Welcome to Prog's brand Tracks Of The Week, Six brand new and diverse slices of progressive music for you to enjoy.
Big congratulations to Welsh prog rock trio 25 Yard Screamer, whose rocking new single Did You Ever topped last week's poll, followe by Liverpool's post-rockers A Burial At Sea and fellow Welsh proggers The C Sides Project in third place.
The premise for Tracks Of The Week is simple - we've collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella, and collated them together in one post for you - makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn't it?
The premise for Tracks Of The Week is simple - we've collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella, and collated them together in one post for you - makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn't it?
The idea is to watch the videos (or listen if it's a stream), enjoy (or not) and also to vote for your favourite in the voting form at the bottom of this post. Couldn't be easier could it?
We'll be bringing you Tracks Of The Week, as the title implies, each week. Next week we'll update you with this week's winner, and present a host of new prog music for you to enjoy.
If you're a band and you want to be featured in Prog's Tracks Of The Week, send your video (as a YouTube link) or track embed, band photo and biog to us here.
So get watching. And get voting at the bottom of the page.
TREVOR RABIN - FRAGILE
Former Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin has unearthed a demo version of Fragile, which was featured as one of three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of his most recent studio album Rio, now given an official release. That album was Trevor's first vocal-led album for over 30 years and proved highly popular with fans, seeing him fare well in this year's Prog Magazine Readers' Poll, while Rio was similarly recieved by the magazine's writers.
"I’m particularly pleased with the space, in terms of production, and happy with the simplicity of the lyric," says Rabin. "Life is harsh, fickle and Fragile. My intention regarding the guitar solo was for it to drip onto the “page” so to speak."
IF THESE TREES COULD TALK - TRAIL OF WHISPERING GIANTS
US instrumental post-rockers If These Trees Could Talk have, in Trail Of Whispering Giants, released their first new music for eight years. Indeed, it's been that long since the Akron, Ohio quintet last released an album, namely 2016's The Bones Of A Dying World. The band will headline this yer's Portals Festuval at EartH in Hackney in May.
“It has been a minute since our last album, and we cannot wait to get things moving again. Cody and I have tried to ignite a new vision for the music while keeping the same elements and old vibes that makes If These Trees Could Talk,” reveals drummer Zack Kelly. “I would like to send thanks to the fans all over the world for their undying support and patience!
"Trail Of Whispering Giants is reminiscent of our songs Solstice and Earth Crawler from The Bones Of A Dying World and brings the same energy and ambiance as our previously released recordings.”
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT - SUPERNATURAL
The venerable hard rock/prog institution that is Blue Öyster Cult are about to release their 15th studio album Ghost Stories through the Frontiers label on April 15. The album, including this suitably creepy new single Supernatural, sees keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Richie Castellano, longtime band engineer George Geranios and producer Steve Schenck reworking material originally recorded between 1978 and 1983, with new parts recorded by original BÖC members Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, while Albert Bouchard and Rick Downey appear on drums. Additional overdubs come courtesy of Joe Bouchard.
"Once we made the decision on what we were going to use, we used AI demixing software to separate the elements from the original tapes," says Castellano. "It gave us something to mix with, but that process – even though it's getting better – it's not perfect."
ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE - SKINWALKER
Young American progressive metal troupe Artificial Language have returned with their dynamic third offering Distant Glow EP, which is set for self release on March 22. It follows the release of their debut album The Observer in April 2017 and 2019's Now We Sleep, and goes a long way to setting the quintet up as ones to watch from the new crop of progressively minded bands emanating from the US at the moment.
"Skinwalker is the concluding track to the Distant Glow EP," the band explain. "Sonically, it’s a slight step towards an aggressive sound for the group. It’s a song that lyrically deals with manipulation - one can be manipulated by loved ones, religious figures, people in power, and even our own social statuses we’ve built for ourselves. The EP’s narrative draws to a close by dealing with the consequences of this.
WHOM GODS DESTROY - OVER AGAIN
US prog metallers Whom Gods Destroy have made a biut of a splash since they unveiled themselves at the end of last year. The band feature former Sons Of Apollo bandmates Derek Sherinian and Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal,vocalist Dino Jelusick, bassist Yas Nomura and drummer Bruno Valverde. The band release their debut album, Insanium, in March, and, like the non-compromising Over Again, it packs. punch!
"This is the second song Derek and I began writing, at the time not knowing what the future would be, only that we were starting 'over again'," explains guitarist Bumblefoot. "Soon after, Dino was with us, then Yas, Bruno, and the song came to life. With this song and War…, our songwriting direction was falling into place - odd phrasing in verses, melodic choruses, strong lyrics, big unison music phrases, wacky solos, lots of energy throughout..."
ALBER JUPITER - DADDY'S SPACESHIP
Cosmiche French duo Alber Jupiter are a Rennes-based instrumental bass-drums two-piece who draw inspiration from Berlin's 70s krautrock scene or Godspeed You! Black Emperor and their ilk. The wonderfully titled Daddy's Spaceship is taken from the pair's upcoming album Puis Vient La Nuit, whch will be released through Foudrage, with the help of Araki Records and Up In Her Room on April 5. A must for fans of sci-fi-inspired melodic keyboard-led Krautrock we think.
"Two billion years after our era, humanity is on the brink of extinction," the duo state. "The seventeenth and final human species, the Neptunians, is experiencing its last moments. After numerous disappearances and rebirths, History is confronted with an insurmountable inevitability this time: the death of our sun. Just before the inevitable explosion, capsules are sent to the four corners of space. They contain traces of life, a final desperate attempt for humanity to rise from its ashes elsewhere."
