Progressive music celebrates its virtuoso performers, but we as fans shouldn't lose sight of the visionaries who often bring these talents together. French keyboardist and composer Vivien Lalu is one of those people. With his bands Lalu and Shadrane, he's brought together members of bands like Stratovarius, DGM, Symphony X, Mekong Delta, and even Dream Theater for releases like September 2013's Atomic Ark (Sensory), and the resulting music -- whether rooted in a fictional WWII world or lamenting the plight of abused animals -- is nothing short of inspiring. Host Mark Ashby talks with Lalu about his upbringing surrounded by his parents' progressive music, how he brings together such amazing bandmates, what movie he and Mark both had the same reaction to, and the animal rescue charity you can support by buying the new Lalu album. Visit him on the web at www.vivienlalu.com, and to learn more about the charity Alerte SOS, go to www.alertesos.com (French-language).

Featured tracks/excerpts:
"Tatonka"
"Revelations"
"Bast"
"Lanterns Dance" (Shadrane)
"Greed"
"Momento"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Shadrane and Lalu. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 12 Oct 2013

The UK proggers Haken (rhymes with "bacon", please) are one of those groups that started off their career at a run and haven't stopped since. Featuring members of other bands like To-Mera (Episode 019), Richard Henshall (guitars and keyboards), Charlie Griffiths (guitars), Tom Maclean (bass), Ross Jennings (vocals), Ray Hearne (drums), and Diego Tejeida (keyboards) have just released their third album The Mountain on Inside Out. The band is supporting the long-anticipated release with some tour dates that include ProgPower Europe and, in February 2014, the Progressive Nation at Sea cruise. Progtopia's host Mark Ashby spoke by phone with chief songwriter Henshall about the new album, the buzz surrounding them from their earliest days, the varied influences on the band members, and why bassist Maclean reminds him of an angel. Visit them on the web at www.hakenmusic.com, and for more on the Progressive Nation cruise, go to www.progressivenationatsea.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Pareidolia"
"Cockroach King"
"Portals"
"In Memoriam"
"Somebody"
"Falling Back to Earth"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Haken. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 19 Sept 2013

The term "symphonic power prog" is virtually synonymous with the veteran quintet Kamelot -- and anyone who argues with you about the band being at the pinnacle of the genre simply doesn't have a clue. The American/German/Swedish band is currently touring North America with Delain and Eklipse in support of 2012's Silverthorn, their first with new vocalist Tommy Karevik, with more dates coming in Europe this November. Progtopia host Mark Ashby caught up with guitarist and original member Thomas Youngblood prior to their show at the Baltimore Soundstage to talk about Kamelot's two decades as a band, their use of female talent, Tommy's integration into the group, and how they reacted to the news that their keyboardist was expecting his first child during this leg of the tour. For tour dates, tickets, and more information on the band, like their Facebook page and visit www.kamelot.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"My Confession"
"Torn"
"Song for Jolee"
"Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)"
"Veritas"
"Falling Like the Fahrenheit"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Kamelot. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 5 Sept 2013

By its very sound, metal music lends itself to dark subject matter. That's nothing new. But Chicago's Divinity Compromised takes a particularly cerebral approach to topics like the abuses of fundamental religion, our future extinction as a species -- even Jack the Ripper -- on their debut album A World Torn, released in March 2013. The band (Jeff Treadwell [lead guitar], Mike Mousel [drums], Vito Marchese [guitar, no longer a member], Ben Johnson [guitar, keyboards], Andy Bunk [bass], Lothar Keller [vocals]) answered the call from the ProgPower USA promoters to fill the spot opened up after Reinxeed dropped out, so those of you attending the premier progressive metal festival in America from September 4-7 can catch them on Saturday to open the day's music. Progtopia's Mark Ashby spoke with Treadwell, Bunk, and Keller about the band's history and writing approach, how they almost missed the phone call asking them to be part of ProgPower, and whether having a keyboardist in the band automatically makes you prog. They're on the web at www.divinitycompromised.net.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"When Myth Becomes Truth"
"The Guardians of Ki"
"Children of a Dead God"
"Descent into Madness"
"A World Torn Apart"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Divinity Compromised. Thanks for listening!

