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  • After a 10 year absence Enchant are back.  The band started in 1993 making them one of the earliest prog metal band.  Actually they are sort of an interesting band in that they seem to exist in both the prog rock and prog metal realms.  Some metal fans think of them as a bit lightweight and some prog rock fans think they are too heavy!  One thing is for sure they are wildly successful.  This is definitely prog but it never loses sight of the melody.  Fronted by the great Ted Leonard (who is now doing double duty with Spock's Beard) this one is a no-brainer - whether you are metal or prog head.  "irst impressions are the similarities to Spock’s Beard. Hardly surprising since Ted Leonard has been singing with them since 2011. He’s been with Enchant longer; their first CD came out in 1993. And familiarity doesn’t breed contempt here, fortunately.Bay area progressive rockers, they steer a straight course composing guitar-structured songs that they extemporise over. Guitarist Douglas A Ott is also the band’s main producer, with The Great Divide having been recorded at his own studio, but if in the past the band’s followed his direction they’re now more involved after a ten year gap working on other projects. Also, while integral, Ott doesn’t dominate Enchant’s sound but flows in and out adding a hard rock bias to their generic musical flavouring. Drummer/percussionist Sean Flanegan and bassist Ed Platt have the solidity of early Kansas and musically there are some pretty snazzy and often too brief keyboard solos from Bill Jenkins.A rolling cyclical bass line forms the basis of opening number ‘Circles’ with Leonard pondering life going round well, like a circle – while the lyrics aren’t profound they feel right and though this isn’t a concept album, despite the band stating otherwise, there are common themes concerning the human condition in a loosely existential manner. Mainly straight verse and choruses ‘Circles’ breaks out into more complicated time signatures before an acoustic comes to the fore, vocals return, an electric guitar take over and it concludes with a nicely warm keyboard solo. ‘Within An Inch’ follows with a steady rock backbeat over which Ott’s playing echoes Camel’s Andy Latimer interrupted briefly by some John Ellis punk-styled sirening. ‘The Great Divide’ follows suit in a more epic manner, the arrangement akin to Genesis in their golden period.Enchant don’t play with the fairies, despite what their name suggests. If anything they’re two steps removed from an AOR sound leaning in towards early Asia with some latter day Beatles thrown in, and a less grandiose take on Spock’s Beard. One might refer to them as technically proficient rather than emotionally overwrought, meaning there is a heartfelt flavour to their songs, and they tend to grow on you.The subdued opening to ‘Life In A Shadow’ throws a brief curveball echoing the Canterbury sound of Hatfield & The North before a heavy chorded chorus takes this into a rocking tune with soulful harmonies. ‘Deserve To Feel’ pours on the technical drumming and dribbling triplet bass figures with some flashy pyrotechnics predominantly on guitar but with keen keyboard flourishes, moving into a more intricate musical score as Jenkins and Ott trade inspired lines towards its conclusion. Likewise, ‘Here And Now’ builds reflectively moving towards emotional drama.Finely composed, played well, Enchant’s The Great Divide might not have you falling under its spell, but you may well be surprised how you find yourself being drawn to playing it." - The Midland Rocks
    $13.00
  • Mind Colours is the debut album from this instrumental Italian quartet.  The band features the former guitarist and keyboardist from The Watch - Ettore Salati and Fabio Mancini.  While there may be some traces of fusion around the perifery, Soulengine's stock in trade is symphonic progressive rock.  Salati's leads are very fluid, reminding a bit of Steve Hackett (not surprising).  Mancini contributes Hammond organ, analog synths and of course Mellotron.  There are stretches where you will feel transported back to the 70s listening to a Genesis jam session.  Very nicely done.  Highly recommended.
