Relationships and chance encounters is the background for the formation of US act VISUAL CLIFF. Rob Perez (guitars) had become aquainted with Rick Mals (drums) in the 80's, and in the early 90's with Rob Klan (keyboards). In both cases circumstances saw to it that they drifted apart though, but in 1999 Perez sought out Rick with some ideas in mind in terms of creating music together, and a chance encounter with Klas in a restaurant and then later in the year hooking up with Eric Fuller (bass) resulted in a band forming - more or less. A demo was made at first, but as Fuller had an education to finish, as well as getting married, concrete results didn't appear until 2003, with the release of Visual Cliff's debut album "Lyrics For The Living", and it wasn't until one year later that Fuller could join the band in earnest, for the recording of the second album "Key To Eternity".Both albums were pretty succesfull, and are currently on their second print run. For their third album Perez decided to contact vocalist Shane Lankford of Orphan Project, who made quite an impression on Perez, and asked if he's like to hook up with Visual Cliff for vocal duties there as well. He was positive, and in 2005 "Freedom Within" was issued, to great success. The album is currently in it's third pressing, after selling out the first two.In 2007 "Into The After" saw the light of day, and this time around Lankford's vocals were given more place than on their 2005 album. Line-up / Musicians Rob Klan/keyboards Rick Mals/drums,bass Rob Perez/guitars Discography(Album) Lyrics for the Living 2003
1.Piercing the skies (Psalm 33) 2.The endless generation (Psalm 49) 3.Spirit filled (Psalm 96) 4.Conquering mind (Psalm 118) 5.Leap ff faith (Psalm 115) 6.For all she is 7.Wisdom's call 8.Rapture
The roots of VITAL SCIENCE can be traced back to former bands, the Latvian Distant Light and Estonian Shadow Cry, who united their powers in the year 2008. And it was worth it ... The result is an impressive mixture of complex progressive arrangements paired with orchestral symphonic elements, hard-hitting metal riffs, melodies with catchy character, and - not to forget - the remarkable instrumental skills of each individual musician. Everything will led by an extraordinary and matchless voice which perfectly contributes to the total work of art. Assuredly "Imaginations On The Subject Of Infinity" will be one of the first Progressive Metal highlights in 2014! For fans of Symphony X, Nevermore, Redemption and Dream Theater as well as best choice for each music lover who prefers tech savvy Progressive Metal with top-notch instrumental passages. Line-up / Musicians Alexey Boykov/Vocals Sergey Boykov/Keyboards Aleksandr Volpert/Guitars Vladimir Mihailicenko/Guitars Stanislav Kilmasov/Bass Rustam Guseinov/Drums Discography(Album) Imaginations On The Subject Of Infinity 2014
1.Overture 2.Bridge Of Sorrow 3.The Last Trail 4.Endless Sky 5.Truth To Be Told 6.Fallen From Grace 7.Black Judgement Day 8.Dream Survive 9.Prayer To Survive 10.The Curtains Fall
Italian band VITRIOL was formed back in 2007, the band name inspired by the quote "Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultam Lapidem" (English: Enter the bowels of the Earth and, through your purification, you will find the hidden stone). They released an initial EP in 2009, and in 2012 they signed to the US label Melodic Revolution Records which released their debut album "Into the Silence I Sink" towards the end of 2012. These Italian musicians have made themselves a neat and fairly inventive debut with "Into the Silence I Sink". With great care for moods and atmospheres, more alterations in style, mood and intensity than most progressive metal bands manage to incorporate in a natural manner and always with an ear for melodies and room for gentler interventions. A strong and intriguing debut album by a band that has the potential to become major players. Line-up / Musicians Gianluca Pappalardo/vocals Francesco Lombardo/bass Michele Panepinto/drums Andrea Roda/keyboards Tommaso Semrov/guitars Alessandro Sanfilippo/guitars Discography(Album) Into the Silence I Sink 2012
