Brave has been one of the most acclaimed Marillion album from the start in fact, it used to be even more acclaimed back in the days when the 1980s Marillion sounded dated and this still didn't. Naturally, Brave has begun to sound a little dated itself, while the 1980s Marillion has almost turned kind of fresh. Anyway, this one was a brave album, as it introduced a new kind of Marillion that had left the 1980s and Fish's ghost behind, instead presenting us a new progressive rock hybrid that was recognisably 1990s.

The opening "Bridge" doesn't really get going, but the following "Living With the Big Lie" and "Runaway" are already better. Then there is the lengthy "Goodbye to All That", which features some nice fragments, but I quickly learned to skip it. "Hard as Love" is not actually my favourite either. Instead, "The Hollow Man" and the 8-minute "The Lap of Luxury" are high quality music, while "Paper Lies" is not much worse. but "The Great Escape" and "Made Again" close the package with a high note. This is a Magnum opus of progressive rock and music and general. Mariilion created this album with a narrative and created It perfectly. 5.0

"More" and "Obscured by Clouds" (Pink Floyd's other soundtrack album) are often regarded as side notes to the band's primary development as represented on their true studio albums - and consequently not worthy of the same consideration as the albums proper. I couldn't disagree More, no pun intended.

Obscured by Clouds and More represent a critical component of the Floyd sound that would emerge whole by the early seventies. Whereas the 1968-'71 albums proper are harder and more psychedelic/progressive in their orientation, the two soundtracks are largely acoustic (with some striking exceptions) with strong melodies and great singing (individually and in harmony). Importantly the material on More (and Obscured by Clouds) displays that subtly menacing edge that Floyd's peak work is known for. In fact that combination of a soft melodic veneer with a cold, menacing undercurrent is - I would argue - the essence of Pink Floyd and is demonstrated much better on the two soundtracks than on any of their pre-1973 or post-1975 albums.

The true songs and instrumentals here are all outstanding. The playing is great, the arrangements are really enjoyable and the whole album sounds like a live band recording - not as much like a studio recording. This also has quite a bit of great guitar work from Gilmour.

Strongly recommended for early and mid-seventies Floyd fans. Truthfully you can only listen to Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon so many times before getting tired of them - here are two albums that share many of those qualities that you've never heard once. 4.0

This is my first review ever, sorry if it's not very good.

1: What If: The album starts with a very melodic song, which reminds me a lot of older Glass Hammer albums. Very good song. 2: The Road South: This song is very melodic and symphonic and very peaceful, a lot more peaceful than the last song. A good song, however not as good as the last one. 3: Tomorrow: This song is very atmospheric and faster than the previous song. The song slows down after the beginning. I like this song more than the previous one. 4: Pretty Ghost: Not a bad song, however not my favorite either. 5: Sunshine: This song is again very peaceful and atmospheric. I like this song, however not as much as some of the others on this album. 6: I Will Follow: This song begins with organs and it begins very peacefully and when the drums come in, the song becomes faster. I like this song. 7: The Wonder of it All: This song is faster and very atmospheric. I like this song. 8: One Last Sunrise: A very peaceful and atmospheric song. I like it. 9: Terminal Lucidity: An atmospheric song. Really brings on a journey. I feel like there's some Tangerine Dream influence in it? I like it a lot. 10: All Good Things: This song is peaceful, it also seems to bring on a journey, very good song. Probably my favorite song on this album.

Conclusion: A very good album, with lots of great melodies and its a very atmospheric album. Rating: 4/5.

Today we'll be checking out a fairly new German prog band from Berlin called Mihrax on their second album, titled Rox. The band was founded in 2016 by keyboardist/guitarist/songwriter Tobias Graef, who refers to himself as 'a musical alien of my generation,' as he is into prog rock over the modern pop sounds preferred by the masses these days (I feel ya, Tobias!). In that year Tobias wrote the songs for what was to be the first Mihrax album, recorded with Tobias' father Thomas Graef on bass and drummer/vocalist Frank Zibner. The band's name comes from a fictional drug name used in the story that the album is based on. The self-titled album was released in 2019 and has a very high 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Prog Archives, albeit only based on 2 ratings (one 5 and one 4).

In the interim, Frank Zibner exited the band and three other musicians joined: Thorsten Schl'ter on guitar, Andreas Wittwer on drums and vocalist Boris Elfert. This quintet recorded the album we are checking out today, just released on March 7, 2025. This review was requested by the band's promotion team at BadDog productions via Anne-Claire. I received no compensation for this review, and as always, 'I call it like I hear it.' As usual, this is a cold listen and my first impressions.

