some intricately astounding instrumental breakdowns which the chord progression of the guitars seem to seamlessly slide through. You could almost accuse the guitarist responsible for that blinding riff of showing off just a little.

With influences such as Queen, The Beatles, Rolling Stones as Rush, it’s really no surprise that the Chicago based 4-piece powerhouse carry a sound that any self-respecting audiophile couldn’t possibly stick their noses up at.

You can check out Dizzy by the Million Reasons from July 13^th, head on over to Spotify now to add the track to your library.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

If you look up the word eclectic in the dictionary, there is no longer a text based definition, there is now just a picture of Greasy Hands, such is the mercurial and varied nature of what they do musically. Phantasmagoria shows their more progressive rock side and if you are already conjuring images of keyboardists dressed as wizards and 14 disc albums release based on ancient Hindu texts, fear not, Greasy Hands are smarter than that.

In fact Phantasmagoria could be seen as the acceptable and modern face of that excessive genre. It creates a hazy and fairly ambient platform on which guitar riffs and gentle pastoral vocals are allowed to dance. Taken from a full length album of which this forms part of the whimsical adventure it is a brilliant teaser for a fuller suite of music and its inclusions of psychedelia, soulfulness, cinematic rock and sweeping soundtrack vibes as well as the afore-mentioned prog, are a delicious taste of the full dining experience.

Anon is the blindingly narrative new track from Krunkelstiltskin a Massachusetts, US based Prog Rock collective who know just how to orchestrate a tantalising mind warp of a track. As you’d expect from any Prog Rock band, their instrumentals are absolutely on point, the synergy that exudes from the deft hands of each instrumentalists creates an overwhelmingly ethereal edge to the bands sound whilst the vocals can only be described as utter perfection. The Psychedelic vocal style pertains all of the warmth and sonorous trappings as previously showcased by bands such as The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane & The Doors. Yet, with their futuristic penchant for a heavy Electronica sound, Krunkelstilskin bring Psychedelia into the new era through the dreamy Electronic complexity that’s riddled in the layers of the bands sound.

Anon was the first single released from the bands debut album ‘The Legend of Sassafras (and Other Stories) Which is also now available to download. Their genre defying sound isn’t one you want to miss out on. You can check out Anon along with the rest of their debut album via BandCamp now:

https://krunkelstiltskin.bandcamp.com/track/anon

Connect with Krunkelstiltskin on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/krunkelstiltskinband/

Review by Amelia Vandergast