1.Behind the Electric Veil 2.Slowly She Dies 3.Arabesque 4.Sinking 5.The Frozen Wind 6.Endless Spiral 7.Despite Your Cries 8.Oceans 9.The Continuous Struggle 10.Three Times
Vitruvius is a young progressive metal band from Mexico. Female fronted band, Dulce Robles has a pleasant voice whom integrates very well in the music, but the cherry on the cake here is the instrumental passages, who really kick ass on every piece. From the opening track Stealing a Tear From the Rain, the listener will know that something great will appear in the almost 1 hour music. Excellent musicianship, even the song writing is ok, but nothing really new under the sun, only pleasant with some amazing passages, specially the twin guitar of Oskar Villarreal and Tonio Tejeda. The drumming is more then ok, some great chops made by Ronnie Rodriguez worth to be investigated on this first release of Vitruvius. The interplay between musician is excellent, just take a listen to the instrumental track Alchemist , simply great, and of course the rest of the passages, another worthy moments are on opening track or in the last piece Black Sphere divided in 2 parts, the first one is atmospheric with spacey moments , while the second parts, is a great ex of how must sound progressive metal these days. Line-up / Musicians Oskar Villarreal/Guitars Ronnie Rodriguez/Drums Dulce Robles/Vocals Armando Thamez/Bass Discography(Album) Vitruvius 2011
1.Stealing A Tear From The Rain 2.Inner Space 3.Somewhere 4.Memories 5.Alchemist 6.Shade My Sight 7.Lost Perception 8.Stain In The Moon 9.Black Sphere Pt. 1 (instr.) 10.Black Sphere Pt. 2
VIUDA NEGRA was born in the beautiful Andean city of Quito, capital-city of Ecuador, in 1996. The majestic mountains only worked as the perfect background for this progressive-metal band to come to existence; after years of playing in low-profile bands, with a love for 80's rock as common denominator, VIUDA NEGRA's members gave their first concert together in a small bar called "La Nota" (The Note), on February 2nd of the mentioned year. The band performed together for 2 years, after which the original line-up dissolved. Santiago Silva (vocals) and Johnny Gordon (drums), the only remaining members, performed with several other musicians in an effort to find the right musicians for their project. Many of the songs they wrote and played during this period would appear in the band's first full-length. VIUDA NEGRA were finalists, between 2000 and 2002, of two of the first Rock Concerts organized in Ecuador the principal objective of which was to promote national bands, part of a rock movement that was growing. 25000 copies were produced with the finalist's songs of one of this concerts, "Fioramusica"; this record contained VIUDA NEGRA's song "Pretendo", making the band known among the ever-growing rock and metal audience in the illustrious city.November, 2002, marked an important date for VIUDA NEGRA, as they were invited to open for the worldwide known, acclaimed power-progressive-metal Brazilian group ANGRA during their "Rebirth" tour. The band gave a tremendous performance which won several fans and critics over. In 2003 the band signed a contract with "Corporacion Cultural Ecuador" , and in October they released their first full-length, "El Final del Silencio" (The End of Silence).The group toured the geographically-varied, magnificent country to promote the CD. Most of the music media and press gave the album rave reviews, and praised the band for being one of the first to truly attempt to play an Ecuadorian version of progressive-metal. Later on, next year, VIUDA NEGRA won a survey to represent Ecuador as the opening act for Finnish metal masters NIGHTWISH when they visited "America's Light", as Quito is known for having been the pioneering city to revolt against the Spain during the years of the Colony. The band performed in front of 10.000 fans who rallied behind the ever-improving metal outfit. 