Issue 2025-027
Neil Howell — The Way Out
Neil Howell's The Way Out is his third to be reviewed here at DPRP.net. The two previous albums reviewed, The Renaissance Is Over and The Wasteland, both received glowing welcomes from my colleague Jerry van Kooten
Missouri-based Neil states that his influences are vast and include "rock, metal, alternative, classical, folk, and everything in between. I follow my instincts and hope to produce something new and yet totally familiar". The Way Out Neil says is "A deeply personal work of art, [and it] serves as a guide and metaphor for both personal and societal mental health... [envisioning] himself, along with the rest of the world, hopelessly lost in a dark forest, searching desperately for some salvation". Hence the cover art.
This description should give you some idea of the music that follows. His take on modern progressive metal employs enormously heavy riffs, pounding drums, some fine emotional singing and only minimal use of growly vocals. However Neil does do subtlety as well even on the thrashier tracks such as Option Two - Despair he takes time out for a quiet passage. He even steps off-piste to marry reggae rhythms, with noisy riffs and female lead vocals on the velvety No Money In Philosophy. A sentiment I agree with, having a degree in Philosophy myself!
Another and welcome side step is the emotionally powerful ballad Fatherly Advice. Addressed to a child, it avoids sentimentality with a glorious melody and nicely deployed keys. There are also acoustic and swirling washes of keys on Option Three - Acceptance that has a Porcupine Tree feel to it. As does the slow-build of the epic Logic Dictates before some huge guitars and mellotron like keys come in. It has lead vocals from Alex Parkinson and lead guitar from Egor Lappo. The vocals are a great contrast and work well with Howell's own voice. The guitars are harder to tell apart.
To most of The Way Out applies that if you want it heavy, this will not disappoint. But Neil never loses his progressive inventiveness. Taking in influences from Opeth and Devin Townsend and mincing them up and making his own concoction, it makes for an engaging meal of guitar riffs, solos, general menacing bedlam and heartfelt emotion.
Take a seat and enjoy.
Hteththemeth — Telluric Inharmonies
Hteththemeth have come to us from Romania, and have been described as unpredictable in their sound. Musically, they conjure up a complex set of emotions from pleasant to confusing, through their wide mix in styles. Despite forming over 25 years ago (back in 1999), this release is only their second full length, following on from Best Worst Case Scenario back in 2016.
From the start, the album weaves through cinematic soundscapes, making use of soft and gentle clean instrumentation, to heavier chugs, all accompanied by Läo Kreegan's distinct vocal style. At 21 tracks long, the album is a mix of shorter interludes around 1 to 2 minutes, and full-length tracks forming a story of angelic games with mankind to win a place in heaven.
Musically, it shows itself as more of a “rock/metal opera” than a standard album, with a mix of harder sections, interlinked with the more orchestral and choral tracks.
With an interlude for every song, it can occasionally get a bit confusing as the interludes and tracks are in different languages, which can present a challenge when following the narrative. However, the full tracks are, for the most part, well-crafted power-prog metal in a similar vein to the groups like Avantasia. The Odyssey Of Nothing in particular stands out as a prime example of this style of story-driven symphonic metal.
The album doesn't break much new ground or push out any boundaries, nor is it a defining moment in prog, as the rock opera style has been done many times, as has the metal opera. That isn't to say it is a bad album, on the contrary. The songs are catchy, the vocal melodies linger in your mind, and the musicianship is professional. Many of those melodies flit between haunting, melancholic and filled with nostalgia as the music encompasses elements of folk, orchestral, power and prog. It all comes together well in a solid album. Maybe not an album of the year for me, but definitely one I'd suggest to fans of this style.
If you're a fan of groups like Ayreon, Avantasia, or Dream Theater's The Astonishing album, then you should have a listen. I think you'll enjoy it.
The John Irvine Band — Here Come The Robots
Eighth album from The John Irvine Band and the final part of End Of Days trilogy of progressive jazz-rock concept albums that started with 2023's Scanning The Dark Horizon and continued with last year's The Starships Are Gathering. As with those two albums Irvine himself plays all the guitars, keyboards and bass with Andrew Scott hitting all things hittable. As with those two albums, there are a lot of synths throughout that, to my discerning (or I like to think) sensibilities have a slightly annoying timbre, far too much treble, but then I freely confess to being a major fan of growling Hammond organs so that is probably no surprise. And as with the other two albums in the trilogy, this minor, and no doubt very personally considered peccadillo, does not overly detract from the quality of music on offer.
The story that the instrumental album is representing is once again given on the sleeve of the CD, although unfortunately does not appear on the Bandcamp page for those who prefer downloads these days. A pity as reading the story helps to put the music in context. Not to give any spoilers, but the tale does not have a happy ending. That in itself is quite ironic as the standout track on the album for me is the one that ends the album — the third part of The End Of Days Suite, An Aerial Cage. The joyous keyboard riff on this piece is absolutely glorious and is where the "annoying" keyboard comes into its own. At a full dozen minutes length, there is plenty of scope for explorations with a wide range of dynamics and some great playing, not least of which is a Pat Metheney-style guitar solo midway through. It also has quite an explosive ending.
