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This group of five musicians will certainly capture the attention of Ozric Tentacles fans. Their music is loaded with textures and colours that leave most space rock bands sounding like a sample machine stuck in loop mode. It's actually going somewhere: on all of their albums, the tracks evolve continuously, with the music occasionally returning to specific themes but with something new each time. Overall, their material sounds like a less guitar-dominated Ozric and without the heavy techno influence. Their albums are pure instrumental excursions into psychedelia propelled by Tim Blake-like droning and burbling synths, Steve Hillage-like guitar arpeggios, pulsating bass lines, phasing sitars and precise drumming with the occasional Jethro Tull flute work (simultaneous flute blowing and vocalizing) and some infectious grooving rhythm lines that make you want to move around, bang your head and dance nonsensically…

Innovatively fusing traditional ethnic musics with state-of-the-art rhythms, the work of Deep Forest was best typified by their 1993 smash "Sweet Lullaby," which brought together the contemporary sounds of ambient techno with the haunting voices of the Pygmies of the central African rain forest…

With 2003's Impossible Figures, Magellan remain one of the most died-in-the-wool and compelling prog rock bands. Given their embrace of technology - endless layers of keyboards and drum machines - and their insistence of the "rock" side of prog with big churning guitars and fat, muddy basslines, they are an anomaly. While they are a truly original act, their roots lie somewhere between Volume IV-period Black Sabbath, King Crimson's Larks' Tongues in Aspic and Starless and Bible Black, and Genesis' Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. There is so much bombast in their music - including the tympani sound from 2001: A Space Odyssey - that helps to introduce the album's opener, "Gorilla With Pitchfork"…

What would happen if members of Savatage decided to write some Christmas songs? Easy: Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This "supergroup" is the brainchild of Jon Oliva and Paul O'Neill (respectively the leader-keyboardist and the producer of Savatage). They hired Al Pitrelli (Asia, Savatage) to play guitars, Robert Kinkel to help with keyboards, John Middleton (also a member of Savatage) on bass, and Jeff Plate on drums. Lead vocals are shared by six vocalists, while some of the backing vocals are handled by Savatage lead singer Zachary Stevens. Christmas Eve and Other Stories is a concept album: all the songs are built as chapters of a book, each telling part of a larger story. The plot here is of a young angel sent down to Earth to find and bring back to the Lord "the one thing that best represents everything good that has been done in the name of this day."

Edward Ka-Spel is a singer, songwriter and musician. He is probably best known as the lead singer, songwriter and co-founder (with Phil “The Silverman” Knight) of the prolific underground band The Legendary Pink Dots.

Following a brilliant showing in 2018’s For The Love Of Metal, which recast 80s heavy metal icon Dee Snider as a current day force to be reckoned with, the former Twisted Sister front man returns to deliver another colossal, modern metal opus to usher in the post-lockdown landscape…

Everybody know that novelty bands have a hard time growing up, but the Presidents of the United States of America made a large leap toward that during their re-formation of 2000, with Freaked Out and Small demonstrating a decrease in their stylized silliness mellowed into something more genuine. It wasn't that the band rocked less, but their humor seemed less forced, a development that continued on 2004's Love Everybody. Evolution continues to be the name of the game on their 2008 follow-up These Are the Good Times People, as the group replaces departing guitarist (and founding member) Dave Dederer with Andrew McKeag, while they bring Seattle underground mainstay Kurt Bloch in as producer, all elements that help make These Are the Good Times People perhaps their most eclectic album to date.

Tomas Bodin is best known for being the keyboardist for Swedish progressive rock favourites The Flower Kings. In addition to that role, he is also an extremely competent composer and skilful instrumentalist as he ably displays with the release of his fourth solo album "I AM". Having released solely instrumental albums in the past, he surprises fans this time out with a brilliant prog rock opera. Together with fellow band mates Jonas Reingold on bass, and new Flower Kings drummer Marcus Liliequist, Bodin enlisted the help of guitarist Jocke JJ Marsh of the Glenn Hughes Band and vocalists Anders Jansson, Pernilla Bodin, and Helene Schönning.

Finnish hard rockers the Rasmus became stars at home with their 1996 debut album Peep, which earned them a gold record while the four members were still in their teens. With 2003's Dead Letters, the band's popularity exploded in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and made them a major draw in Europe as well as the leading hard rock act at home. The Best of the Rasmus 2001-2009 features 17 songs recorded during the band's tenure with Playground Music…