2006 saw VIUDA NEGRA concentrating on the writing and recording for their next album. They worked with producer Thiago Bianchi, who had previously worked with bands such as ANGRA, SHAMAAN, among others. The album was recorded in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and released on 2007, again to great critical acclaim. VIUDA NEGRA's music, a perfect mix of power and progressive metal, with elements taken from some of the genre's masters, among them SYMPHONY X and, most of all, DREAM THEATER, seems only to improve with time. It's a safe bet that the Andean metal musicians will help a lot in opening the eyes of the metal world to the recently-born, but tremendously-promising musical scene of one of South America's smallest yet more diverse and beautiful countries. Line-up / Musicians Santiago Silva/Vocals Santiago Villalba/Guitar Mauricio Maldonado/Keyboards Matias Alvear/Bass Johnny Gordon/Drums Discography(Album) La Voz de los Bosques 2007
1.Núcleo II 2.Instintos 3.Jardín de las Delicias 4.Ausencia 5.La Voz de los Bosques 6.La Sinfonía de los Elementos 7.Requiem 8.Criaturas Nocturnas
Originally from Quebec, Canada, VOIVOD formed in 1982 as a fairly straightforward metal band, favoring the British Metal end of the spectrum. After a few years their sound took a major turn to the progressive side, incorporating futuristic imagery and unified concepts for albums. Two of the four founding members (bassist Jean-Yves Theriault and vocalist Denis Belanger) left Voivod in the early 90s; the band continued as a trio in the late 1990s with new member Eric Forrest handling both vocals and bass guitar. Forrest was badly injured in a car accident in Germany in 1998, and Voivod briefly disbanded in 2001 before Belanger returned to the band. Since the death in 2005 of Denis D'Amour (guitars), the current incarnation features two of the four founding members: Denis Belanger (vocals), and Michel Langevin (drums) along with Jason Newsted (of Flotsam and Jetsam and Metallica) on bass guitar. They rank alongside DREAM THEATER as pioneers in the development of progressive metal in the 80s, but tend to favor a heavier and more sparse musical style more akin to QUEENSRYCHE. Keyboards (or any other instruments besides vocals, guitars, drums, and bass) are almost non-existent in the music.Their first truly progressive album was "Killing Technology" (1987), followed by "Dimension: Hatross" (1988) which is often considered their most innovative work. "Nothingface" (1989) continued on the science fiction theme, and featured a cover version of PINK FLOYD's "Astronomy Domine" (They also covered PINK FLOYD's "The Nile Song" on their 1993 release "The Outer Limits"). "Angel Rat" (1991) is also well-regarded in progressive metal circles. They continue to record and tour, and have been seen on the Ozzfest roster a few times. Line-up / Musicians Jean-Yves Theriault/bass Denis d'Amour/guitar Michel Langevin/drums Denis Belanger/vocals Discography(Album) Nothingface 1989
WUTHERING HEIGHTS was formed in Copenhagen in the early 90's and started out as a speed metal band.They went through some name changes (MINAS TIRITH,VERGELMIR) and numerous line-up changes(the only founding member left is Erik Ravn).1996/97 was a pivotal year for the band,as they were one of the bands featured on a compilation CD made by Serious Entertainment titled "Extremity Rising Volume 2".Their song "Sorrow in Memoriam" was used and WUTHERING HEIGHTS was signed to a German label who wanted the band to play Gothic/epic metal.The result was 1997's demo "Within",which saw the band heading in a more progressive metal direction and led to a break up with the label.In 1998 the band worked out an album by album deal with The Lasers Edge/Sensory Records and recorded their debut album "Within",the first in a conceptual trilogy of albums.They also started playing some gigs in and around Copenhagen,and some good buzz started to develop about the band.More personnel problems plagued WUTHERING HEIGHTS in 2000,and the band replaced their drummer and bassist.In 2002 WUTHERING HEIGHTS