The Dear Hunter - Act II: The Meaning Of, And All Things Regarding Ms. Leading

Continues the surreal story of The Dear Hunter, begun with Act 1 (posted below).

This is my personal favorite of the 3 albums released by The Dear Hunter thus far, as well as their first with a full line-up (the first album was essentially a solo effort).

Track Listing

1. The Death and the Berth
2. The Procession
3. The Lake and the River
4. The Oracles on the Delphi Express
5. The Church and the Dime
6. The Bitter Suite 1 & 2
7. The Bitter Suite 3
8. Smiling Swine
9. Evicted
10. Blood of the Rose
11. Red Hands
12. Where the Road Parts
13. Dear Ms. Leading
14. Black Sandy Beaches
15. Vital Vessle Vindicates

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RIYL: The Mars Volta, The Receiving End of Sirens, The Sound of Animals Fighting

The Dear Hunter - Act 1: The Lake South, The River North

The Dear Hunter's debut. Layered and complex instrumentals make up the musical heart of the album, primarily in the style of progressive rock but also incorporating elements of orchestral music, blues-rock, jazz, ragtime, and ambient, sometimes several times in the space of a single song. The vocals are similarly varied, with pop-ballad sections giving way to dense harmonization that would shame a barbershop quartet.

The album is also a concept album, the first in a set of 6 telling the surreal story of the titular character The Dear Hunter.

I like this one a lot, but Act II (The second album) is better in my opinion.

Get it!

RIYL: The Mars Volta, The Receiving End of Sirens, Portugal. The Man, The Sound of Animals Fighting

psychotic waltz - a social grace

band: psychotic waltz
album: a social grace
genre: progressive metal
country: USA
year: 1990

"...maybe it's my 70's upbringing as a progressive rock geek returning to haunt me, because this music is art rock if it's anything.

The songs are relentlessly episodic. The band plays in 4/4 only grudgingly and only long enough to respectably establish a groove before veering off into multi-metered mania!
If you dissect the guitar playing you'll find the ghostly image of Fripp a-leering. These conceits may or may not thrill you, but when they're executed this well and recorded this clearly, I don't believe you could walk away unimpressed.

It's the eerily symbiotic partnership of guitarist Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin that impacts most astoundingly. Not a lead lick goes by that isn't harmonized in any one of dozens of sophisticated scaler schemes - you couldn't mistake these two for one guy and an Eventide unless you were genuinely ignorant.

The egoless interplay between Rock and McAlpin is virtuosic, and their composing is a bountiful pleasure.

Ward evans & Norm Leggio on bass & drums tackle the wickedly complex structures with bravado, on the aural evidence they relish the challenge of playing these tunes, and succeed. This band must live to rehearse!" -Review By Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa guitarist)

Psychotic Waltz were a progressive rock/metal band from San Diego who achieved a decent amount of fame overseas, but never quite struck a chord with american audiences. i'm not a musician and can't claim to truly understand all of the technical underpinnings of their music, but the songs on display here are original, ambitious, and most importantly an absolute blast to hear. Buddy Lackey (current Deadsoul Tribe frontman) had an honesty in everything he sang that grabs you deep inside and rubs you in all the right ways. the guitar, bass, and drums all sound psychotic as hell (hoshit,pun) without sounding pretentious; i.e. i've never gotten the feeling that Dan Rock's solos were only there to show us how good Dan Rock was at playing the guitar

recommended for fans of Spiral Architect and Watchtower

highly recommended for anyone who has never heard either of those bands

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Naikaku - Shell

band: naikaku
album: shell
genre: instrumental, progressive
country: japan
year: 2006

"Shell is the second album from Japanese duo Naikaku. Bassist Satoshi Kobayashi and flautist Kazumi Suzuki receive a lot of help from session musicians Norimitsu Endo on drums and Mitsuo on guitars and trumpet. The sound Naikaku achieve is refreshingly original and exhausting in its intensity. As a point of comparison, Naikaku mixes the ferocity of King Crimson with the psychedelia of Ozric Tentacles as well as the gentle pastoral woodwinds of Anglagard, incredibly without particularly sounding like any of those bands." -sea of tranquility

recommended for fans of epic, noodley, progressive instrumental music.

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Mostly Autumn - Heart Full of Sky

Band: Mostly Autumn
Album: Heart Full of Sky
Genre: Progressive Folk/Rock
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Year: 2007

Tracklisting:

1. Fading Colours
2. Half a World
3. Pocket Watch
4. Blue Light
5. Walk With a Storm
6. Find the Sun
7. Ghost
8. Broken
9. Silver Glass
10. Further From Home
11. Dreaming

This album is my favourite by the British progressive folk rock band Mostly Autumn. It shows clear influence from bands such as Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Jethro Tull and features many very varied songs which are all brilliant. This album features beautiful and powerful female vocals from Heather Findlay and excellent male vocals from Bryan Josh and Chris Johnson. Well worth downloading for anyone who is into progressive music or just fans of folk or rock in general.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YEZYZXW1

Devil Doll - Eliogabalus

Band: Devil Doll
Album: Eliogabalus
Genre: Progressive Rock
Country of Origin: Italy/Slovenia
Year: 1990

Track Listing:

1. Mr. Doctor (20:17)
2. Eliogabalus (24:43)

And this will be my final Devil Doll release (for now, at least) This is the only album they released which has 2 tracks (as opposed to one, epic track)

Please see THIS post for a description of the band.

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Devil Doll - The Girl Who Was... Death

Band: Devil Doll
Album: The Girl Who Was... Death
Genre: Progressive Rock
Country of Origin: Italy/Slovenia
Year: 1989

Track Listing:

1. The Girl Who Was... Death (38:48)

Another release from Devil Doll -- This is the first full-length
Mr. Doctor and co. released.

Please see THIS post for a description of the band.

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Devil Doll - Dies Irae

Band: Devil Doll
Album: Dies Irae
Genre: Progressive Rock
Country of Origin: Italy/Slovenia
Year: 1996

Track Listing:

1. Dies Irae (45:51)

It's very hard to classify Devil Doll under on particular genre... Which is why I'm listing "Progressive Rock" as the main label, but mentioning: Horror rock and Symphonic Opera Progressive Rock as well, they are a very dark and heavy progressive band from Italy & Slovenia whose music is inspired by old silent horror movies. Devil Doll’s music has been described as “an elaborate and bombastic collision of styles” and “a perverse, yet brilliant soundscape of some forbidden netherworld”. Bands like Jacula can be pointed as an influence to this (at least) very different band. Can't really say it's for everyone, but if you like them then you really fucking like them (like myself)

Devil Doll’s albums are a journey into the unknown theatres of the unexplored soul and mind, they are like a sick cabaret of unsuspecting and, at times, soul-possessing opera. “The Girl Who Was…Death” is an interesting modern symphonic sound with a pervading air of menace. “Eliogabalus” is like a prog-metal symphony, a grandiose, overarching structure that works like a suite. I certainly didn’t take a trip to heaven when I for the first time became familiar with Devil Doll’s many masterpieces. The music is not for everybody, but recommended to those who like their singers dominant. Recommended to fans of Silent horror movies.

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