    $16.00
  • Woodpecker is the debut release from singularly named Swedish vocalist AnnaMy (her spelling not mine).  Its a gorgeous album.  This is beautifully recorded gentle, melodic psychedelic folk.  Plenty of electricity here - most notably on electric guitar courtesy of Reine Fiske.  Undercurrents of flute and organ spice up the mix but the focus is on AnnaMy's stunning voice.  The overall sound pays homage to the greats of the 70s.  Think in terms of Trees, Mellow Candle, Caedmon, and Vashti Bunyan.  This one is a real grower.  Highly recommended.
    $16.00
  • "Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a newly re-mastered and expanded of Galactic Zoo Dossier , the first album by Arthur Brown's Psych / Space Rock outfit Kingdom Come. Issued on Polydor in 1971, the album launched the band, gaining instant notoriety. Touching on the musical territory of fellow travellers Hawkwind, Galactic Zoo Dossier was a masterwork and is now rightly regarded as a classic. This newly remastered edition includes bonus tracks of three alternate versions of Metal Monster , Space Plucks and Sunrise , together with both tracks from a BBC Radio One John Peel session from March 1971 (previously unreleased on CD)."
    $15.00
  • "Scherzoo is François Thollot's 3rd CD, with a new band, featuring Anthony Béard (bass), François Mignot (guitar), Jeremy Van Quackebeke (piano), Guillaume Lagache (sax alto) & François Thollot (drums). This is his most accomplished effort so far, the band plays tight & the music is an unlikely fusion of Zeuhl & mid/late period of Soft Machine. 6 tracks (including a 19 minutes re-written version of "Voyage au bout de la nuit" which was part of Thollot's first CD - in 2002, then recorded alone as a multi instrumentist)."
    $18.00
  • Quatermass were a killer "one and done" prog trio from the UK.  Consisting of John Gustafson (bass, vocals), Peter Robinson (keys), Mick Underwood (drums), Quatermass' music had a heaviness about it that could almost (but not quite) classify it as hard rock.  In fact Gustafson and Underwood went on to play with Ian Gillan.  Of course the star of the show is Peter Robinson, who you are probably more familiar with his later work with Brand X.  Hammond organ is the focus here and Robinson rips the hell out of it.  If you are a fan of ELP you should probably be checking this one out.The previous CD incarnation was released on Repertoire and has been unavailable for years.  This is a new CD/DVD edition.  It features a new stereo mix by Peter Robinson and includes 2 singles tracks as well as 2 previously unreleased tunes.  The DVD features the album in a 5.1 mix.  Highly recommended.
    $17.00
  • Love the Mellotron?  Well have we got an album for you...Many years ago we reissued the 1971 release from this British progressive band.  Originally released on the RCA Neon label it achieved mythic status because there were 3 Mellotron players listed (turned out to be one Mellotron and a few of the band members played it).  Prices for original albums soared into the stratosphere.  We set out on our quest to bring Spring into the digital age.  As it turned out it was actually quite easy and we had the full participation of the lead singer Pat Moran.  For many years it was one of our most succesful releases but ultimately went out of print.  Since then it has reappeared on various labels - all using our CD as their source materials.Now we have a new visitiation by Esoteric Recordings who have not only gone back to the original source tapes but have successfully done what we were unable to - they have uncovered the tapes for the unreleased second album.The second album featured a slightly different lineup.  The Mellotron was gone and largely subplanted with organ.  Even still it was obviously Spring through and through.  So you now have the complete works of Spring: the first album, three non-lp tracks, plus a complete second album.  Of course expect the usual great booklet filled with all kinds of unknown facts culled from the late Pat Moran's diaries.Highest recommendation.  BUY OR DIE! 
