Articles by David West

After starting his writing career covering the unforgiving world of MMA, David moved into music journalism at Rhythm magazine, interviewing legends of the drum kit including Ginger Baker and Neil Peart. A regular contributor to Prog, he’s written for Metal Hammer, The Blues, Country Music Magazine and more. The author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film, David shares his thoughts on kung fu movies in essays and videos for 88 Films, Arrow Films, and Eureka Entertainment. He firmly believes Steely Dan’s Reelin’ In The Years is the tuniest tune ever tuned.

Articles by: David West

“It’s not like anything else I’ve written… I sank into it, and before I knew there was nothing of me there. That’s when magic happens”: How Roger Hodgson created Supertramp’s most ambitious song, and why he won’t say what it means

By David West published 21 March 25

Inspired by the Beatles, a famous piece of classical music and the post-war era, Fool’s Overture isn’t the band’s longest song – but it’s by far their most complex and intense

"We tend to write very emotive music – you could say emotive rock." How Panic Room discovered themselves with Incarnate

By David West published 10 March 25

The story of UK prog quintet Panic Room's fourth album, 2014's Incarnate

“On a frenetic album about consumerism and masturbation, you need your moments of contrast to count": The 10 best Genesis songs, as chosen by Prog readers

By Chris Roberts, David West, Johnny Sharp published 7 March 25

Over 28 years the genre giants released 15 albums, achieving over 100 million sales. It’s unfair to boil their work down to just a handful of key songs – but you did it anyway

DeWolff standing outside the Muscle Shoals town sign

"I started crying. I was completely overwhelmed by how special it was that we were there": How a band of Dutch retro-rockers ended up recording at two legendary recording studios

By David West published 27 February 25

The Queen Of Soul, the birth of the Allman Brothers Band, and the new album from retro-rock flag bearers DeWolff all have something in common

“As I was leaving the stage, I put my arm around Niall and said, ‘I think we got away with it’”: And So I Watch You From Afar were brave enough to debut their album Megafauna in full at a festival

By David West published 19 February 25

Irish band broke the limits of their own ambition when they performed every track of their seventh record at ArcTanGent

a portrait of kobi garhi holding his tattooed arm up to the camera

“Steve Hackett asked, ‘Do you want paid or shall I record for your next album?’ I said, ‘I’ll forget the money in two weeks – your solo will be there forever”: Orphaned Land updated Plato to make a point about revolution

By David West published 26 January 25

Lead vocalist Kobi Farhi explains why 2018 album Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs echoes the ancient message: “dictators live forever – only the good die young“

“I had no illusions about losing popularity – in fact, I almost did it intentionally. A guy from the label said, ‘Are you crazy?’ I said, ‘Yes, but I assume the consequences’”: John McLaughlin’s career outside the lines

By David West published 4 January 25

Surrounded by genre-breakers from an early age, the Mahivshnu Orchestra mastermind learned quickly about ignoring critics – but never stops reminding himself of his own incapabilities and ignorance

“Welcome textures and colours… but the overall mix lacks depth and coherence”: White Willow’s remaster of fourth album Storm Season

By David West published 3 January 25

Mainman Jacob Holm-Lupo took his band in a new direction with 2004 release, but the material shows its age in latest update

“Steve Harris from Iron Maiden said, ‘If any band can carry our torch, it’s them.’ You think, ‘Wow – do we even want that?’” Nightwish’s constant reinvention could be a chain reaction that explodes out of control

By David West published 19 December 24

With close harmonies and a full orchestral suite on Human. :||: Nature. the band proved it was capable of endless expansion. But the experience of being mobbed and drowned out in South America offered pause for thought

“There are hardly any solos here… it has to feel like we have something new to say”: Why the Von Hertzen Brothers dropped wizard-cloak synths but added sax to In Murmuration

By David West published 3 December 24

Ninth album deals with two different concepts, as the Finnish group look forward to a future of total control over their catalogue

“Mikael Åkerfeldt’s growls sound suitably deep… he hasn’t lost any power. And there’s much more than menace to his performance”: Opeth’s The Last Will And Testament

By David West last updated 23 November 24

Family drama, a pair of prog legends and even the bloke who sang The Final Countdown… Swedish prog metal kings have made a concept album like no other

Bill Bruford – The Winterfold & Summerfold Years

“An impressive overview of his restless curiosity and hunger”: Bill Bruford’s Winterfold & Summerfold Years 3-disc box set