unleashed their sophomore effort "To Travel For Evermore".The album is extremely epic and was a step up for the band technically,featuring better melodies and production.Heavy promotion followed,but no tour.Erik Ravn continued to write and soon WUTHERING HEIGHTS recorded their third album "Far From The Maddening Crowd",which featured new singer Nils Patrik Johansson(ASTRAL DOORS,SPACE ODYSSEY).This album is more melodic than the previous album,and the band injected more folk music influences into the songs."Far From The Maddening Crowd" is also the last album in their trilogy about the Lonely Wanderer.More line-up changes ensued in 2004,with many members in the band being replaced.WUTHERING HEIGHTS played their first gig outside of Europe in 2004 as part of the Prog Power Festival in the US. Line-up / Musicians Erik Ravn/guitar,bass,keyboards,mandolin,vocals Nils Patrik Johansson/vocals Martin Arendal/guitars Teddy Moller/bass Andreas Lindahl/keyboards Morten Gade Sorensen/drums Discography(Album) Salt 2010
1.Away! 2.The Desperate Poet 3.The Mad Sailor 4.The Last Tribe (Mother Earth) 5.Tears 6.Weather the Storm 7.The Field 8.Water of Life 9.Lost at Sea
WORMFOOD is a Progressive Metal act from Rouen, France. The band formed in 2001 and plays a dark and gritty style of Progressive Metal, sung in French, and with influences from Doom, Gothic and Black Metal. On the recent albums, the Progressive Metal traits prevail, with epic songwriting and a theatricality in vocal delivery that recalls ANGE. The bands latest album Posthume could in fact be described as a mix of ANGE, FAITH NO MORE and early EVERGREY slowed down to a crunchy Doom pace. Line-up / Musicians El Worm/Vocals,Guitars Fred Patte-Brasseur/Guitars Romain Yacono/Bass Efflam/Drums Discography(Album) France 1971
1.Leçon de Français/French Lesson 2.Bum Fight 3.Ecce Homo 4.TEGBM (Fantaisie galante du Grand Siècle) 5.Daguerréotype 6.Mirroir de chair 7.Comptine 8.Vieux pédophile 9.Dark Mummy Cat 10.O = Ø 11.Love at Last
A new young quartet playing an instrumental prog close to PENDRAGON coming from the north of France. The French guys are offering here all that the heart desires: Mysterious chords envelop strong guitar riffs, melodies on which we can dream and all kinds of varieties, that results in the listening of demo there is no boring. The guitar playing recalls very strongly Steve HACKETT and bass and keyboard players let themselves be inspired by MARILLION. It's complex, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud and always very intriguing, like a mix between ARENA, DREAM THEATER, FLAMBOROUGH HEAD, GENESIS, IQ, LANDS END, RUSH and SPOCK'S BEARD, but all instrumental. Line-up / Musicians Manu Delestre/drums Antoine Duhem/guitars Vincent Hooge/keyboards Mat Hooge/bass Discography(Album) The Last Of The Lasts 2007
1.Sacrifice 2.On Leave 3.Verdun 4.Sons Of The Empire 5.Mud 6.Roommates 7.Trenches 8.Gas
It is nice to see bands experimenting with their sound and creating music which stems from musicians’ influences, it has however a completely personal style. Danish Xcentrik it’s not a usual band, something which is revealed through the polymorphism existing in their debut album "Welcome To The War". The band combines the Space Rock style of Faith No More with more Progressive Rock / Metal forms and some bursts which remind even Megadeth. There are some elements that keeps away this release from the extreme sound and these are some influences from David Bowie, Frank Zappa etc. It’s true that, in order to love this album, one should dedicate many hours of listening, as the music has something special which may trouble some listeners. The melodies we find here are not typical and usual and when they come from keyboards, then Faith No more come immediately to our mind. In general, it’s about a very bizzare work, which may win a certain group of fans, those who experiment with their hearings and want to discover something new. Line-up / Musicians Jan Weincke/vocals,guitar Niels Knudsen/bass Valentino/drums Casper Bausager/keyboards Discography(Album) Welcome To The War 2007
