Issue 2025-001
Âscent — Gamma


Âscent's third album, Gamma, sees the Madrid-based progressive outfit continuing their journey into complex and dynamic musical landscapes. The album builds on their earlier work but ventures into fresher territories with good but also mixed results. Forward from 2020 was reviewed here on DPRP.net with different feelings and some complaints regarding the vocals and the lack of some heavier prog elements. I enjoyed that album though and bought it directly from the band, so I was looking forward to the next one in hopes that the band could do even better.
I can say now they have improved, although I miss some epic songs like those Giants and Vate's Song from the previous album. The opening track, Gamma Community, sets a promising tone with soaring melodies, great vocal games and intricate time signatures, encapsulating the band's knack for layering emotional depth into their music. The energy continues with Kamikaze, a chaotic yet thrilling dive into themes of recklessness and bold decision-making, that reminds of some Dream Theater sounds but without all the technical level of Portnoy and company.
Master Of Nothing and Hades follow the same path but in a smoother tone and, revisiting that review of their previous album, I can understand why our colleague Thomas said he was missing more variety and expression on the vocals. It's not that they are bad, but I agree that somehow they don´t always follow the intensity of the music, which I think is very good. Nightmare In A Spanish Garden is a good example of what I have just said: love the musical ideas here and structures, including the vocal layers, but some aggressive touch or different nuances would have made the song even better.
Now a few things have changed, and the most interesting fact of Gamma is that Âscent are trying out new sounds, like the industrial touches, and some Marilyn Manson drama in the song Party and the unclassifiable but great Science. I can say here that the vocals fit way better than in the more traditional prog metal songs. I guess it is because we all expect prog metal to be in a certain way and this band is not a prog metal band, with some songs apparently trying to be.
The album's ambition is undeniable, and it offers enough high points to satisfy fans of progressive rock and metal, but I have enjoyed more the "unexpected" songs, where I think the band can add some personal touches, even with the vocals. The Worm will prove me right in this, and I'm sure some listeners will also find their "different" song in this album. Gamma is a clear step forward for Âscent, cementing their reputation as innovators in the Spanish progressive scene, even if it falls short of being a masterpiece. Fans of prog metal but with some curiosity for new things will find much to appreciate. For newcomers to Âscent, Gamma provides a good entry point, showcasing their strengths while leaving room and interesting hints for further growth. It's a bold effort that reminds us why progressive music remains a fertile ground for creative exploration. Looking forward to future releases and new ways of playing progressive rock.
Koyo — Onism


There was a period of time when this album almost did not happen. In Koyo's own telling, after being stopped in their tracks by the pandemic and trying to restart the recording process for what would be their third album, Onism, the band faced a bout of writer's block. Finally, the band settled on a process that brought it back to basics. As Koyo say, "It was the long way round, but this helped us realise that we just want to do the opposite (of their second album You Said It) and get back to what made us excited about music in the first place!". Backed by a Kickstarter from fans, Onism is a triumphant album full of fat riffs, big drums, but the intricacy of the best of progressive rock.
You get the sense of what the album is about from the 1-2 punch of the lead singles, and first two tracks on the album, La Cucaracha — mostly instrumental hard riff of a track that announces their presence with authority — and Mechanical Bull. The latter delves into the twists and turns of life, where you just need to hold on for eight seconds sometimes. The lead bass line gets built upon throughout while lead singer Huw Edwards holds on through a ride through life.
Lyrically, this is an album that is about getting through life and especially those moments where we seem to get stuck and find ourselves hiding inside our dreams (Into The Dirt), our devices (Hooked), and the darkest parts of ourselves (Into The Dirt). This is an album born of catharsis, stripped down to its core, and turned back on the listener. Onism is both a fun record, but also a powerful statement on life post-pandemic.
Koyo (promo photo)
Musically, highlights on the back half of the record include the wonderful Dark Horse and the lone ballad, Is This Real?. Dark Horse is built around a single riff from Edwards, while the rest of the band (Tom Higham, drums; Jacob Price, samples and synthesizers; and Layth Ibrahim, bass) fly around it. Higham really stands out on this track, powering through the main tune and then taking us on a rhythmic journey later on. The entire song is an instrumental jam with a solid groove. At the midpoint of the record, a phenomenal group jam.
