Neo Progressive

Completely re-written by the new line up (Hans-Wes-Pete-Tom) in 2012-2014 and recorded mainly in Pete's Mushroomland studio in 2013-2014 and in the famous ACE studio (vocals) , this brand new CD is released on 15 May 2015 on the Freia Music label (THOR 24CD). Mixed by Pete and mastered by Frank van Bogaert ('Dr. ACE' / Fish on Friday) ,a great sound quality is achieved and this new release demonstrates the musical variety and great musicianship of the new line up. Starting May 2015 Neo Prophet will bring the new work also live on stage though 2015-2016…

Poland can be considered like a second home for current neo Progressive music, along with Italy and the Netherlands. QUIDAM is certainly the main and most appreciated act to have emerged from this field, with ABRAXAS and COLLAGE. Note that female singer Emila DERKOWSKA's vocals and charm add a lot to the whole. As the sophisticated pop-rock melodies of "Sny Aniolow" ("Angels' Dream" for the English-sung version, 1998) contrasted with a first eponymous album (Revelation of the year 1996) extremely appreciated for its instrumental developments, the third opus "The Time Beneath The Sky" (2002) orchestrates a new stylistic change that keeps the characteristical QUIDAM sound.

Famous among Progressive rock fans worldwide for being probably the classiest (and most complete) publication in this style, the Finnish magazine Colossus had the great idea to ask thirty bands of the whole world to illustrate the national Finnish epic: "Kalevala". It is made of old ballads and traditional songs, but is also part of a huge group of legends, which has inspired both J.R.R. Tolkien for his mythic "Lord Of The Rings" and composer Sibelius, among others. The idea that contributed to the creation of "Kalevala - A Finnish Progressive Rock Epic" was to use exclusively instruments of the Seventies, in order to obtain the "Aging" that the story needed. The result is absolutely stunning: three albums included in a box-set designed as beautifully as the famous Colossus covers. As for the music, the listener won't be disappointed! He'll be delighted to hear about four hours of sumptuous and rich (Vocal or instrumental) Progressive rock…

Crystal Palace were founded in Berlin, Germany, in the early 1990s.
The sound of the band is characterized by melodic passages and instrumentally well worked-out themes that, when listened to carefully, entice the listener to sink into a pleasurable musical experience with their own imaginative thoughts.

Quidam's debut album remains as impressive as it was 10 years ago. Rarely have I heard a progressive rock band made such an impact as Quidam did with their first release. Although the sound of the album is at times slightly metallic the production sounded incredibly professional. This was something to be expected since the producer and mixing engineer of the album were no others than Szadkowski and Palczewski (both of Collage fame and currently active with their new band Satellite).

Neo was the name of a French quintet that performed instrumental Progressive rock, and was led by bassist André Paul and saxophone player Didier Erard (French Kiss). This line-up issued their unique eponymous album in 1980. Their compositions are based on melodies with occasional breaks, rhythms changes, accelerations, colours as well as changing and sophisticated atmospheres. The themes are very elaborated, complex and not quite straight and easy. The instrumental dialogues are numerous: a rageous or cutting edge guitar answers to inventive keyboards or to a whirling saxophone line. The band can successively remind of Bo Hansson, Camel (Mel Collins's period) or Caravan, and sometimes King Crimson ("Islands" days).

Haze was formed in 1978 by brothers Chris and Paul McMahon and were one of a handful of groups in the late 70's/early 80's who embraced progressive rock and formed the neo-prog movement in the UK.
Despite the release of their first ever LP and the relatively good success many UK Neo Prog bands were tasting in mid-80's, Haze still struggled to come on the surface regarding their promotion, remaining a pretty underground band yet with a solid fan base. However they toured the whole UK, gigging endlessly and in 1985 another one of the many cassette releases of Haze entitled "The Cellar Replay" sees the light…

Leap Day was founded on the 29th of February 2008. This Dutch sympho outfit has members of wellknown bands from the world of progressive rock, such as Flamborough Head, King Eider, Nice Beaver, Trion and Pink Floyd Project. In 2008 they released their demo cd containing three songs, including Awaking The Muse which is the title of their first full-length studio album released through Oskar music in 2009. In terms of musical style we're treated to neo-prog of the vintage variety here, with nods in the directions of Camel and Genesis as far as possible influences go. Lush sonic tapestries with multiple keyboard layers and melodic, gentle guitar soloing will be found aplenty on this album, and the lead vocals calm and soothing with a few subtle dramatic flairs on select occasions. Melody and harmony are keywords for this production though, and if that sounds enticing you'll most probably enjoy this effort…

Sylvan is a German neo-prog band with an emphasis on the vocals and a powerful sound driven by keys and guitar. With their debut album "Deliverance", the German band from Hamburg open the door to this hidden world for all of us. The music takes you onto a journey full of miracles, dreams, love, passion and fortune. The dominant style of Sylvan is a mix of Symphonic Progressive Rock, neo Progressive and Classical Rock including touchs of the Progressive Metal, blended together in a new and interesting way, decorated with lot of intricate keyboards and guitars sounds and grandiose musical passages in all songs. Frequently compared to group like Marillion or IQ, Sylvan successfully adds a new facet to Nineties neo Progressive.