LONELY ROBOT - God Vs Man (5:41)
Album: Please Come Home (2015)
Label/Distribution: InsideOut/Universal
www.insideoutmusic.com
LONELY ROBOT is the new project of John Mitchell (It Bites, Arena). On his debut album "Please Come Home", the Brit has not only taken over the songwriting, but also the production and shows that despite his outstanding instrumental abilities, he pays more attention to creating the right atmosphere.
ARCANE - Instinct (6:59)
Album: Known/Learned (2CD) (2015)
Label/Distribution: Sensory/The Laser's Edge/Alive
www.arcaneaustralia.com
On their new double album, the Australians deliver strong modern prog material with great emotional moments, into which one dives like into a good feature film. The trip between different poles is not least made an experience by the thrilling singing. Here opulence meets simplicity!
THE NEAL MORSE BAND - The Grand Experiment (5:27)
Album: The Grand Experiment (2015)
Label/Distribution: InsideOut/Universal
www.nealmorse.com
For the first time in his career NEAL MORSE went into the studio without preparation. The result is an album with a slightly reduced prog-factor, but also the fresh ideas of his band partners Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer. Experiment succeeded.
BLACK STAR RIDERS - The Killer Instinct (3:31)
Album: The Killer Instinct (2015)
Label/Distribution: Nuclear Blast/Warner
www.blackstarriders.com
From "Killer On The Loose" from Thin Lizzy's "Chinatown" album to "The Killer Instinct", album and song, it's only a few steps stylistically, but they are taken by Scott Gorham and his men self-confidently and with an open visor for fresh, new ideas and harder rock than the main band.
GINGERPIG - The Nature Of The Fool (4:43)
Album: Ghost On The Highway (2015)
Label/Distribution: Suburban/MIG/SPV
www.gingerpigband.com
Retro's in. The Dutch therefore continue their way unperturbed in the direction of vintage rock. More songs and hooks, less psychedelic jams. Creaking guitars and riff work strongly approach Black Sabbath or Uriah Heep. Even AC/DC knock. Dry, hard, classic. Those hellhounds bark out loud.
PALLAS - New Life (4:49)
Album: Wearewhoweare (2015)
Label/Distribution: Pallas/Just For Kicks
www.pallasofficial.com
There's a band standing there, confident in itself. The Scots make it clear that they know how to stage prog sometimes hard, sometimes melodic. Dark gothic tension. Music monumental like ancient Greece. Critique of civilization against a society that forgets itself in the appearance of digital worlds. (Review: eclipsed 2/2015)
THE SCENES - Hunters (3:03)
Album: Beige (2015)
Label/Distribution: SoF/BB*Island/Cargo
www.scenesband.com
On their second album the Finns first confuse with cool Bowie aesthetics. But as they continue to hear, they reveal their true nature. And this is rousing, emotional and also profound indie rock, which is strongest in its contrasts between noisy eruptions and fragile melancholy.
EIVØR - Morning Song (4:56)
Album: Bridges (2015)
Label/Distribution: Tutl/Cargo
www.eivor.com
The Faroese musician inspires on her new album with a mixture of the exotic folklore of her home country, avant-garde song structures and melodic artpop. Her ethereal singing, which brought her comparisons with Björk, gives the sound a special touch.
PETE ROSS & THE SAPPHIRE - Have You Seen The Incubus? (4:08)
Album: The Boundless Expanse (2015)
Label/Distribution: Beast/Cargo
www.peterossandthesapphire.com
The focus here is on the overall character of an album. The folk rock band around Pete Ross and Susy Sapphire travel through old music worlds like a kaleidoscope: Sixties and seventies. Innocent hippie music, psychedelically kidnapped sounds, wonderfully old-fashioned sounds and a voice that resembles Nick Cave. (Review: eclipsed 2/2015)
LOVE MACHINE - The Vision Of How The Office Becomes A Hurricane (6:18)
Album: A Present To The Galaxy (LP) (2015)
Label/Distribution: Tonzonen/Clearspot
lovemachinegermany.bandcamp.com
Psychedelic slow-motion as motto. Everyone who's been hit a little too hard knows deceleration. Whoever then plays this disc of the Düsseldorf quintet with lounge-like keyboard work, spaceed off sax, relaxed flowing guitars and a dark voice like Jim Morrison after long nights of drinking through, flies off. (Review: see "The Black Groove")