But one doesn't have to wait until the end of the album to discover the riches on offer as right from the start of A Dream Of Utopia, which has the same keyboard riff as the closing track (see, it is a concept!), but in a rather more subdued rendering, we are treated to a very high degree of musicianship and composition. Perhaps there is rather too much keyboards, the synth bass might have been better on an actual guitar, but this does mean that when the guitar solos come they appear to have a greater clarity and bite. In addition, as the album is homage to Vangelis Papathanassiou the reliance on keyboards is totally justified.
The Coexistence of Opposites starts with a gentle ambiance which develops into a more antagonistic attitude which results in the more aggressive Here Come The Robots! which quite appropriately has a very mechanical feel albeit with a blistering electrical guitar solo in its midst. The End Of Days Suite, all told a 23,5-minute epic, is a musical story in its own right. The dramatic opening to The City Lights At Twilight sways through various moods that can be heard as the hope and concerns of the people in the story with some sections that are delightfully cinematic with others that are just delight to the ears. A reprise of various themes can be heard in Building The Geodesic Dome which lends itself very well to the industrial endeavours explained in the story before we reach the satisfying, musically at least, conclusion of the aforementioned An Aerial Cage.
Irvine has not only managed to write an interesting, if brief, narrative to accompany the music (or vice versa) but has created a trio of albums that each stands on its own merits but also combine to form a cohesive concept trilogy.
Are the robots laughing? If they are, it is probably at that synth sound (sorry John!)
Karmakanic — Transmutation
Between 2002 and 2016, Jonas Reingold's Karmakanic released five exceptional studio albums. The sixth, Transmutation is an infectious mix of prog, pop/rock, jazz and other musical influences. Eschewing the band like structure of the last few albums, Reingold has this time gathered an enviable guest list. Amongst those adding their talents are Steve Hackett, Simon Phillips, Craig Blundell, Randy McStine, Thomas Bodin, Nick D'Virgilio, Roger King and Andy Tillison.
Another major change is John Mitchell (Frost*, It Bites, Lonely Robot), who replaces Goran Edman on lead vocals. I am a great admirer of Mitchell, but this move initially gave me pause. Gorman's vocals were a distinct and integral element of the previous albums. I needn't have worried, though, because Mitchell does excellent work here and the Karmakanic sound remains intact. Edman, who has largely retired from music, does appear on the rocking Lose this Ball & Chain. The song feels transitional in a way, and he and Mitchell sound great together.
Other highlights include the blissfully melodic, End Of The Road and Cosmic Love, a pop/rock song that could be a hit if the commercial music scene was more adventurous. We Got The World in Our Hands, exudes the type of harmonic positivity that has been a trademark of this project. The compelling All That Glitters is Not Gold is the rare rock song to utilize the accordion. It also features a blistering saxophone solo from Rob Townsend.
The zenith of this release is the artistically stunning, twenty-three-minute title track. Epics long ago lost their uniqueness in the prog genre, but there is still something genuinely exciting about them when done well. Count this amongst the truly special ones. The compositional flow works exceptionally well, and the performances throughout are superb. In particular, the duet vocals of Mitchell and singer, Dina Hoblinger are perfection.
Transmutation is an album that truly captivates. The music is complex while still maintaining a strong accessibility. It is unmistakably Karmakanic, but with an effectively different approach by Reingold and his top-notch group of musical friends. Easily an early contender for best of 2025 status.
King Of Sweden — Out Of The Tunnel
King Of Sweden were founded in Tampere in 2019 as a trio consisting of Sampsa Nelimarkka (guitars, vocals, saxophone, bass), Erkka Heinilä (bass), and Janne Savela (drums, percussions). The band recorded their debut album The Training in 2021, containing mostly instrumental, guitar/bass driven music with psychedelic elements and a tendency towards a jamming style. 2022 and 2023 saw line-up changes insomuch as founding members Heinilä and Savela were replaced by Joni Raikaslehto, and Elias Ojutkangas respectively, and Tomi Raikaslehto joined on keyboards, making King Of Sweden a quartet ever since.
Since these transformations took place during the making of the sophomore album Out Of The Tunnel, both former and present members are performing on this album, without me knowing who plays on which track - besides composer/vocalist/guitarist Sampsa present as constant since the beginning on every song. Jan Tiusanen acts as guest musician on flute. Prior to writing this review, the band was unknown to me. And what's more: I've racked my brains in vain over the question: who or what does this cover represent?
Having also listened to King Of Sweden's debut album had made me at a loss with respect how to pigeonhole it (indeed, it was reviewed in the "Prog Bites" category on our site). According to my impression, the successor Out Of The Tunnel musically marks a considerable step forward. The sound has been developed to be more complex, textured, melodic, accessible, and varied. Additional instruments, especially the keyboards, but also the flute, and the saxophone determine the sound or make important contributions, and a stronger emphasis has been put on the vocals.