Is This Real? is a synth-heavy tune that deals with living with your dreams, without ever realizing them. It reminds one to not be slaves to finding the perfect whatever it is you are looking for, so that we miss all the good around us. The guitar lays back in a wonderful way, until the solo when Edwards plays his best one of the album. A wonderful shredding laid back in time and fitting in perfectly with the tone of the song. Like much of the album, it is extremely well written, and it is, to my mind, the proggiest of the tracks.
A solid psych progressive rock album, Onism is available on streaming and on their Bandcamp page. Highly recommend checking it out and keeping on eye on this Leeds-based band.
Nine Stones Close — Diurnal


Nine Stones Close took a long break after their 2016 album Leaves. Now the band, which was founded in 2008 as a solo project by English guitarist Adrian Jones (including Jet Black Sea) in the Netherlands, is back. And twice over: this 2024 disc Diurnal was followed by another album, Adventures In Anhedonia, in the same year.
In terms of personnel, a lot has changed in the eight years of „forced hiatus“ (according to the Nine Stones Close Bandcamp page): Jones, singer Adrian O'Shaughnessy and Christian Bruin (keyboards) have been joined by new additions Joachim van Praagh (bass) and Lars Spijkervet (drums) as well as the return of Brendan Eyre (Riversea), another keyboardist who previously appeared on the albums Traces (2011) and One Eye on the Sunset (2012). Musically, however, there is no major break. While Nine Stones Close's first albums were rather melancholic and majestic sounding, Leaves already featured some proper rocking. This continues here, albeit only from the third track onwards.
With Birds, Insects & Kites, the album begins like a meeting in a rehearsal room. For the first twenty seconds, the guitarist and keyboardist seem to tune their instruments and let them warm up, then an ambient-like rhythm kicks in, sounds become notes, the song seems to take on structure, only to restart after a little over a minute: Over a floating carpet of keyboards, the guitar now takes over after a short but striking bass intermezzo. It rocks, it sounds good, but towards the end it is caught up again by the rather restrained sounds of the opening. The track lasts just 3:39 minutes and leaves you wondering: is this deliberately chosen stylistic diversity or reluctant disorientation?
The second instrumental piece, The Veil, is even shorter at less than two minutes, but also significantly less rich in content. With string sounds, seagull cries and a little murmuring in the background, it rushes past the listener without leaving an impression. A gap filler that would not really be necessary on an archive CD with leftovers. Interim conclusion after two of eight tracks: Nine Stones Close's comeback gets off to a bad start. Or are they perhaps deliberately luring the listener onto the wrong track? That would be brave, as five minutes of wasted time is quite a lot these days – not everyone remains curious enough to give the other tracks a chance.
Surprise: Ghosted is the first song on the album to feature vocals, Adrian O'Shaughnessy's voice sounds powerful, as if he has had to hold back with difficulty up to now and is happy to finally have his saying. The track is straightforward, more rock than prog, remains at a medium tempo and scores with a very beautiful, dark-sounding guitar solo. A good song, but Nine Stones Close could have done without the last half minute, which ends with birdsong over new-age sounds. Like the immediately following Angel Of Flies, the band has also given Ghosted a video clip — as the first single from the album, so to speak — which can be seen on the YouTube and Bandcamp pages. Unlike Ghosted, Angel Of Flies is now more prog than rock with a length of almost eight minutes and lots of drama. The basic tone remains gloomy, O'Shaughnessy has to sing against his colleagues in the end, who then make a lot of noise and could perhaps have held back a little more.
In Remembrance is the second pause for breath, which ripples along a little forlornly with piano and strings. But right at the beginning of the long track Frustration/Sedation, there's a lot to listen to again, dominated by Jones' guitar. Singer O'Shaughnessy introduces a calmer section, the mood fluctuates like the repeatedly varying tempo, but never becomes cheerful, always remaining somewhere between melancholy and despair, before an aggressive note gains the upper hand in the final three minutes. A good song, but not yet the highlight of the album. Nevertheless, Golden Hour, the third short interlude, can only fall short: This time it's piano, string sounds and guitar that let the listener catch their breath, whether they want to or not.
The aptly titled Dusk is a second long track at the end, which takes time for a convincing opening with dry drums and cleverly distributed sprinklings of guitar and keyboard. Just under two minutes, atmospherically very dense, which easily trumps the three less convincing interludes. Then it's O'Shaughnessy's turn again, who still seems to be suffering, but does so with a lot of passion and, as on the whole disc, is absolutely convincing. There is far less going on in Dusk than in the much more varied Frustration/Sedation, but the song never gets boring, even at almost eleven minutes long, and convinces with its clear structure and harmonious atmosphere. The best really does come at the end.
