And we're back with another new Tracks Of The Week.
The premise 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 Prog's 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.
A shout out to reformed US prog rockers Ice Age who walked off with a whopping 48% of last week's vote. Seems like they're decision to reunite after 22 years was the right one. Honourable mentions of French prog metallers Wedingoth and US proggers We Came From Space.
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), band photo and biog to us here.
So get watching. And get voting at the bottom of the page.
The Ocean - Parabiosis
If you think German prog metallers The Ocean are all about bludgeoning riffs and knotty post metal, then new album Holocene will come as something of a surprise. Like new eight-minute track Parabiosis, it's more about atmospherics and proggy soundscapes, with a clean vocal performance form singer Loïc Rossetti. Still, it's nice to confound opinion every now and then.
Yossi Sassi & Oriental Rock Orchestra - Vision Of Water
Former Orphaned Land guitarist Yossi Sassi continues to create uplifting new music with his Oriental Rock Orchestra. Vision Of Water is the first single to be taken from their upcoming album PreDiluvian (meaning "One who lived before the Flood; an antediluvian"). Accompanied by a suitably sunny video evoking a stirring feeling of the Middle East, it's enough to make us want to pack our bags and head off on holiday.
Emma Tricca - Christodora House
Christodora House is the latest offering from psych/folk singer-songwriter Emma Tricca and is taken from her upcoming album Aspirin Sun, which will be released through Bella Union on April 7. It's gentle, pastoral psychedelia accompanied by an equally mesmerising video. "Since childhood I have always been fascinated by folk stories," she says. "The magical element of turning the impossible into the possible..."
Syrek - I Think It's A Monster
There's no denying the talent of New York-based prog metal guitarist Terry Syrek. When you can call on an international array of musicians such as Marco Minnemann and Bryan Beller (both The Aristocrats), Mohini Dey and Lalle Larsson, who both perform I Think It's A Monster and appear in the video, you're obviously making the right kind of noises. The song is taken from his 2021 album Story.
"After I had written the intro to I Think It's a Monster, I jokingly thought 'man, this is really turning out to be a monster, and then it suddenly came to me that the characters in Story, as one of their first experiences, too, encounter a big monster,'" he says. "The song pretty much wrote itself from that point."
HeKz - Mayday
UK prog metallers HeKz return with a brand new single, the rampaging Mayday. it's taken from the band's upcoming double album, Terra Nova, a concept album featuring the violin talents of special guest Lucia La Rezza. “The elevator pitch for the story is along the lines of ‘running towards your ultimate goal won’t help you to outrun your demons, so find a different way," explains singer and bassist Matt Young. "In the song Mayday we find ourselves in a very challenging position. The song is about how we cope when our plans fail and, if everything is lost, you can go down fighting!”
Ropemaker - Paean
Irish prog metal project Ropemaker definitely fit in at the heavier end of the spectrum, as new single Paean shows. The band started out with a more post-rock sound, but as you can hear from the Gojira-like riffing of this track, mainman Dave Slattery's looking more to the likes of Mastodon, Pelican, Russian Circles and MONO for inspiration. Paean's taken from the band's new album Interwoven which is released at the end of this week.