Track 1 - Black Star

We begin with an 11 minute + epic. Which shares a name with an early Yngwie Malmsteen track. A mid-tempo 4-4 drum beat starts us off and then a very 80s analog synth joins in. The bass provides a riff as well. The opening lyrics are spoken with an echo as the beat pauses, and is backed with guitar harmonics. The beat then resumes and a guitar riff leads to the first proper verse. Boris is singing in a narrative about a character known as Black Star, who is a rock star. I believe this may be a bit of a rock opera happening. The chorus is very catchy and the keyboard flourishes are well done. At around 3 minutes in, the guitar riffs take back over before the vocals resume. Boris sings with a slightly raspy baritone that fits the music well. At around 4:30 we begin a different section in an odd meter. I thought it was going to be an instrumental break, but we'll call it a bridge, as the vocals resumed. The guitar interludes in the song are quite nice. After 6 minutes, I do believe this is an instrumental feature. Nice keyboard riffs at 7 minutes. Then the beat pauses and the guitar plays unaccompanied. The vocals resume at around 8 minutes. The bass and drums in the rhythm section have been spot-on! Very cool odd-meter guitar break around 9:30. I like the drum pattern around 10:50. Excellent opening track!

Track 2 - Intoxication

A slightly shorter track (but hardly short) at 7 minutes. This begins with a hard-edged guitar riff with the rhythm section and keys supporting. The next section is very dramatic. Then the keys come front-and center briefly at a slower tempo, before the verse begins, back at the original tempo. There is a call and response style here between solo and harmonies. On the second verse, the groove stops on the response part of each phrase couplet. Just prior to the 3 minute mark, the bass takes center stage with a sinister riff. The keys then lead us into a new section with distant spoken dialog. The tone is very mysterious, and the ride cymbal keeps subtle time. The sounds include what sounds like announcements in a train station or some such thing. Then at around 4 minutes in the band kicks back into full gear for an instrumental break. The mysterious section returns at 5 minutes, before a chunky guitar part takes over. A guitar solo joins in and the way it builds is very engaging. The chorus returns following the solo, with some nice clean drum fills. I believe I hear mellotron as the song nears completion. Excellent track! I really enjoyed that!

Track 3 - What You Gonna Do?

Another longer track at 9:47. This begins with a foreboding synth drone. An odd meter drumbeat leads the bass and keys in, followed by the guitar at around 1 minute in. The vocals join in and the music gets a bit jazzy sounding, harmonically. The chorus is in a sinister rock style. Excellent wordless harmonies at around 2:30. A cool sudden guitar fill at 3:00 leads in the next verse. The next section has a heavy (but not-too-heavy) guitar riff, and it leads us to the well-played guitar solo. Andreas plays a sort of tribal beat in the next segment while the other instruments resume the riff from before the solo. The vocal harmonies then return, before the beat pauses and the keyboards lead in the next verse. Boris' voice is less raspy and cleaner on this one. I like the triplet rhythm at the end of the next harmony vocal section on the lyrics 'I'm your lover, your butterfly.' Cool keyboard tones blend with guitars next. Then we have another heavy guitar riff section with the rhythm section slamming the beat; kinda funky. The earlier riffs return, before a different section enters. The segments change faster than I can type them out, but trust me it all works. I like the Brian-May-style guitar layering from Thorsten as the song comes to a close. That was a very eventful ride!

Track 4 - Unknown Yet

This is the shortest track at 4:30. This begins with clean electric guitar, soon joined by the rhythm section and a shimmering acoustic. The vocals come in next. Nice harmonies, very clean and ringing in-tune. This is a bit of an introspective ballad. Slightly prior to 3 minutes a dreamy keyboard part, then (what sounds like) fretless bass take us to the guitar solo with a lot of 'right hand tapping'. Another chorus follows with a bit of lightly-distorted electric rhythm guitar. This track is a well-executed change of pace for the album.

Track 5 - Stench

One of the relatively shorter tracks at 5:24. This one starts off rockin'! Boris' raspy quality returns on this one. I like the keyboard part that comes in during the verse. There is a brief solo piano part before the chorus begins. Another verse and chorus cycles through, then we have an instrumental break led by organ and joined by guitar that leads to a short guitar solo. Another chorus follows. Unaccompanied piano happens around 3:45, then at 4 minutes a flute-like sound takes over on the keys. A nice bass line makes a counter-melody then some glorious mellotron enters. The rock returns with about 30 seconds to go. It's a good track, but I would have liked them to have extended the instrumental section some more. Again, it's a solid track, but maybe not quite as good as the rest so far.

