Thijs van Leer reveals his only real regret as Focus roll on in their 55th year
He recalls breaking out of the Netherlands, his relationship with former guitarist Jan Akkerman, and the one album he’d like to remake
Prog Features
Latest Updates
Azure’s new album Fym wasn’t complete until they’d recorded a real oboe
Previously voted Prog’s best unsigned band, they spent two years perfecting their concept’s sounds and story – with every atonal note and slash from a set of keys entirely deliberate
In his only-ever interview, Sleep Token’s Vessel named his favourite 90s album
Sleep Token’s singer gave Metal Hammer his first and last interview in 2017. When he did, he named the 90s alt-rock record that moves him most.
The radical neutrality that gave birth to King Crimson’s Red
Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, John Wetton and guests struggled to deliver the 1974 album that, for many years, remained severely underrated
Kavus Torabi’s new solo album brought him back from insanity in an almost religious way
The Banishing is the triumphant result of Gong and Utopia Strong member’s mental battle, loss of his family, support from his friends and a “heroic dose of magic mushrooms”
Remembering Eddie Vedder's rousing cameo with Roger Waters at the Sandy Relief concert
Eddie Vedder's surprise cameo with Roger Waters at the 12-12-12 concert brought Madison Square Garden to its feet
Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmailyuk gets goosebumps even thinking about Opeth’s Damnation
The discovery of Mikael Åkerfeldt’s band when she was 16 led the Ukrainian artist into a big new world of prog – but she’s not sure about actually meeting him
Genesis’ Selling England By The Pound wore a smile over hidden depths
By the time they’d toured their 1973 album, they’d had a sit single, proved Phil Collins could deliver lead vocals, and offered a hint at what would come after Steve Hackett and Peter Gabriel left
Rendezvous Point face down their fears with their third album Dream Chaser
After comparisons with Leprous, because the bands share a drummer, they’re now expecting comparisons with Muse and Rammstein – but the Norwegian quintet believe they have something more cool and fun than that
Where to start with Ulver
As they build up to album number 14, revisit the boundary-busting history of Norway’s musical mavericks
The making of Secrets Of Angels, Karnataka’s only studio album with Hayley Griffiths
Band leader Ian Jones hoped the third incarnation of his band would be the one that stuck – but it wasn’t to be
Former ELO bassist Michael de Albuquerque’s life and times
Mary Hopkin and Violinski collaborator on becoming friends with Roy Wood, reissuing his solo albums and stepping away from the “not very nice” music industry in favour of antique dealing
How In Absentia marked the beginning of the end for Porcupine Tree
They delivered a defining moment in progressive metal with their 2002 album, but it wasn’t easy to do it – and once they had, Steven Wilson didn’t want to do it again
How death, cancer and a whole pandemic helped make Yesterwynde the most optimistic Nightwish album yet
Despite an unbelievable amount of personal setbacks, Nightwish rallied to make one of 2024's best metal albums. Here's how
How Peter Gabriel talked actor Adrian Lukis out of signing a music contract
After connecting with fellow public schoolboys, he went on to admire Pink Floyd’s intellectualism, appreciate Curved Air’s sexiness, and get lost in Jean-Luc Ponty while on acid
The Power And The Glory signalled the beginning of the end for Gentle Giant
They’d reasserted themselves after a line-up change and enjoyed the results – but the surprisingly polarised response to their sixth album led them to start second-guessing their own work.
Ever wondered what King Crimson is all about? Here’s Robert Fripp’s observation
Ever wondered what the band is all about? Here are several ways of approaching the question, suggested by the man who’s done the most thinking about it
How Opeth ditched the death growls and fully embraced prog on Heritage
In 2011, Opeth released Heritage – and cut the the last cord with their death metal past
The 10 psych-rock bands you need to be listening to right now
The world's best psych-rock bands are ready to take you on cosmic trips you'll never forget brothers and sisters. Strap in!
