Welcome to Prog's Tracks Of The Week. Six new and diverse slices progressive music for you to enjoy.
Congratulations to UK post-rockers L.O.E., who fought off some very tough competition from Swedish proggers Soen. Canadian prog metallers Spell came in at a very respectable 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 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.
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD - DRAGON
Prolific Aussie psych wizards, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are back with another single from their upcoming double album, PetroDragonic Apocalypse. Dragon showcases a heavier and even more complex sound as the group bounce through multiple time signature changes that pay tribute to progressive thrash. The accompanying video clip is another nod to the past with its flickering strobes and old-school-inspired footage.
Says drummer Michael Cavanagh, "Ahh my sweet baby Dragon is here fresh out of hell’s womb, summoned by the humans at the end of their pitiful road. It’s hard, fast and here to disrupt the natural order and annihilate everything in its path, so turn it up, Sammy!" Indeed!
MONUMENTS - NEFARIOUS
British proggers Monuments are back with their new single, Nefarious. The band say the lyrics are all about taking a stand against the powerful to make life better for the next generation, while musically it harnesses the sleek and vibrant progressive metal heard on their most recent album, In Stasis. Fans of TesseracT and Haken will find much to enjoy here.
The fast-cut video combines intense performance footage woven around an animation based on the third issue of GodSlap – the manga-style comic series created by YouTuber Charlie "MoistCr1TiKaL" White. Prog metal, comics and uplifting melodies – what's not to like?!
THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS - SURVIVAL OF THE WITTEST
Moving away from the world of prog metal The Book Of Revelations take things back to the classic prog sounds of the 70s with the playful Survival Of The Wittest. Taken from their debut album, The Plumes of Enceladus, this compact tune – part of the five-part suite Malice À Forethought – takes its lyrical inspiration from Greek mythology.
The five-piece are fronted by multi-instrumentalist and composer Gerard Freeman (that's him in the video), and between them they create a quirky fusion of prog, folk and symphonic music that's been audibly inspired by Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, Yes and King Crimson.
OIRO PENA - KAIJU KAIJU
From Greek mythology to traditional Finnish folk, Oiro Pena are a Finnish astral jazz collective led by electronic composer Antti Vauhkonen and Kaiju Kaiju is the first single taken from their upcoming album, Puna – due out in August. On it, Merikukka Kiviharju's (Jazzgangsters) warm vocals caress a sophisticated tune that's soaked in the summery tones of Johannes Sarjasto’s sax.
Says drummer Vauhkonen of his surprising switch between musical styles, "It came from krautrock first, I started listening to Can, and searched through all the psychedelic German rock bands. There was a lot of jazzier elements there, horns and saxophones, I think it came from there, and then I found Miles Davis and John Coltrane [and] started listening to the early Sun Ra material."
IO EARTH - OUTSIDE
Midlands proggers IO Earth are back with a new single that marks the return of former vocalist Linda Odinsen. The elegant Outside combines stunning dual vocals, soaring guitars and cinematic soundscapes for a thoroughly modern progressive sound. It's accompanied by a stop-motion music video created by longtime visual collaborator Wendy Hagenbeek.
Outside is the first track to be unveiled from the band's forthcoming album, Sanctuary, which is due later this month. Expect a showcase of different progressive styles and slick songwriting from Dave Cureton, Adam Gough and the crew.
ZIO - SPACE HEATER
Space Heater is the third single released from Zio's Truewaves album, just ahead of their latest live shows. Featuring Eric Gillette (Neal Morse Band) on vocals, accompanied by Honey and Hayley Griffiths, the high-energy song explores the theme of brain stimulation. "When studying, reading, practicing an instrument or even meditating sometimes it feels like there is a whole world in our heads," say the collective led by drummer Jimmy Pallagrosi.
For the futuristic video – produced by Crystal Spotlights (Steven Wilson/Haken) – the band were filmed in motion capture while performing the song and animated on a spaceship stage. It's a VR dream!