1.Welcome to the War 2.Domino 3.Gertrusestein 4.Sweet Idol 5.Spinning 6.Color & Light 7.Fabulous Machine 8.Vanity 9.The End Of Nowhere
A relatively short-lived progressive metal band, XERXES where formed in 1986 and released their first demo in 1991. Come 1993 and the band release their debut ''Beyond my Imagination'' under General Inquisitor Torquemado. The EP ''Falling Leaves'' was the last work they produced as they folded shortly after. The last known line-up, which appears to have been fairly constant throughout their career, consisted of Adrian MOSER (vocals, bass, 1987-), Michel CUENI (guitars, 1986-), Christian MOSER (guitars, 1986-), Martin FRINGELI (drums, 1986-) and Jose ESPASANDIN (keyboards, 1992-).With a sound mixing influences from folk to heavy prog, RUSH to BLIND GUARDIAN and sophisticated progressive metal in the vein of SIEGES EVEN and SOUL CAGES, XERXES are an excellent find for the 90's prog metal researchers. Line-up / Musicians Adrian Moser/vocals,bass Michel Cueni/guitars Christian Moser/guitars Martin Fringeli/drums Jose Espasandin/keyboards Discography(Album) Beyond My Imagination 1993
1.Longing 2.The Thief From Darrenlow 3.Time For Revolution 4.Beyond My Imagination 5.To The Poets Of This World
X-Panda is an interestingly named progressive metal act from Estonia, and Flight of Fancy is their impressive entrance into the scene. This mostly-instrumental debut showcases a talented young band with a unique sound, as well as a strong ability to write memorable and captivating compositions. Flight of Fancy is a truly remarkable musical experience - although many new progressive metal bands tend to derive too much from Dream Theater and the like, X-Panda truly has something unique to offer with this debut effort. All in all, Flight of Fancy is a highly successful mix of progressive rock, jazz, and metal; fans of those genres should definitely give these guys a shot. Line-up / Musicians Kaarel Tamra/keyboards Risto Virkhausen/guitars Tamar Nugis/bass,vocals Karl-Juhan Laanesaar/drums Discography(Album) Flight Of Fancy 2011
1.Intro 2.Black 3.Dickybirds 4.Flight Of Fancy 5.Siren 6.Journey Of A Dream 7.Keyboard Solo 8.Rhythm Department 9.Calm Waters 10.Crystal Gazing 11.Revelation
XSAVIOR is a Swedish progressive metal band who began when vocalist Göran Edman (YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN,TIME REQUIEM),drummer Daniel Flores (MIND'S EYE,HUBI MESEIL & TEARS OF ANGER among many others) and guitarist Benny Jansson (TEARS OF ANGER,RIDE THE SKY) got together for the recording of Jansson's third solo album "Save the World" in 2003. The aim was to create music they loved and just have a lot of fun while doing it. But there were still some members missing, which they looked hard for. Matt Norberg, a session keyboard player and Daniel's best friend since childhood, was simply a natural choice. After trying out a bass player that didn't work out Daniel called his old mate from Music School, Mathias Garnås whom had also proved himself being worthy on Benny's solo-album. Right away they entered the studio and after having worked really hard for several months they came up with 13 full songs, and XsavioR could release their debut album, entitled 'Caleidoscope', in May 2005. Line-up / Musicians Göran Edman/vocals Benny Jansson/guitar,vocals Matt Norberg/keyboards Mathias Garnås/bass Daniel Flores/drums,vocals Discography(Album) Caleidoscope 2005
1.April Skies 2.Lex the Fly 3.Mr. Chairman 4.Take Me Home 5.In Memorial Of... 6.By the Golden RIver 7.Waves of the Sea 8.Green Mile 9.Cosmic Virus 10.Material World 11.A Snake in Paradise 12.Xsavior
Xteria were another rising star on the Italian scene. They formed in 1996 and released one album in 2000.These guys offer us a tasteful music, which is based on proven components - progressive metal and classic heavy. Clearly shows the influence of such compositions as Dream Theater, Queensryche, Vanden Plas, Winger, TNT, Lynch Mob.Xteria’s musicians had already previously participate in other groups. The main strength of steel guitarist and drummer, who began playing together more in 1988. Line-up / Musicians Francesco Cataldo/Guitar Davide Baraldi/Bass Alessandro Cattani/Drums Massimo Ordine/Vocals Discography(Album) Outshine 2000
