Prog Features

Released in 1971, the African-tinged record pioneered what would become world music, and took prog into fresh new waters too.

The brief encounter wasn’t what anyone could have predicted – but it was enough to give the younger singer a tantalising idea.

The cult movie director started composing his own soundtracks out of necessity. Eventually he returned to his first love of music to create the Lost Themes album series, and began touring too

Brought up with Pink Floyd and Gentle Giant, the American guitarist discovered The Snow Goose live and never looked back – and Andy Latimer’s band inspired a musical ambition in him

Scottish singer met Don Van Vliet a number of times, and the eccentric American’s influence extended through his own career

PowerNerd, the first of three autobiographical albums, was transformed into something unexpected as he began feeling like a liar, and wound up facing his 15-year-old self

He says his natural negativity didn’t top him presenting a positive take on Amelia Earhart’s final adventure on latest album The Last Flight, as he considers where the emotional power of his band’s output comes from

After the "soul-crushing" slog of Hemispheres, Permanent Waves returned Rush to the peak of their powers and put them in a different league

Sold on their older brothers’ counterculture dream of living in outer space listening to the Beatles, Coyne and bandmate Steven Drozd very nearly became full-time drug dealers instead of musicians

When Dutch prog rock legends Kayak released album number Seventeen, longstanding keyboard player Ton Scherpenzeel looked back and pondered what might have been

He discovered Canterbury bands in his teens before moving on to Frank Zappa, Opeth, Genesis, obscure Dutch trio Three Dwarves Make War – oh, and Kiss

Knowing some people would never get over the novelty, Billy Sherwood decided to go for broke with Ponder The Mystery, featuring Steve Vai, Rick Wakeman, Nik Turner, Edgar Froese and others

An introduction to the music of the Israeli prog metal powerhouse and their mission to promote peace and wipe out war

Inspired by Tool, the Australian bassist got her big break from Jeff Beck and went on to play with Prince, The Who and Brian Wilson – and her solo work is equally impressive

He’s worked with Steve Howe, Wire and Gandalf’s Fist, and even on a metal magazine – but it’s the quirkiness and curiosity of his own band that makes the singer and percussionist most proud

Unable to decide on who should leave, the band of friends broke up in 2016. To their own surprise and delight, they’re back with new album Songs For Beating Hearts – and loving their work more than ever

Prompted by a disagreement that spilled into the public domain, co-founders Keith Emerson and Lee Jackson once visited the Prog office to set things straight

With a Chris Isaak track acting as an ode to Type O Negative, the Texans found inspiration for new concept album Where Gods Fear To Speak in America’s current environment of uncertainty

Prog veteran recalls connecting with Sandy Denny, his band’s attempt to fire him, being loved by Led Zeppelin, why they’ve never had a Steven Wilson remix, the “albatross” of Part Of The Union and the unreleased, more political version

A personal look back at the music, life and times of Neil Peart, the Rush drummer/lyricist and cornerstone who died on January 7, 2020