Track 6 - Hang It Up!

A bit longer at 6:45. Whoo! A prog-tastic riff right from the get-go! I love it. Great odd-meter rhythm. At 15 seconds the keys take over unaccompanied, then the riff returns. This reminds me of the intro to 'Changes' by Yes on 90125. By around 50 seconds they begin a new tune. Then the music briefly calms down before the prog riff resumes. By 1:55, I believe we are building towards a new part. Yeah, around 2:25, the odd meters continue, but it's different. Not 100% sure, but this seems to be shaping up into a full instrumental, and a good one at that! Cool pulsing synth takes over at around 4 minutes and Thorsten plays melodic guitar over the top. The beat resumes around 4:40 and he takes a guitar solo, followed by a keyboard solo. The band-members are navigating time changes with ease as any good prog band should. They saved the best riff for last it seems at around 6:15. What a great prog instrumental! (My suspicions were confirmed.) Nothing against Boris' vocals as they have been great, but this one got my prog-fan blood pumping, and, and may be my favorite on the album so far. But, there are two tracks to go!

Track 7 - Stuck in a Maze

This is the second longest track at 10:20. It begins with a big rock riff from the full band. It's just a bit sinister. Boris begins singing with only keys and bass accompanying. At around 1:44, heavy guitar begins accenting then the band kicks back in at around 2 minutes. A chorus follows. I love the riff at 2:45. Another quiet verse follows. It builds in a similar manner to the first one. Boris is using the raspy tone again. Super cool riffs at 5:10. There is a mellow section at around 5:45. There are dissonant chords on the keys, jazzy guitar leads and a spoken part with effects on it. By 6:15 the full band resumes. Initially there is a short guitar solo, then the keys take over. There are some very unique keyboard tones here. The guitar returns next. A unison guitar and keyboard riff follows. The vocals return by 7:40. An ascending pattern takes over at around 8:30, then another chorus happens. Thorsten takes another solo as the song nears conclusion, followed by another keyboard solo. I love the big complex ending! Great prog!

Track 8 - If the Music Dies

The final track is relatively short at 5:30. This starts right out with vocals accompanied with clean guitar in an odd meter. Harmonies join in, giving me Gentle Giant vibes. Mellotron joins the soundscape at 1:00. Another verse resumes. I believe we are in 5 here. At around 2:40, the keys play a tune that I would call 'The Snake Charmer Tune' but made to fit in 5-4 time. The vocal arrangement gets even better at around 3:20, sounding like a men's choir. The bass & drums are taking a break on this song, but they aren't needed here. This is a truly unique and very engaging track! Well-done!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

I had no idea what to expect when I began this review. But I am very impressed by Mihrax! I can't compare it to their first album, as I haven't heard it; but only the father and son team remain from that effort, making this is nearly a new band. Tobias is a talented young musician and writer, and it seems that he is surrounded by more seasoned musicians in the band. The playing is solid all around! Thomas and Andreas make a tight rhythm section, while Tobias and Thorston are terrific soloists. Boris is a strong and engaging lead vocalist. I loved all of the tracks with the exception of 'Stench,' but I still liked it, just not quite as much. For me, the star track of the album was 'Hang it Up!' as it was a phenomenal instrumental. Also, 'If the Music Dies,' was a very unique track that really got my attention. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the cover artwork is fantastic! I hope that Mihrax keeps putting out music of this quality and builds a strong following. A solid 4.25 out of 5 stars! Definitely worth checking out! Fans of Neo-prog with a little bit of heavy rock guitar such as IQ and Marillion, as well as Spock's Beard will likely enjoy this.

Clicked 4 , but really slightly better than that at 4.25

1. 'El canto del bosque' for a musical journey between piano, a sonata diving into the distant past, those of BACH or CHOPIN and a languorous piece that will leave us stuck in musical space-time 2. 'Caminos de cristal' for the combination of keyboards from yesteryear and today; a sweet bucolic serenade, a touch solemn, for an enticing air 3. 'La danza de la luna' for this combination of harpsichord from times gone by and other, more contemporary keyboards; An energetic ballad with a velvety finale. 4. 'Refugio de sueños' extends the solemn aria with an enchanting hint of marshmallow. 5. 'Viejas sombras' offers a more cheerful air, where the piano notes seem to come out in a jet, metronomized by the electric drums.

