2009. USA/Netherlands
Progressive Metal/Fusion
http://www.myspace.com/exivious
Featuring musicians from both the best of past and present of Prog Metal (Cynic, Textures), Exivious is a superband playing Instrumental Prog Metal with a unique Fusion flavor on top of it. The project is quite recent and it comes to accomplish a vision that Cynic guitarist Tymon had several years ago in marrying these genres into one. Explosive, intense, mystic complex and precise it may be the door for a new genre in metal.
Posted In
2009,
Exivious,
Fusion,
Netherlands,
Progressive Metal,
USA
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2007. England
Progressive Rock/Progressive Metal
Porcupine Tree is the band led by mastermind musician and producer Steven Wilson, probably one of the most relevant figures in Prog Rock nowadays. The band is his foremost project out of the endless he's involved in.
Posted In
2007,
England,
Porcupine Tree,
Progressive Metal,
Progressive Rock
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2007. England
Smooth Jazz/Acoustic
http://www.myspace.com/acousticalchemy
Acoustic Alchemy is a band currently fronted by guitarist Greg Carmichael but through which long life have passed plenty of musicians. They base their sound in their original motto of a dance between Acoustic and Nylon guitars playing around jazzy smooth melodies.
Posted In
2007,
Acoustic,
Acoustic Alchemy,
England,
Smooth Jazz
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2006. USA
Indie/Alternative Rock
http://www.myspace.com/mutemath
MUTEMATH is an Alternative Rock band from New Orleans, USA. Their sound consists in a variated Alternative Rock setup that draws a lot from Electronic and Indie music.
Posted In
2006,
Alternative Rock,
Indie,
MUTEMATH,
USA
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2000. USA
Progressive Metal/Symphonic Metal
Symphony X is a New Jersey based Prog Metal band featuring guitar virtuoso Michael Romeo and my personal favourite voice in modern metal, charismatic Russell Allen.
They have a very clear sound statement towards Symphonic Progressive Metal with a dominant mythology thematic. As this two genres have always been two big in the Metal scene, Symphony X is probably the best exponent melting both in the pot into their baroque metal blast.
Posted In
2000,
Progressive Metal,
Symphonic Metal,
Symphony X,
USA
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|
2008. England
Electronic
Jon Hopkins is an acclaimed musician, shapeshifter and producer, known for his work with several artists such as Coldplay, Massive Attack, Brian Eno or Imogean Heap. His own releases vary in styles and are electronic craftsmaship. Work where he explores the possibilities in between his head and his computer and makes it real.
Posted In
2008,
Electronic,
England,
Jon Hopkins
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2008. France
Electronic/Shoegaze
http://www.myspace.com/m83
M83 is a french band led by frenchman Anthony Gonzalez. It's sound is a mix of Shoegaze and Electronic music built with reverbs and synthetizers all around in a kind of dreamy/hazy atmosphere.
Posted In
2008,
Electronic,
France,
M83,
Shoegaze
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2008. USA
Post-Rock/Instrumental
http://www.myspace.com/thiswilldestroyyou
Post-Rock is a genre that can be very uniform. There are zillions of bands out there and it takes patience to listen to such a massive amount of music of the style. Nevertheless from time to time you find original and outstanding bands like this one that make it totally worth it.
This Will Destroy You is an american quartet playing instrumental very cinematic and visual post-rock basing their sound in polished clean reverb guitars melodies that would anesthetize a starving gorilla. To this trademark guitar work they add on background soundscapes (sometimes also guitars, with an impressive usage of ebow) and solid drumming when neccessary, sometimes electronic.
Posted In
2009,
Instrumental,
Post-Rock,
This Will Destroy You,
USA
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|
2009. USA
Alternative Rock/Metal
http://www.myspace.com/alterbridge
It was 2004 when former Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti deserved a new challenge after years of shred and talent deprival. Him with two former Creed colleagues Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips would join and find in Myles Kennedy the perfect fit singer to complete Alter Bridge. This amazing collision of talents is to date probably the best exponent of Alternative Rock of our time.