By David West published 5 November 24

Jazz, fusion, and a dash of muzak from the drummer’s electronic and acoustic experiments from 1977 to 2007

The 30 greatest David Gilmour performances

By David West last updated 28 October 24

David Gilmour's 30 greatest moments, as chosen by members of Marillion, Roxy Music, Asia, Solstice, TesseracT, Haken and more

“I remember dissecting YYZ and learning all his different techniques… I use that stuff all the time with Dream Theater”: John Petrucci wouldn’t be John Petrucci without Rush’s Alex Lifeson

By David West published 27 August 24

Future prog metal master discovered his Canadian counterpart at just the right time in his life – and he soon had friends including John Myung joining in

I thought they’d drop us… the daft stuff made the label think it was viable”: Trifecta’s new album features Alex Lifeson, didgeridoo and Zappa nods – but Nick Beggs insists he’s no prog musician

By David West published 30 July 24

The New Normal is the surprise second helping from Steven Wilson bandmates Beggs, Holzman and Blundell. Among the silliness there’s also deep love and sincere cynicism

“When the mood took them, the prog legends of the 70s could write simple but catchy music with aplomb”: The 40 greatest Yes songs ever

By Jerry Ewing, Grant Moon, Chris Roberts, Johnny Sharp, David West published 25 July 24

When 50,000 Prog magazine readers voted on the band’s catalogue, the resulting chart contained a few surprises

“Nobody was more surprised than I was when we started doing it, and today it’s my main activity”: Perfect but unplanned timing sent the Alan Parsons Project touring galaxies far, far away with I Robot

By David West published 8 July 24

When their second album arrived alongside Star Wars in 1977, the dream-come-true coincidence changed their career path

“It may not possess the distorted riffs of their earlier work, but the sense of drama and dynamics remains intact”: Maybeshewill’s remix of Fair Youth is bright and articulate

By David West published 22 May 24

Their fourth album returns, wrapped in bassist Jamie Ward’s ambition to make the music hit harder – although that’s not what the music itself suggests

"All of the prog-related material goes to Gungfly. Gungfly is changing."How Rikard Sjöblom resurrected Gungfly with On Her Journey Round The Sun

By David West published 18 May 24

Beardfish may have departed this mortal coil as a band, but their former frontman is setting forth on a new musical voyage with his rebranded, ever-evolving Rikard Sjöblom’s Gungfly, heading straight for the heart of the solar system.

“Instead of conjuring the spirit of good craic, the pervading mood is overwhelmingly maudlin”: Oliver Wakeman’s Anam Cara is an admirable attempt to do something new

By David West published 16 May 24

Power ballads overburden a collection of Celtic-infused songs, although there’s no faulting the performances

“Concept albums are considered old hat these days, but I made a career out of it and I don’t see why I should stop now.” Alan Parsons and The Secret

By David West published 26 April 24

Legendary producer, engineer and musician Alan Parosn tells the story of his fifth solo album The Secret

“The humorous interludes may prove divisive; it’s strongest when they dig hard into a groove”: Trifecta control the fusion in The New Normal

By David West published 16 April 24

Steven Wilson band veterans Nick Beggs, Adam Holzman and Craig Blundell build on their 2021 debut

“It might be downbeat, but emotions run strong in its slowly churning depths”: Fates Warning offshoot North Sea Echoes’ Really Good Terrible Things

By David West published 10 March 24

It’s no busman’s holiday for Ray Alder and Jim Matheos, who pursue gloomier themes than fans are used to on their debut release

“I watched a video of them in a small room and my mouth just dropped. Listen to the fluidly, how easily these guys play this: seamless, and that’s impressive”: why Dave Lombardo loves The Fall of Troy

By David West published 16 February 24

Ex Slayer rhythm master was blown away when he discovered the trio’s ability to record live, avoid too much computer contribution and inject emotion into their music

“We’ll die because the sun will burn out, or there will be no drinking water, and we’ll ask AI to help… it will only be another tool”: In Mariusz Duda’s own Marvel Universe, his album AFR AI D is about taming nightmares

By David West published 8 February 24

Riverside and Lunatic Soul mastermind on his investigations of emerging technology, the early demos he’s kept but no one wants to hear, and selfishly releasing music that wouldn’t last the test of time

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David West

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