While these factors enlarge the spectrum of King Of Sweden's music (e.g. by introducing prog folk elements), the psychedelic and guitar-based hard rock roots are not abandoned and continue to shine through as a distinct factor in a successful and well-balanced musical amalgamation. Considering this development, I think it goes without saying that this album has evolved into "fully-fledged prog".
What particularly struck me about King Of Sweden's music is a specific pattern in the structure of some of their songs: they start in a specific way, only to pause for a second in-between before changing mood, tempo, and rhythm, just if they were a new song (which in fact they are not). Be patient in the last track: after minute five, the band takes a forty-seconds break before coming "out of the tunnel". Another feature is a tendency towards repeating certain hooks, melodies, guitar riffing, and keyboard arpeggios to an extent that almost feels hypnotising.
With respect to the use of instruments, King of Sweden's music continues to show an emphasis on guitars, but keyboards (especially the Hammond) definitely come into their own, such as the saxophone (in The Knot) and the flute (in the final three tracks), which are used efficiency to provide depth, melody and variety in the respective songs. Worth mentioning also is the fluid and crisp bass playing. The album offers a good mix of shorter, interlude-like instrumental songs with generic prog tracks such as The Knot, War Rabbit, and Old Poly. The latter one clearly marks the album highlight for me. The first three minutes put the bass in the foreground with superb melodies against repetitive guitar arpeggios, before one of those breaks mentioned above initiates a keyboard-drenched second half with the Hammond blowing round your ears. Keyboard and guitar runs are compelling, the chord sequences extremely catchy and earworm-like (caught me playing "air keyboards" whilst listening), and the bass playing again superb. What a great track!
I have to say that I am a big fan of progressive rock from Scandinavia, especially if it is the symphonic prog variant. I love the musical richness, the abundance of the instrumentation, the predominance of keyboards, the epic, and symphonic character with sometimes inherent melancholy in the songs of the iconic bands representative of that genre, to name a few: Kaipa, Wobbler, Änglagård, The Flower Kings, Brighteye Brison, Moon Safari, Viima, Jordsjoe. King Of Sweden, however, the musical characteristics of those bands described above, whilst not missing completely, are not that pronounced.
I still like this album, nonetheless. It exudes a relaxed, laid-back retro charm of the seventies, without sounding old-fashioned. To some extent, it reminds me of some of the Krautrock bands, whose music my buddies tried to convince me of (mostly in vain, I admit), when I was a teenager: Amon Düül II, King Ping Meh, Sweet Smoke, plus Nektar, and Birthcontrol (the latter two I still listen to regularly). Regarding current bands, Finnish peers Von Hertzen Brothers are not too far away, in my opinion. And the guitar playing sometimes is reminiscent of early Yes.
King Of Sweden's music is easily and quickly accessible, sounding original and contemporary despite its 70ies feel, with unexpected twists and turns, which provide for new details to be discovered even after repetitive listening. Despite its prevailing psychedelic character and the still occasionally present jamming style, the music combines complexity with accessibility, with hooks and melodies sometimes even reaching earworm character.
Recommended to all friends of 70s prog in a contemporary guise and to those wanting to explore how those days sounded like, who are looking for accessible, varied music with a psychedelic touch and who are prepared to put up with some nostalgic feelings here and there. It's not for nothing that one of the musicians is wearing a Kraftwerk T-shirt in the promo photos. I look forward to how that band will have developed on a forthcoming album.
Rod Rodrigues — Tales Of A Changing Life Part 2
Rod Rodrigues is a guitar player from Brazil. He has studied with many renowned musicians like Kiko Loureiro and Greg Howe. After his study he works as a music teacher, besides in his home country Brazil he also teaches in Canada and Europe. The style of music Rod plays on his solo albums is in the likes of guitar heroes like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Instrumental music with many guitar solos and nice guitar tricks.
Rod has played in several bands, among which a Dream Theater cover band. In 2022, he released a solo album titled Tales Of A Changing Life Part 1. This album features a song with Marco Sfogli, a guitar player that worked with Jordan Rudess and James LaBrie. So besides the guitar hero influences there is also some progressive metal in the music of Rod Rodrigues. In 2024 Rod released the follow-up album Tales Of A Changing Life Part 2. On this album we have guest appearances by Roy Ziv, Angel Vivaldi, John Macaluso, Wesley Poison (Spoken Word) and Hugo Mariutti.
Both albums by Rod Rodrigues are interesting albums to check out if you are interested in instrumental guitar hero music. These albums have some nice guest musicians and when you check out the works of these other musicians then you will find a lot of interesting guitar music. Part 1 is a bit more melodic than Part 2. Personally I like part one just a bit more because this album has more focus on the melodies and that is something more to my liking.
Part 2 has a lot more stuff happening so from a progressive metal point of view the second album would be more of interest. It still has more than enough melodies incorporated for a symphonic listener like me but this album has a lot more going on and a lot more Dream Theater influences. Especially Inukshuk and Tales Of A Changing Life Suit have enough technical stuff to really sink your teeth in.