Progressive Rock Reviews
Since I generally tend to prefer progressive rock over progressive metal – seventies-style progressive rock in particular – the style is represented relatively well on Kevy Metal. Since I tend to lean towards the more riffy, guitar-driven side of the progressive rock spectrum rather than the folky or keyboard-laden side of it, those who enjoy the bands reviewed in my progressive metal reviews and my hard rock reviews might find something to enjoy here as well. These are all my Album of the Week reviews about progressive rock releases.
Using tags effecitvely is something I didn’t do until a couple of years in. As a result, some progressive rock revies may show up here. If you are looking for something specific, I recommend using the search bar at the bottom of the page.
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Album of the Week 08-2022: Kansas – Masque
Kansas was a bit of an anomaly within the seventies rock landscape. Their first four albums – or five, if you ask anyone else than me – are when the band was at their best. Back then, they had all the unexpected twists in the songwriting that progressive rock bands…
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Album of the Week 06-2022: Voivod – Synchro Anarchy
Three albums into the rebirth of Voivod after the untimely death of Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour, it is safe to say that the band is truly in their prime. I honestly think their current work is every bit as good as the likes of ‘Dimension Hatröss’ and ‘Nothingface’ and the brand…
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Album of the Week 01-2022: Gonin-Ish – Shinin Sanka
Let’s start off the year with a challenge by reviewing an album which I really like, but is a nightmare to describe. Even by Japanese standards, Gonin-Ish is a strange band. Comparisons can be drawn to the likes of Sigh, but despite Anoji Matsuoka’s occasionally harsh vocals, Gonin-Ish is not…
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Album of the Week 44-2021: Kinniku Shojo Tai – Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga
Only a band with a core sound as weirdly unique as Kinniku Shojo Tai’s would be able to drop two prominent elements from it and still sound like nobody but themselves. Fumihiko Kitsutaka’s classy melodic speed metal guitar work, which was front on center on most post-reunion Kinniku Shojo Tai…
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Album of the Week 40-2021: Enslaved – Utgard
Enslaved is one of the most interesting bands in the contemporary landscape of extreme and progressive metal. And yet, my interest in them waned a little when keyboard player Herbrand Larsen left the band five years ago. His warm, soothing voice was an important part of what made their latter…
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Album of the Week 31-2021: Ningen Isu – Kuraku
The harshest thing I can say about ‘Kuraku’, the twenty-second album by Japanese power trio Ningen Isu, is that it is another Ningen Isu album. It does not quite set the world on fire like its predecessor ‘Shin Seinen’ did, but it simply features guitarist Shinji Wajima, bassist Kenichi Suzuki…
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Album of the Week 27-2021: Coroner – Mental Vortex
My relationship with Coroner’s fourth album ‘Mental Vortex’ through the years has been a strange one. It was released right in between the two Coroner albums that used to be my favorites. Because of that, I used to think it was not thrashy enough to be as good as ‘No…
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Album of the Week 21-2021: Silver Lake By Esa Holopainen – Silver Lake
Solo projects by metal guitarists are often self-indulgent affairs. But then again, Amorphis’ Esa Holopainen never was your typical lead guitarist for a metal band. He tends to build his guitar solos around recognizable melodies and a handful of impactful notes with a great sound, while his compositions for Amorphis…
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Album of the Week 15-2021: Gentle Giant – The Power And The Glory
Gentle Giant has got to be the least accessible band that I actually enjoy listening to. They are generally a favorite among connoisseurs of progressive rock, but they never had the crossover appeal that the likes of Genesis, Yes and even King Crimson did have. In a way, this is…
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