Back catalogue: Progressive Rock

Review: The brainchild of Olli-Pekka Laine (Amorphis, Barren Earth, Mannhai), Beyond The Aeons marks the debut full-length from psych-death-prog entity Octoploid. Rounding out the line-up with several long-time collaborators including vocalist Mikko Kotamaki (Swallow The Sun) and keyboardist Kim Rantala (formerly of Amorphis), the collective live up to their namesake by pulling from several eras of rock simultaneously with a sonic bedrock built upon 70s prog and psychedelia, 90s death and black metal, as well as the myriad Venn Diagram-like intersections where these styles have crossed paths over the decades. Equal parts King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Opeth, on their debut statement Octoploid deliver a fuzzy, bombastic ode to all things heaving, hypnotising, hefty and hallucinogenic.

Review: Originally released in 2005 and celebrating its 20th anniversary, Ghost Reveries would serve as the eighth full-length from Swedish progressive metal legends Opeth. Following the 2002/2003 two-part project which showcased their most malevolent form on Deliverance and then a resolutely pleasant prog rock opus with Damnation, this follow up sought to rectify one side with the other; coalescing into a masterwork which simultaneously was regarded by longtime fans as a career height, whilst the expanded distribution from signing with major label Roadrunner opened them up to an entire new wave of unsuspecting ears. Marking their first album since 1999's Still Life to not be produced by Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson, instead duties fell to Jens Bogren (Katatonia, At The Gates, Dimmu Borgir) who helped Mikael Akerfeldt and his cohorts to rediscover their death metal origins yet channelled through their more melancholic sensibilities. Boasting some of their most vital pieces from the epic 10-minute opener 'Ghost Of Perdition', to the even lengthier fan favourite 'Reverie/Harlequin Forest', as well as the equally adored 'The Grand Conjuration', the album has long since been held aloft as the perfect modern entry point to the world of Opeth. The project would also be the first to include keyboardist Per Wiberg as a "permanent" member while serving as their final endeavour to feature both drummer Martin Lopez and long-time guitarist Peter Lindgren.

Review: Originally released in 1999 and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Still Life served as the fourth full-length from Swedish progressive metal titans Opeth, while marking their first project with bassist Martin Mendez (the second-longest-serving member after primary songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt). Another concept album following on from 1998's predecessor My Arms, Your Hearse, the narrative details an anti-Christian sentiment of a man ostracised from his village due to a perceived lack of faith, only to return years later to be with his love. It's here where things turn very grim and complex, whilst the narrative is further bolstered by the compositional intricacies, weaving frosted Scandinavian death metal around lush prog-folk harmonies. Reissued on splattered vinyl and spread across a double LP set, the album remains a strong favourite across the devout Opeth camps of the world.

Review: Marking their first album in five years and follow up to 2019's criminally overlooked In Cauda Venenum, Swedish progressive death metal legends Opeth return with their fourteenth full-length The Last Will & Testament. Marking the return of vocalist/guitarist/primary songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt's signature death growls; the first project to feature the inhumane bellows since 2008's Watershed, the work is the band's first concept album since 1999's Still Life, with the narrative based around a wealthy, mysterious patriarch in the post-World War I era whose death leads his family to congregate at his estate to learn horrific secrets as his last will and testament is unveiled. Whilst retracing some of their gloomier, more macabre sonics, musically the compositions continue to embrace the 70's psychedelia of Heritage and Sorceress yet with a notable rediscovery of their harrowing, frosted death metal origins. Pressed on limited marbled 'rough seas' vinyl 2xLP..

Review: .You don't need to hear much on The YumYum Tree to understand how apt the story behind Ozric Tentacles is. A troupe which formed from an impromptu six-hour jam session which took place around a campfire during the 1983 Stonehenge free festival, the band name itself came about when an audience member asked guitarist and keyboardist Ed Wynne what the group - which included his brother Roly, Nick 'Tig' Van Gelder (later of Jamiroquai note) and Joie Hinton - were called. Originally dropping from the cosmos in 2009, The YumYum Tree is archetypal stuff from the outfit in question. Complex guitar solos taking us into the stratosphere, uptempo, highly commanding, cacophonic arrangements, star-gazing, mood-setting, deeply textured space rock, and moments of pure new age bliss. A journey to musical unknowns, captained by progressive rock visionaries.