Posted In
2009,
Alter Bridge,
Alternative Rock,
Live Album,
Metal,
USA
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1995. England
Progressive Rock/Psychedelic Rock
What can I say about Pink Floyd... English pioneers of what we call today Progressive Rock. Responsibles for a genuine style of playing and creating music that carries a legacy that will last forever in music. Key influence in thousands of great bands playing nowadays, such as Muse, The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater and almost every Rock band alive.
Posted In
1995,
England,
Live Album,
Pink Floyd,
Progressive Rock,
Psychedelic Rock
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2003. USA
Post-Grunge/Alternative Rock
http://www.myspace.com/themayanfactor
Forget about the tags I've just put above and let me give a more informal yet precise band classification. The Mayan Factor is Alternative Acoustic Tribal Rock. All of that in a kind of obscure, hauntingly intense mood.
Posted In
2003,
Alternative Rock,
Post-Grunge,
The Mayan Factor,
USA
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2008. Germany
Nu-Jazz/Soul/Electronic
http://www.myspace.com/jazzanovask
Berlin collective Jazzanova is a project embarked by six DJ/producers seeking to explore and put into the mix many different styles into a jazzy-electronic outfit.
Specialists in the art of the remix, Of All The Things is only their second self-written album contrasting with the more than 30 releases they have remixing others. Not considering the dozens of appearances in some of the most acclaimed and finest nu-jazz, chillout and electronic compilations out there.
Posted In
2008,
Electronic,
Germany,
Jazzanova,
Nu-Jazz,
Soul
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2000. Sweeden
Progressive Metal/Progressive Rock
http://www.myspace.com/painofsalvation
Pain Of Salvation is an outstanding Progressive Metal band from Sweeden leaded by mastermind Daniel Gildenlöw, who started the band at the age of 11. They are amongst other things responsible of maintaining the forgotten spirit of the conceptual album alive, as every album release of theirs is a unique statement musically and conceptually.
Posted In
2000,
Pain Of Salvation,
Progressive Metal,
Progressive Rock,
Sweeden
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2000. England
Indie/Alternative Rock
Not the average indie band. That's the headline I get every time I think in Manchester based band Doves. Without disrispect to the genre, the sound of this Indie tagged band goes way beyond the so called style.
Lost Souls is their first edited album about to reach it's 10th anniversary, deserving a rendition I post it up.
Posted In
2000,
Alternative Rock,
Doves,
England,
Indie
|
|
2009. USA
Progressive Rock/Alternative Rock
The Dear Hunter is a project led by talented Casey Crescenzo. The band's sound is a unique combination (very difficult to describe, though very easy to identify) of alternative and progressive rock, with a very wide instrumentation, outstanding voicing and use of harmony, and somewhat visual and theatrical.
Posted In
2009,
Alternative Rock,
Progressive Rock,
The Dear Hunter,
USA
|
|
2008. USA
Progressive Metal/Math Metal/Instrumental
http://www.myspace.com/animalsasleaders
Animals As Leaders is a project commanded by guitar virtuoso Tosin Abasi in an act that goes far beyond Instrumental Progressive Metal as we know it.
Posted In
2009,
Animals As Leaders,
Djent,
Instrumental,
Math Metal,
Progressive Metal,
USA
|
|
2007. England
Electronic/Soul/Nu-Jazz
Dennis ‘Dego’ McFarlane and Mark ‘Marc Mac’ Clair both dj's and producers are more known as 4hero.
The act is a journey of both artists through electronic experimentation. From their pioneering roots in Drum 'N' Bass, Breakbeat and Jungle, House and Techno onto Soul, R&B and Nu-Jazz they've explored the many genres making up this fantastic duet.
Posted In
2007,
4hero,
Electronic,
England,
Nu-Jazz,
Soul
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|
2009. USA
Progressive Rock/Alternative Rock
Dredg is an interesting very melodic prog/alternative rock band from California, USA. They have an amazing ability to write songs and take them to life through the intelligent use of melody. Very good grooving and mind-blowing guitarwork by both singer Gavin Hayes and guitarist Mark Engles (including lap-steel guitar) make the footprint of the band.