Diurnal (the word is the opposite of "nocturnal" and means "active during the day") could have been a very good album: With Dusk, Frustration/Sedation and the somewhat simpler, but in context coherent Ghosted, it contains three strong tracks. Angel Of Flies, which is also largely convincing, suffers a little from its finale, in which the musicians seem to play more against each other than with each other. The instrumental pieces are unfortunately just filler material that, unlike in comparable cases (the Arena debut Songs From The Lion's Cage comes to mind), are more of a break than a bridge. The band would probably have done better to make a single album out of the best songs from Diurnal and Adventures in Anhedonia that is convincing throughout.
Johan Steensland — Crossfade


Out of the blue came in an album labeled a "progressive rock-opera" from an artist I could not find any info on right away, but who has, from the press info accompanying the CD, many years of musical experience. Further investigation taught me he has been a music teacher for years and has also been active on his YouTube channel talking about music in general and prog in particular. He also released a single in 1984 under the name of Sheik Ahmeed Group (which I have not heard), with him credited as Sheik Ahmeed. And this one is intriguing, but I'll leave that for a different article. Back to the album!
Rock operas come in different guises, and this is in a more musical format. The story is about a break-up and the following events and, even more important, the emotions, from both persons involved in said break-up. The story is important and the lyrics tell the story, rather than loosely focusing on parts of it.
My personal problem with this format is that sometimes the lyrics and vocal lines tend to be more important than the compositions and the music has to follow, while to my taste, vocals are not a very important instrument when enjoying music.
However, when I let go of the format (and therefore the story) and listen to this in shuffle mode (probably offending anyone trying to follow the story and most likely the artists themselves as well) it is easier for me to come to writing this review, but also, as I found out, to enjoying the album.
For there is a lot to enjoy here.
Steensland is dragging in a lot of influences he has gathered throughout a long history of playing. Apparently, the origins of this album were written and demoed already in the 1980s, so I was not very surprised to hear many 1980s influences.
You will hear some parts close to AOR and melodic hard rock. Think of 1980s Saga (the Canadian ones), Asia, Toto. Pop turns to melodic rock turns to progressive rock. There is a ballad, 1980s Yes comes by, there is the intricate melodic pop in Elton John-style. All to a more progressive side. And there is of course pure modern prog with soaring melodies by lush keyboard layers and guitar. Many parts have a bluesy and emotional undertone. Becoming muscially active in the 1980s means Steensland must have had his first musical influences in the decade before. He mentions Genesis as the main one, and the feel for melodies is certainly akin.
The vocals were surprising. It took a while (a couple of songs) for Steensland's voice to show all of its aspects but his range is impressive, he has a warm voice that can sing in a powerful manner as well. The female parts of the story are sung by Jennifer Anderson, and she is even more impressive. It's soulful, and a warm timbre makes her sound not unlike Barbra Streisand in some parts. I cannot find any information on her either, unless Steensland knows and hired the Australian singer by that name.
Steensland sings and plays bass, guitar, drums (real drums, no programming), piano, and keyboards. There are a few guests playing on several songs. Especially Anton Lindsjö's guitar solo on That Man Isn't Me is awesome, but the playing is excellent overall. Then he recorded, mixed, and produced everything himself. Jobs well done, I can add, since the final product is offering a clear but warm sound. This is a lot for a (proper) debut album, even though Steensland has those years of experience.
The songwriting show great variety. A wide range of subgenres will appeal to a wider group, but I fear it will be harder for a lot of people to really enjoy all the aspects of the album. How would completely new music by him sound? How would it sound when the focus is on a slightly narrower range of styles?
The cover was made by Ed Unitsky. Another surprise, as it is different from the contemporary material he is known for in the progressive rock scene.
I have serious questions. Why did it take so long to make this album? Why isn't the name Johan Steensland better-known? Will we hear more from him? Will he be able to find a band and play live?
I really hope this is just the start. His playing, his singing, and his songwriting are worthy of much more.
An album full of surprises!