    $18.00
  • "Whereas certain metal splinter genres like sludge and doom have found their requisite bands experimenting in ways that are still decidedly metal – or at least "extreme" by any measure – other areas such as black and post-metal see their own representatives in a practical race to see who can shed their extreme proclivities altogether. Alcest is one such band.Flirting with 90's indie rock trappings is nothing new for this French duo – essentially the one-man project of multi-instrumentalist Neige backed since 2009 by the drumming skills of Winterhalter – but Shelter is their first complete abandonment of metal altogether… there is nary a blastbeat, growl, nor brutal riff to be found anywhere on the album's concise 45-minute running time.That's not to say that Neige is reinventing the wheel, though; Shelter is a straightforward mix of 4AD dream pop and the type of ethereal post-rock that Explosions in the Sky are best known for… not to mention the gauzy shoegaze overlay that such an alchemy implicitly guarantees, of course.It sounds derivative on paper, but somehow Neige transcends his cookie cutter influences and produces a work of heart-stopping elegance and profundity. "Voix Sereines", in particular, is hands down the most plaintive and delicate work of the man's already illustrious career, a despondent lullaby of music box melodies and wistful singing that is fittingly placed in the middle of the track listing… it's the soul of the album, and belongs as its nucleus.The twang at the end of the guitar lines on the title track could – if taken out of context – herald the introduction of a new Mazzy Star single, but Alcest aren't quite that predictable. Twang aside there is no further evidence of roots rock assimilation, no blues aside from the heartache rendered potently clear in Neige's understated vocals. Nonetheless, this would make a fine crossover single aimed at whatever constitutes indie rock radio in 2014.Then again, so would "Away", which many reading this will insist even more a graceful composition than my pick of "Voix Sereines" above (those who aren't chastising the band for "going soft" in the first place, that is). I can't really argue that point, but all it does is prove what a deep bench Neige is culling for inspiration this go round.Perhaps the best evidence that Neige is not beholden to the orthodoxy of his influences is the way he builds toward a crescendo on album finale, "Délivrance". Rather than the ringing chimes that have become the hallmark of tension-building in post-rock (Explosions in the goddamn Sky), Neige shows restraint by settling for a very gradually rising chorus with subtle percussive acceleration. The final 2:30 minutes of the song consists of an unnecessary reprise, but in spite of contributing minor bloat it's still a fitting tribute to Neige's classical ambitions here.The word "masterpiece" gets thrown around a bit too frequently – often in service of albums that will be forgotten altogether a few years down the road – but if you can wrap your head around the fact that Alcest are no longer a metal band in any way, shape or form, Shelter is deserving of whatever hyperbole you care to throw at it." - Metal Injection
    $15.00
  •  · NEW REMASTERED EDITION OF THIS CLASSIC 1968 ALBUM BY PROCOL HARUM· WITH 3 BONUS TRACKS· REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TAPES· FULLY RESTORED ARTWORK AND PHOTOGRAPHSEsoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of a newly re-mastered and expanded edition of the classic 1968 album by PROCOL HARUM.Released in the UK in December 1968, "Shine on Brightly” followed on from the huge international success in 1967 of the band’s debut single ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ and the follow up single "Homburg” and built on the creative path begun on Procol Harum’s self-titled debut album issued in January 1968. Gary Brooker (voice, piano), Robin Trower (lead guitar), David Knights (bass guitar), B.J. Wilson (drums) and Matthew Fisher (Hammond organ) took the music of the band to new heights with this, their second album. Dominated by the 17-minute epic suite ‘In Held ‘Twas in I’, Procol Harum re-wrote the rule book of popular music with the material written and recorded for "Shine On Brightly”.Newly re-mastered from the original tapes, this remastered edition of "Shine on Brightly” includes 3 bonus tracks and restores the original album artwork. 1. QUITE RIGHTLY SO2. SHINE ON BRIGHTLY3. SKIP SOFTLY MY MOONBEAMS4. WISH ME WELL5. RAMBLING ON6. MAGDALENE (MY REGAL ZONOPHONE)7. IN HELD TWAS IN I    a. GLIMSPES OF NIRVANA8. IN HELD TWAS IN I    b. TWAS TEA TIME AT THE CIRCUS9. IN HELD TWAS IN I    c. IN THE AUTUMN OF MY MADNESS10. IN HELD TWAS IN I     d. LOOK TO YOUR SOUL11. IN HELD TWAS IN I     e. GRAND FINALE BONUS TRACKS12. IL TUO DIAMANTE ("SHINE ON BRIGHTLY” ITALIAN VERSION) (MONO)RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER 196713. QUITE RIGHTLY SO14. IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF SIXPENCEA & B SIDES OF SINGLE 
    $16.00
  • This is kind of a shocking release to turn up on Napalm Records. It looks as though they are joining the ranks of Nuclear Blast and Century Media in picking up progressive metal bands...and that can't really be a bad thing. Serenity hails from Austria. They've been kicking around for awhile but this is their debut release. The music is a mix of melodic and progressive metal with some power touches. Georg Neuhauser's vocals have a plaintive, emotional feel that suits the music quite well. They focus on melody but are smart enough to lure a prog head like me in with occassional instrumentals of the Dream Theater variety. Savatage, Vanden Plas, Threshold, DT - these guys have their bases covered. Solid debut. Highly recommended.