Posted In
2009,
Alternative Rock,
Dredg,
Progressive Rock,
USA
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|
2005. Norway
Electronic/Nu-Jazz/Post-Rock
Jaga Jazzist is a norwegian multi-faceted and innovative jazz band, known to put together instruments and sounds from many different genres together into a modern jazz dressing with many other different flavours.
Posted In
2005,
Electronic,
Jaga Jazzist,
Jazz,
Norway,
Nu-Jazz,
Post-Rock
|
|
2003. England
Alternative Rock/Indie
Sadly disbanded english group The Cooper Temple Clause was an alternative rock sextet that put their own stamp into the wide alternative rock concept with a sound of their own. This sound absorbs influence from genres such as Classic Rock, Brit Pop, Experimental Rock and even Progressive Rock.
Posted In
2003,
Alternative Rock,
England,
Indie,
The Cooper Temple Clause
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2009. USA
Progressive Rock/Experimental
Excentric rock band The Mars Volta was funded by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala. The band is widely known for their experimentation, latin music influence, sometimes nosense lyrics and live improvisation.
Posted In
2009,
Experimental,
Progressive Rock,
The Mars Volta,
USA
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2002. USA
Alternative Rock
From then to then you listen to a band you don't really understand why aren't they widely known... this happens to me with 3. And they've got all the ingredients to it: Talented musicians, great sense of melody, appeal, directness and somehow (in the good side of the coin) catchy and commercial sound.
Posted In
2002,
3,
Alternative Rock,
Live Album,
USA
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2005. Sweeden
Progressive Metal
And then Mikael Akerdfeldt came into the metal scene. Tagging a band like Opeth into one genre is a useless effort of trying to englobe what is a mashup of all things going around this swede genious head, including Metal, Rock, Jazz, Classic Rock, Death Metal.. put up in a prog manner and given the dressing of the obscure and dark classic Opeth appeal.
Posted In
2005,
Opeth,
Progressive Metal,
Sweeden
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2003. England
Nu-Jazz/Electronic/Soundtrack
Soviet film pioneer Dziga Vertov would've never expected when shooting his motion picture Man With a Movie Camera (1929) that even 70 years later bands like British CineMatic Orchestra would still be trying to reinterpret the score for his film (original score for the film was only interpreted live in theaters as at the time it was recorded silent).
Posted In
2003,
Electronic,
England,
Nu-Jazz,
Soundtrack,
The CineMatic Orchestra
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2008. Denmark
Progressive Rock/Alternative Rock
http://www.myspace.com/volaband
Starting the review I was wondering if to tag this band as amateur... well they are indeed young and unsigned, but their songs may point out the contrary. 4 song EP Homesick Machinery is a brave stand up by this Copenhaguen quintet, good riffing, good taste and mature composition. Warm voice Mikael Akerdfeldt alike singer and a formidable drummer make the rest.
Posted In
2008,
Alternative Rock,
Denmark,
Progressive Rock,
VOLA
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|
2009. England
Alternative Rock
Difficultly classifiable rock band Muse has been known for it's ability to conciliate fans from many heterogeneous music roots and tastes.
Posted In
2009,
Alternative Rock,
England,
Muse
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|
2008. France
Progressive Rock
Frenchman Nicolas Chapel founded it's own solo project Demians with, as he says, 'naive approach', though given it's success it would eventually become a real band with musicians chosen by his own.
Posted In
2008,
Demians,
France,
Progressive Rock
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2007. England
Progressive Rock / Post-Rock
With origin in Manchester, Oceansize is one of the most interesting and versatile bands of prog rock of our time.
Their natural ability to balance their music between the thoroughly complex and the inherentlty passionate has given them the key to reach a very wide range of listeners from all time prog and alt rock fans to the very occasional. Frames proves the band in the first statement with an album that does not present 4/4 figures at all and does again with the second with fragile melodies such as 'Savant' or 'The Frame'.
Posted In
2007,
England,
Oceansize,
Post-Rock,
Progressive Rock
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