John Wetton — Concentus

CD 2 — Akustika: America October 1995: Voice Of America (4:29), Hold Me Now (5:36), Rendezvous 6:02 (4:08), Christina (3:11), Thirty Years (3:25), Only Time Will Tell (3:48), Book Of Saturday (2:26), Don't Cry (4:16), Battle Lines (5:00), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (3:15), Heat Of The Moment (4:39), You're Not The Only One (4:42)
CD 3/4 — Live In Argentina October 1996: In The Dead Of Night (5:27), Sole Survivor (5:47), Only Time Will Tell (4:53), Voice Of America (4:25), Book Of Saturday (3:11), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (3:26), Thirty Years (3:13), Hold Me Now (5:53), Quilmes (3:00), Rendezvous 6:02 (5:16), Thomas Lang's Drum Solo (5:57), Caught In The Crossfire (4:08), Easy Money (7:08), Battle Lines (8:13), Heat Of The Moment (5:45), Starless (8:57), Don't Cry (6:09)
CD 5 — Hazy Monet: The Bottom Line, NYC 27 May 1997: The Circle Of St. Giles (2:07), Heat Of The Moment (6:02), Book Of Saturday (4:32), Sole Survivor (4:13), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (4:12), Thirty Years (3:35), Hold Me Now (6:25), Rendezvous 6:02 (5:51), Quilmes (3:41), The Night Watch (5:05), Arkangel (4:54), Battle Lines (5:52), Starless (5:47), Easy Money (7:34)
CD 6/7 — Live In Osaka 2 October 1997: Intro (1:58), The Last Thing On My Mind (5:06), Sole Survivor (6:14), I Can't Lie Anymore (4:51), Battle Lines (5:16), John Young's Keyboard Solo (4:00), Arkangel (3:53), Emma (3:04), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (3:40), The Night Watch (3:32), Thirty Years (2:15), Hold Me Now (6:08), Only Time Will Tell (4:40), Rendezvous 6:02 (5:58), Thomas Lang's Drum Solo (5:51), Easy Money (6:53), In The Dead Of Night (5:58), After All (5:14), Heat Of The Moment (5:59), Starless (10:01), Don't Cry (5:07)
CD 8/9 — Adama: Live In Amsterdam 3 April 1997: The Circle Of St. Giles (2:02), In The Dead Of Night (6:04), Sole Survivor (5:33), Voice Of America (4:04), Billy Liesegang's Guitar Solo (3:18), Battle Lines (5:15), Arkangel (4:37), The Night Watch (4:53), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (3:31), Thirty Years (3:14), Hold Me Now (6:19), Only Time Will Tell (5:17), Quilmes (3:09), Rendezvous 6:02 (5:17), Thomas Lang's Drum Solo (5:42), Caught In The Crossfire (4:27), Easy Money (5:19), Starless (9:24), Heat Of The Moment (6:07), Don't Cry (5:14); bonus tracks recorded at soundcheck: Short Jam (0:39), All Along The Watchtower (5:32), Starless (9:37)
CD 10 Akusticha - Germany 1995: Heat Of The Moment (5:27), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2:56), Hold Me Now (5:18), Don't Cry (4:30), Open Your Eyes (4:45), Battle Lines (5:17), Rendezvous 6:02 (4:24); bonus tracks recorded live in rehearsal: Book Of Saturday (2:48), Lament (2:17), You're Not The Only One (4:06), Starless (3:34), Thirty Years (3:24); Live At Progfest 24 May 1997: In The Dead Of Night (5:29), Rendezvous 6:02 (5:12), Sole Survivor (5:40), Battle Lines (4:57), Starless (9:44)

Nine hours and forty-five minutes of any artist is tough to get through at one time, particularly when there are multiple repeats of most songs. And this is only the first of a reported three box sets of John Wetton live material. The live collections have been given the title Concentus which is somewhat anomalous given that the word refers to the part of a church service in which hymns are sung by the whole choir. Given that none of the recordings feature a choir and are all sung by Mr. Wetton (accompanied by the occasional backing vocals by a member of the band) it is a trifle pretentious. And as I seem to have started on a rather negative tone, I should get out of the way a couple of other errors in that some poor proofreading suggests that Wetton played two concerts in Argentina and two in Japan on the same dates! The Osaka concert is mislabelled on the CDs and in the booklet as being in October 1996 when in fact it was a year later.
Minor gripes over, onto the positives. What you get for your money is ten CDs featuring eight different concerts or tour collections recorded between 1994 and 1997. All are quality recordings and come housed in a rigid cardboard sleeve within a solid box. The accompanying booklet contains an essay by Jerry Ewing, details of the musicians playing at each concert and several photos of Wetton, although none of the accompanying musicians. Three of the concerts (Argentina 1996, Amsterdam 1997, and Progfest 1997) feature a band of Martin Orford (keyboards and backing vocals), Billy Liesegang (guitar) and Thomas Lang (drums) with Wetton, Liesegang and Lang, seeing John Young taking over Orford's role.