    $15.00
  • "Accept's creative breakthrough, 1983's Restless and Wild, begins with one of the most unexpected, surprising, and hilarious mock intros ever recorded. Untold thousands no doubt furrowed their brows in confusion at the perky German folk song emanating from their speakers, only to be rudely interrupted by a scratching needle and Udo Dirkschneider's incomparable shriek, as the band launch themselves into the stunning violence of "Fast as a Shark." Not just a thrilling, light-speed juggernaut, the song was probably the last thrash metal prototype waxed in the pre-thrash era (officially inaugurated by Metallica's Kill 'Em All a few months later). Though nowhere near as frenetic, the title track and "Ahead of the Pack" are just as fierce, and despite a sudden stumble with the mediocre "Shake Your Heads" (an overtly cheesy, Judas Priest-style metal anthem, and the album's only stinker), the dramatic "Neon Nights" ends side one on the upswing once again. As for the album's second half, it's pretty much beyond reproach. Introduced by the solid "Get Ready" (another nod to Priest with its "Living After Midnight"-inspired drum intro), it builds from strength to strength with increasingly mature and melodic (though lyrically obscure) tracks such as "Flash Rockin' Man," "Don't Go Stealing My Soul Away," and the colossal "Princess of the Dawn." The latter closes the album as it began, in unexpected fashion, when its extended outro is abruptly interrupted mid-verse. The bottom line here is that this, like its successor Balls to the Wall, is an essential heavy metal album, and any fan worth his salt should own them both. But for the sake of first-time visitors, Restless and Wild is the slightly grittier, less melodic of the two. Whichever you chose, you can only win." - All Music Guide
    $7.50
  • Considered by many to be the first fusion album. This kicked off Miles' electric period and what a lineup: Miles Davis (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (soprano sax), Chick Corea (electric piano), Herbie Hancock (electric piano), Joe Zawinul (organ), John McLaughlin (electric guitar), Dave Holland (bass), Tony Williams (drums). With the exception of Holland all of these musicians played key roles in the fusion scene for years to come. Groundbreaking.
    $8.00
  • "Fortunately, part four of the quadrilogy, the blissfully laidback Ghost, will provide the perfect rest and recuperation at the end of that torrid ordeal.“Deconstruction is a complicated album. It’s got elements of Strapping without all the nihilistic, suicidal tendencies. For the people who want a heavy statement that’s very complicated, I think it’s gonna be the “be all, end all”. However, Ghost is a much more risky record on a lot of levels. It’s a really beautiful, folky, acoustic record with flutes and a real peaceful sentiment. I really like subtlety. That’s why I love Ghost so much. Deconstruction is about as subtle as a boner in sweatpants and that’s great too!”"
    $15.00
  • 4th album now remastered in a deluxe edition at a budget price (go figure...). Only bonus is a dispensable remix of "The Bells Of Notre Dame". Perhaps the band's most underappreciated album. A space rock classic.
    $13.00