Welcome to Prog's Tracks Of The Week. Six new and diverse slices progressive music for you to enjoy.
US keyboard maestro Robeone took the honours last week, with his Keith Emerson-inspired keyboard flurries, just pipping Australian prog metallers Teramaze and UK prog metallers Monastery. Congratulations.
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.
ECHO US - IT'S TIME FOR WINTER
US prog rockers Echo Us offer a suitably atmospheric and cinematic video to accompany their single It's Time For Winter, which is taken from the band's latest album, their seventh, Inland Empire, which was released in March, although originally completed ten years ago, back in 2013. The album even comes with an NFT upgrade which includes two bonus tracks, also completed in 2013 alongside the album.
"Unlike most archival works, Inland Empire is new to Echo Us fans, as no demos or bootlegs of the album have ever been released or leaked," explains multi-instrumentalist Ethan J. Matthews. "The album appears in 2023 exactly how it sounded in 2013 - down to the use of the original mix and masters."
TIM ARNOLD - START WITH THE SOUND
Former member of Britpop band Jocasta, Tim Arnold has just released Super Connected, a new art-rock concept album that "takes aim at big-tech's insidious footprints across our lives", according to Prog's album review. That's echoed in the eye-catching video for Start With Sound.
"In many ways it’s an homage to the period between my favourite records Tubular Bells and Hounds Of Love," says Arnold, who's album was co-produced with Jethro Tull bassist Jonathan Noyce and also features a cameo from Stephen Fry.
NOVA CASCADE - THE NOBLE LION
Ambient styled progressive rockers Nova Cascade, who feature Ghost Of The Machine vocalist Charlie Bramald on flute, will release their new album The Navigator on September 21, from which comes the emotive The Noble Lion and its equally heartfelt video.
"The album is dedicated to our bandmate & dear friend Eric Boulette," explains guitarist and vocalist Dave Hilborne. "He contributed to our album right up until three days before he passed. I believe it to be his final recording. It was a project close to his heart & his loss has left a void in all of us in the band.
"All proceeds are to go to pancreatic cancer UK. Several of his bandmates from his other projects have submitted tributes for us to include. His widow Anne Claire is also contributing to the album artwork. Needless to say, this is far more than just another album for us."
FELLOW ROBOT - POPPY FIELDS
Californian indie rock quintet Fellow Robot aren't your usual Prog Magazine fare. BUT, give Poppy Fields a listen. The nine-minute long piece of music is quite the journey, and sounds a far cry from the 'indie rock' tag the band are associated with. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album Misanthropoid, which is released on May 19.
“It’s 9 minutes and 46 seconds I’ll have you know," enthuses signer Anthony Pedroza. "We fully own that it’s a long song, but it’s got three cool sections, starts quiet but ends with this riff barrage our label guy keeps calling ‘wizard walk-on music’."
HOG MEETS FROG - OF SNAKES ‘N’ MOLES ‘N’ BULLS ‘N’ DOUGH
The quirkily name Hog Meets Frog are an Australian funk prog metal trio who released their third EP, humANIMALization, in February, and from which the equally odd Of Snakes ‘n’ Moles ‘n’ Bulls ‘n’ Dough, is taken. We're getting strong Primus vibes here, and the band also admit to a Tool influence.
"The text tells of a friendship between a snake and a mole and a greedy bull who is addicted to the madness of money-making and wants to break up the friends to get more money himself. In the end, of course, friendship wins," says bassist and vocalist - Peter ’PETZ’ Schwabl of the song. "Musically, this song starts with a stonerous riff and then slides into a dry narrative stomping, and then further into a spherical reverberant sound of delirium."
TREVOR'S HEAD - UNDER MY SKIN
Trevor's Head have been called "quite possibly the most exciting thing to come out of Redhill in the last three centuries". The trio say they play a mix of stoner, prog and punk - to be honest, it sounds pretty heavy to us, but that's what Tracks Of The Week is for, to allow you to make your own minds up.
The band will release their new album A View from Below on May 5 via APF Records, and will tour the UK on the backof the release. "We don’t like to take ourselves too seriously, so the video is an absolute piss-take," the trio laugh. "We took inspiration from bands like Immortal, donning corpse paint and running around in the woods, acting like fools. There’s even a super scary demon! It was an absolute riot to shoot."