The only other group recording is the first CD recorded on the Japanese sojourn of 1994 where Wetton was accompanied by Andy Skelton (guitar, backing vocals) and two ex-members of It Bites John Beck (keyboards, acoustic guitar backing vocals) and Bob Dalton (drums, backing vocals). Wetton is solo on highlights from the 1995 tour of Germany where he was the opening act for Saga as well as the American tour, also of 1995 documented on Akustika. The final performance is from 1997 with Orford and special guest Ian McDonald on flute and backing vocals. A great and rather unique concert that unfortunately is the poorest recording of the set as it sounds like a good audience recording rather than being of multitrack or soundboard origin. Nevertheless, it is eminently listenable and worthy of inclusion.
Looking at the frequency of appearance of songs across the set gives one an idea of what either Wetton or his audience considered the most popular and/or well received of his extensive back catalogue. There are 12 songs from his solo career, seven from Asia, five from King Crimson, three from UK and one track (Christina) that appeared five years after the live recording on this set on the 2001 debut album by Wetton/Downes. The set lists seem to favour songs from Wetton's time with bands. UK's Rendezvous 6:02 and Crimson's Starless both appear eight times with other tracks from Asia, UK and Crimson featuring in five to seven of the concerts. From his solo career, Battle Lines and Hold Me Now appear more than three times and five of Wetton's twelve solo songs only appear once.
My preferences lie with the recordings that feature Martin Orford, as not only is he, in my opinion, a better keyboard player (listen to his solo piano piece Quilmes for proof) but he is also a fine singer, and he just seems to have a greater understanding of the material and plays a more sympathetic role in support of the star of the show. Of course, that is not to say that the other recordings are inferior, just an inherent bias on my behalf! There are also some nice extras included with the solo version of Lament recorded in rehearsal is a strong justification for acquiring this set, I wonder why it never made it into the main set. The Amsterdam soundcheck recordings are interesting to hear, the Short Jam displaying Wetton's amazing proficiency on the bass; a steady version of All Along The Watchtower that is mainly a fun work out for the band and a version of Starless that is possibly better than the one they performed later that day at the concert.
The beauty of this set is that it allows one to hear how skilled Wetton was at adapting songs so that they suited both solo performances on an acoustic guitar and with a whole band. Even with a fair degree of repetition there isn't a single one of the eight performances whose inclusion isn't warranted. It remains to be seen if the quality can be maintained on the two forthcoming boxsets, although as they will no doubt contain such titles as Nomansland, Amata and Akustika II there is plenty of quality material still to come.
Wizrd — Elements


Oslo-based eclectic prog mavens Wizrd have released their second full length album Elements. I enjoyed their 2022 debut Seasons, and this new album lives up to my expectations even though there has been a subtle change in the band's approach. This time they have incorporated into their sound a more alt-rock outlook. But they still put these hook laden melodies through a kaleidoscope of psyche prog and pop with a sparkle of jazz fusion.
There have been no line-up changes and the musicianship remains of a high standard. The album opens with the most fusion of the tracks here GT, Me & My 6610 which has a touch of early, pre-pop Todd Rundgren's Utopia to it. The title intrigued me and a bit of Googling left me with two possibilities, either it was a reference to the Nokia 6610 phone or the John Deere 6610 tractor!
Following on are a pair of complex psyche-prog tunes. Mesmerized has a keyboard heavy opening moving swiftly along on powerhouse drumming. The mix of keys and guitars, acoustic accents and harmony vocals push this along in a headrush. The Void is even more frantic echoing Motorpsycho's energy and melodicism. National Day is a good pop song put through the psyche mangle.
The best tracks though are the 70s rock of You're Exposed! with its battle for supremacy between the Hammond and guitars. Fylkesvei 33 is a superb step back from the frantic as keys pulse and swoop amid atmospheric guitars. Joined by bass and drums, slide guitar's shimmer and hums as a space rock groove develops into a monster of a tune. Another step back from the franticness is the gentle piano opening of Fire & Flames, it mid-paced gentle melody builds in intensity into a Zappa style piece.
Wizrd's Elements matches their debut and if I have a minor complaint is that it can be a little relentlessly frantic at times, but it is a controlled franticness. Give a listen and decide for yourselves is it a phone or a tractor.