A composer who adores BACH, CHOPIN on one hand, PINK FLOYD, KING CRIMSON, and GENTLE GIANT on the other, for an original creation that showcases the progressive signature of the great classical composers who have bathed the ears of artists from the 1970s to today; a little regressive moment for those who adore keyboards above all and the classical golden age.

by Dean Wolfe of prog dog media (

This has been a go-to CD for me... for months now.

If I had done a 2024's Best Albums of the Year List, Oddleaf would likely have topped it. Although there's no shortage of fresh new progrock hitting hot wax.

Oddleaf are likely inspired by some of the classic 70s prog rock bands- one in particular they do remind me of is the great female-singer led Rennaissance- and Oddleaf's lead vocalist Adeline Gurtner is on par with Annie Haslam in presence and substance.

This band has created prog rock epics without need to resort to modern prog metal vibes. The flute figures large in many parts of the album and transports me to the dense forests of Tolkien's Middle Earth at times, or the Dark Ages.

There is no lack of bass on the album- it is unmistakably present and integral to the band's sound- Olivier Orlando often (maybe always) picks the bass with a treble-inducing plectrum.

And did I mention the drummer? Highly energetic, sophisticated- but not sounding too 'technical'- Clément Cureaudau is playing in cool time 'sigs' all the time, but he's sneaky about it, makes it sound natural and easy- sort of like Yes' Alan White and less like Rush's Neil Peart.

Complexity abounds on this debut album "Where Ideal and Denial Collide" yet it manages to remain subtle. The production is balanced- not overly processed - very cohesive- clean-- it all sits perfectly - which is I think due in part to the band's skills of self-editing. There aren't 'too many notes' or too many instruments. All of Oddleaf's musical elements intertwine without clashing or competing- actually a remarkable feat. I liken it to watching a busy intersection in Vietnam that has no stoplights yet everyone manages to flow through without incident- it's mesmerizing.

Did I mention the keyboards? Lots of accomplished playing- great rock organ solos by main composer Carina Taurer...some great piano sections and cool Tony Banks and Keith Emerson-ish playful escapades. I need to check if she's won any awards yet- she sounds like a giant in the making. Lots of fantastic sections.

I'm a guitarist, so I noticed there is only a scattering of electric guitar across the album...several solos, but the album doesn't feel lacking in any way.

The 'Oddleaf' sound has been confidently nailed. Regardless of any comparisons made here, Oddleaf have their own unique sound.

The album opener- and closer- are epic and grandiose- graceful and hearkening to the days when an album was an album - capturing the entire album's vibe- which is often one of optimism. The lyrics throughout are cleverly woven at times reminding us to honour the planet, but also reassuring us that no matter what 'the Earth's core will remain warm'. 'Bring me back to a simple time..' Gurtner sings.

The songwriting is adventurous but mature- the music unfolds gracefully, effortlessly. A remarkable first effort by any standard. Strong melodies are spread throughout, haunting at times, surprisingly wide in scope. The album's tracks are often tied together, sometimes with windy desert sounds, and the album finishes off with what sounds like a whale swimming off into the distance, singing 'goodbye' and leaving the listener in a state of peaceful longing.

The latter part of the album departs a little bit from the tone it began with - a little less heavy-hitting on 'song'-ness, and is more experimental and noodle-y- perhaps hinting already that Oddleaf is not content without a little boundary- pushing playfulness.

The backup vocals are also noteworthy- tasteful and distinct. Everyone except the drummer is noted to have added their voices- which creates more distinction in the Oddleaf sound.

The flute work by Mathieu Rossi is refreshing. It's such an earthy and uplifting instrument- and is another link to a musical past of simpler ages (It reminds me more of Peter Gabriel with Genesis than Jethro Tull- but I don't know Tull too well yet. Others can chime in on the comparison).

I could go on, but let's leave it there. My score is 5 bones out of 5- partly because they just appeared out of nowhere with a super fresh unique sound. It's a spectacular album- full of nuance and well-thought-through passages and interludes, with both a serious and a fun-side without the slightest air of pretension or even ambition to be anything but a young band with a vision . Thank-you, Oddleaf.

The miracle was regarded as a return to the true Queen sound and principles - live rocking sound, focus on guitars. The band fulfilled the promise indeed, we could say they feel re-energized after a 3-year break. May is more audible than ever since 1980's keyboard input into the Queen sound. Deacon provides top contribution in particular to the dance or electronic inspired tracks like "Invisible man" and "Rain must fall". Mercury's vocal and showmanship shine through whereas Taylor's versatility ranges from pop, rock, metal to the 80's alternative. May feels very inspired, starting with the guitar instrumental on "Chinese torture" continuing to true hard rock/heavy metal riffing and distinguished soloing.

