In February, this blog will celebrate its eighth anniversary. Ever since our very first edition, the idea has been a simple one: to bring you some of the best up-and-coming progressive artists from around the world.
Each edition features at least five albums, with a full album stream and video for each, plus a mini review and a link to the artist's website.
In eight years we have brought you over 240 editions, featuring more than 1500 great albums; so far reaching over 800,000 readers.
This year we published seven normal editions featuring 39 wonderful albums.
As it can be difficult to keep track, here is an easy-to-use, all-in-one-place list of our recommendations from 2021. There is the album cover, title and a brief description of the music, with a link to the edition in which it originally featured. There, you will find a mini review, streams and info and a video for every album. Happy listening.
JASON BIELER AND THE BARON VON BIELSKI ORCHESTRA - Songs For The Apocalypse
Jason Bieler was the guitarist and sometime frontman for Saigon Kick. This is one of those varied, modern progressive albums that defies categorisation.
THE FLYING CARAVAN - I Just Wanna Break Even
This female-fronted band from Spain offers hints of the Canterbury scene, plus clear influences from Genesis, Camel, Big Big Train and Magenta
One of DPRP's top 10 progressive albums of 2021
For those who enjoy progressive metal with a heavy emphasis on instrumental showmanship and complexity.
February: EDITION 229
PROAGE - 4.WYMIAR (4th Dimension)Third album in four years from Polish heavy-proggers
February: EDITION 229
THE EMERALD DAWN - To Touch the Sky
Classic symphonic prog with lush keys and guitar amidst some classical and folk influences, swathes of keyboards, organs and guitars, with splashes of flute, saxophone and acoustic guitar.
Welsh songstress delivers another sublime slice of art-pop with a heavy leaning on the piano, some quirky synth arrangements and thoughtful lyrics.
Third album from Finnish prog-metallers featuring two lead singers and a 30-minute epic.
April: EDITION 230
HILLWARD - Alternate Timelines
Canadian crossover merchants strike a lighter note with their third album.
April: EDITION 230
CHROMATIC ABERRATION - The Trial of the King
High quality retro progressive rock inspired by a lifetime's collection of Rush and Yes albums
Traditional prog-metal from Lebanon that made my list of the top 20 albums of the year
April: EDITION 230
CROWN - The End of All Things
Think Isis meets Killing Joke and Joy Division or Rammstein on a dance floor with Dépeche Mode. The bleakness reminds me of Antimatter.
French extreme prog-metallers continue their great run of form.
Charming, whimsical and performed with a splendid joie de vivre, the essence of Harvest is beautifully-captured in the album cover illustration by Pablo Solari.
For fans of late-80s Rush, Kingcrow, Seventh Wonder and the lighter moments of Threshold.
These short bursts of musical intensity will sit happily alongside Mars Volta and Fair to Midland in my CD collection.
KING BUFFALO - The Burden of Restlessness
If you enjoy psyche mixed with blues, stoner and prog, then this heavy beast should be one of your favourite albums of the year.
Some albums have a cinematic scope that would make them an ideal soundtrack for a movie. Giant Sky are one step ahead, as this debut offering already comes complete with its own movie!
June: EDITION 233JACK O' THE CLOCK - Leaving California
This band was formed in Oakland, California in the summer of 2007 with the aim of blending elements of progressive rock, free jazz, minimalism, and various world musics into its folk foundation.
June: EDITION 233MISSION JUPITER – Talk to Me We truly scan the whole planet to find the best new music for you. Here is some modern alt-prog from Belarus with a wonderful female singer.
June: EDITION 233
Splendid live album from this crosssover band from my French hometown of Poitiers.
June: EDITION 233
A wonderful debut album by this female-fronted Vancouver band that veers from pop to ambient, to heavy and even some death growls!
The Aussie prog-metal scene is really punching above its weight at the moment, with so much creative output from so many great bands.
July: EDITION 234TERAMAZE - Sorella Minore
The Tool inspiration is very clear on this disc.
Inspiration came from two sources: the dancing plague of 1518, which is a fascinating story in itself, and an engagement with our contemporary world: doesn't it sometimes feel like we're in the process of dancing ourselves to death?
July: EDITION 234THE ATOMIC BEAU PROJECT - Time
I could have done this as a themed edition! Another female-fronted band, and another cracking find from Australia.
Featuring both Ray Alder (vocals on two songs) and Mark Zonder, the Fates Warning influence is self-evident, although overall this a brighter and more accessible affair.
1930. Northern coast of the USSR. A geological survey team discovered a flotilla trapped in ice and dared to step aboard. It was a terrible mistake. You can buy just the album or also get the tabletop role playing book!
Twenty-one years after the release of their acclaimed debut album, two members of tech-metal legends Spiral Architect have finally dropped a new album!
July: EDITION 234SomeWhereOut - Deep In The Old Forest There's a great blend of styles here; some heavy and some lighter.
A DYING PLANET - When the Skies Are Grey
Another of my favourite prog-metal albums of the year. This mixes in a bit of ambience and some superb vocals.
These guys offers groovy, heavy alt-prog just the way I like it. A 12-song concept thing, with each track taking a sign of the zodiac.
Unmissable for those who enjoy dramatic instrumental landscapes.
October: EDITION 235 Hard-to-find heavy prog from Mexico
October: EDITION 235
BEAUTIFUL BEDLAM - Beautiful BedlamThis is a very fresh and lively collection of songs that successfully blend alternative, experimental, progressive rock with flouishes from the avant-garde, indie rock and math-rock spheres.
October: EDITION 235
SHUMAUN - Memories & Intuition This third effort is their most progressive so far.
October: EDITION 235
Strongly recommended for fans of dark, atmospheric, technical Scandie metal with (mainly) clean vocals and powerful production. Fans of Communic and Katatonia should love this.
And did you miss any albums from 2020?