1.On the Edge 2.Soldiers of Fortune 3.Digital Conscience 4.Fire 5.Eyes on the World 6.All I Need 7.Points of View
Dutch metal project Xystus surpasses typical rock opera expectations on the troupe’s latest grandiose expose entitled EQUILIBRIO. This brazen theatrical affair boasts a cast and crew over 130 members strong, including a massive choir reserved for religious celebrations and a show-stealing full scale orchestra to properly carry mainman’s Bas Dolmans’ epic vision to life. Highlighted by the immense vocal talents of Simone Simons (Epica) and George Oosthock (Orphan) as major characters, this sweepingly majestic presentation’s ace in the hole can be found via the symphonic might and bold pomp the orchestra doles out, cutting through the competent power metal backdrop at just the right times to stir up drama, create tension, and enrich the entire production with its captivating sparkle and shine. Line-up / Musicians Bas Dolmans/vocals,guitar Ivo van Dijk/drums Bob Wijtsma/guitar Mark Brekelmans/bass Joris van de Kerkhof/keyboards Discography(Album) Equilibrio 2008
1.Ouverture 2.My Song Of Creation 3.Traveller's Theme 4.Last Breath-Death Enters 5.We Stand Divide 6.The Conlict 7.Questions Answered 8.My Time Of Need 9.Forever Bound 10.The Message 11.The Balance Restored 12.God Of Symmetry
Yargos is a progressive metal band/project created way back in 1973 by Wieland "Wielo" Hofmeisterin (ex-Time Machine), but the project didn't last nor fulfill any album. Then, in 2001, Yargos came back to life and became a real band with Andrew McDermott (ex-Threshold) on vocals.The bands sophomore effort "Magical Karma" has been completed and was expected to be released in early 2009 but this never materialized. Line-up / Musicians Wieland "Wielo" Hofmeister/guitar,keyboard,drums,vocals Andreas Kienitz/guitar Peter Pichl/bass Anca Graterol/vocals Osssy Pfeiffer/piano,keyboard,drums Andrew "Mac" McDermott/vocals Discography(Album) Magical Karma 2012
1.Out of Hell (Intro) 2.Alien Nation 3.Where Is the Point 4.I'm a Stranger 5.Loneliness 6.Pay the Price (Why?) 7.Losing the Way 8.Master's Game 9.Free for Life 10.Bad Religion 11.Call Home 12.The Wolves Howled (And You Pray)
German band ZIFF was formed in 1983 by Achim Frick (guitars) and Michael Gross (bass), and from the start their main focus was to develop a distinct style and sound. In these early days the remaining line-up was rarely constant, but they managed to get some partially lasting line-ups going to be able to play live as well as participate in local and regional band contests. In 1985 the drummer slot was filled by Ralph Frincke, who soon became a central member of the band due to his skills in writing good and imaginative lyrics. Around the same time the band finally managed to find a stable vocalist, as Achim Frick took over the vocal duties.1987 saw the release of the demo tape "ZIFF - Deutsch", and the same year keyboardist Marco Vogel joined the band. With this addition, ZIFF had had a stable line-up that lasted until the band disappeared out of sight.After the release of their first demo, the band decided that lyrics for the songs they wrote in the future should be in English rather than their native German, and when their next demo "Children" was released in 1991, they started getting attention outside of their local environment. In 1992 the band had three tunes included on the local compilation disc "Neckar Odenwald Rock", and 1993 saw a new demo, "Sensual", released by the band. Line-up / Musicians Achim Frick/guitar,vocals Marco Vogel/keyboards Michael Gross/bass Ralph Krinke/drums Discography(Album) Stories 1995
1.Intro-The Book Of Life 2.Lady With A Past 3.Soliloquy 4.Genocide 5.Crash Kids 6.The Grim Reaper 7.Hunter 8.Old Man's Mirror 9.Poem For You 10.Swamp 11.Power Of The Sun 12.Mystic 13.Kristall