Though the sound will please most of older Queen fans, I think the material is weaker than on the previous 2 albums because of unusually high amount of filler. No denying the band was having fun but almost all of the 4- mark compositions were OK in the album's context but can't stand on their own (Party, Khashoggis ship, Scandal, My baby does me, Hang on there). These have their moments but ultimately feel either undeveloped or are overall not memorable. On the other end of the spectrum, we're faced with 3 incredibly strong compositions, crown jewels. "The miracle" has a fantastic melody, soothing chorus, moments of tension. Guitar solo is delicate and melancholic at the same time. The semi-hard-rock outro is ingeniously arranged if not very inventively played by May.

"I want it all" is another gem, a direct punched rocker. The studio version contains additional very 80's riffing. The mid section starting with the vocal tandem of May/Mercury invites into hard-rocking and then heavy metal territory. If you search of an anthem on this album, this is it.

The last standout is "Breakthrough", though more conventional in its composition, the muscular rhythm and Mercury section take the spotlight. Pay attention to the bass solo followed by the traditional guitar work.

Further tracks worth noting is the dance-friendly "The Invisible man" and the slightly epic "Was it all worth it" with sparse progressive elements in the structure and rhythmic parts. The most ambitious track, could be considered a premature "Innuendo".

Queen did an excellent job by tackling multiple (and some new) styles on this record. Not all exercises had a winning formula but fortunately, there are a couple of excellent tracks.

This second album by Ekzilo represents a radical evolution from their self-titled debut. It has a magic quality. It mixes a thousand surprising things, and they all fit together. The album never strays, even though he has plenty of opportunities, haha. It takes risks and excels. The instrumental level is very professional. And the composition. The production is a 10/10.

It's a magnificent album (and of Spanish origin). The suite, both in its title and style, demonstrates this absolutely wild evolution. On first listening, with those pauses and changes in key, it leaves you disoriented. But everything works perfectly together (as does the entire album). There are so many different influences here, but this "Quantum Phase Transition" is an album that doesn't deserve musical spoilers; it's better to let yourself be surprised by it. Few albums this year are as surprising and of higher quality.

Live in Cuxhaven 1976 was the third archival Can live album to be released, following two epic 90 minute sets from Stuttgart and Brighton dating from 1975. This is a very different beast indeed, capturing 30 minutes of the core quartet in Lower Saxony shortly before the release of Flow Motion.

As usual the individual tracks are numbered, and all four last between six and a half and eight and a half minutes. Eins seems to start in mid flow - presumably the bootlegger forgot to press 'record' until the band had been playing for a couple of minutes - and the sound and feel very much point the way forward to Flow Motion. Zwei is a little more spacy and a little less funky, while Drei offers a somewhat deconstructed version of Dizzy Dizzy. Vier is the closest we get to the unfettered monster jams heard on previous concert recordings, with Karoli in particular cutting loose with some blistering axe work. There is then a brief announcement that the band will take a break. If there were any 20 minutes plus spontaneous compositions in the second set, either they weren't recorded or, for whatever reason, Irmin Schmidt and Mute have decided not to share them with us.

What we get on this album is a tighter, more focused iteration of Can; the interplay is dazzling, but in general the music feels more polished and less manic. The sound quality is excellent throughout, and it feels more like a budget official live album than a cleaned up bootleg; clearly, the recording technology available to bootleggers had improved in the mid to late 1970s. Vinyl aficionados will be pleased that it's an affordable single album pressed in blue; if you haven't got a turntable it's available as a reasonably priced download. It's a worthy addition to the ongoing series of live albums, and demonstrates that Can on stage still had the fire that was sometimes missing from their later releases, but it's distinctly non-essential.

Mere words can't come close to capturing the incredible magic of the fusion-inspired work laid down by guitarist Jeff Beck in the mid-'70s. The George Martin produced Blow by Blow (Epic Records/March of 1975) must be heard to be believed.

Running on instrumental freewheeling innovation, the nine song album features the hyper "Scatterbrain", the bumper-to-bumper "Freeway Jam", the effects-laced "Constipated Duck", a cover of "She's a Woman", and the sobering "Cause We've Ended as Lovers", which Stevie Wonder penned specifically for Beck.An absolute legend on the guitar. None of these songs need anything else. They are orchestrated perfectly. The drums are killer too and I feel they might get overshadowed because of how heavily featured the guitar is.

The diverse and inspired Blow by Blow is pure genius from a legendary guitarist, which served as Beck's most popular LP release.5.0