Originally published 29 Aug 2013

If you're a long-time listener of the show, or if you've dug into the archives, you'll recognize The Mariana Hollow from one of our first episodes, posted shortly after the release of their second album Velvet Black Sky in February 2012. In this first Progtopia Planetary Premiere, the London five-piece returns, as Richie Walden (guitar), Scott Chesworth (bass), Gabriel Moreira (guitar), Adam Stanley (drums), and Rebecca "Spinky" Spinks (vocals) unleash their EP "Scars, Not Wounds" on the world on August 23rd. You'll hear their new track "The Unburned" exclusively on this program (Game of Thrones fans should especially like this one!), as well as another interview where host Mark Ashby discusses with them the change in membership on lead guitar and the compositional changes that came with it, the video documentary they've put together in conjunction with the EP, and how it makes them feel when they're compared with other prog metallers, plus much more. Their website is www.themarianahollow.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Second to None"
"Knife to the Throat"
"The Line of Fire and Blood"
"The Unburned"
"Scars, Not Wounds"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like The Mariana Hollow. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 16 Aug 2013

Sometimes you don't even need vocals to create a powerful progressive rock album. Evergrey guitarist Marcus Jidell has proven that with his debut solo album Pictures from a Time Traveller, due out on August 16 from Lion Music. The Swedish shredder taps into the more familiar metal terrain as well as exotic Middle Eastern and other ethnic sounds to create a rich tapestry of sound that transports you not just through time, but space, to places as diverse as the extreme north and the deserts of Egypt. Jidell spoke with host Mark Ashby about his varied influences and how they inform his compositional style, the reasons he held off on releasing this album for a few years, and how joining Evergrey was a question of being in the right place at the right time. Visit Marcus online at www.marcusjidell.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:

"Tesla World System"

"Rei Zan"

"El Amarna (Ruins of Akhetaton)"

"Arctica"

"Wedding Song"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Evergrey. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 8 Aug 2013

Southern California-based duo Days Between Stations (Sepand Samzadeh and Oscar Fuentes) met through a magazine advertisement, and in the decade or so since, they've released two albums of instrumentally-driven music that Samzadeh has called "art rock" and Fuentes "post-prog." No matter what you call it, their music, including new release In Extremis (featuring a cover by Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator artist Paul Whitehead), is a testament to the best of 21st-century progressive rock -- dynamic solos, orchestral arrangements, and epic tracks with classic instrumentation. The new album was co-produced by Billy Sherwood and features as guest musicians Tony Levin, Colin Moulding, Rick Wakeman, and the late Peter Banks in some of his last recorded output. Host Mark Ashby talked with Samzadeh about the early days of the band and their involvement with the Pineapple Thief, how they enlisted the help of so many well-known proggers, and why Samzadeh himself has only recently considered himself a prog musician, among many more subjects. Visit them on the web at www.daysbetweenstations.com.

Featured tracks/excerpts:
"Visionary"
"No Cause for Alarm"
"The Man Who Died Two Times"
"Eggshell Man"
"In Extremis"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 28 July 2013

"Oriental metal" is a term that has become more widely-applied in recent years as bands from the Middle East have gained prominence, but perhaps no band personifies the style more than the pioneers of the genre, Israel's Orphaned Land. For two decades, the quintet has combined the aggression of metal, the intricate nature of progressive rock, and the melodies and languages of their region into a sound that both defies easy description and brings people from many different cultures and religions together, even in countries where their music is considered subversive and is banned. Always highly political in their message, Orphaned Land (Chen Balbus [guitar], Uri Zelha [bass], Kobi Farhi [vocals], Yossi Sassi [guitar], and Matan Shmuely [drums]) has recently released their album All Is One on Century Media, with tracks designed to make you consider what it is that separates you from your fellow human beings and why those differences ultimately don't matter. Host Mark Ashby spoke with Farhi about the band's stance on religion and politics, the concepts behind their albums, how Orphaned Land has become an underground code among fans, and the effort by those fans to nominate the band for the Nobel Peace Prize. Find them on the Internet at www.orphaned-land.com.

Featured tracks/excerpts:
"Ya Benaye"
"A Call to Awake"
"The Simple Man"
"Our Own Messiah"
"Fail"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Orphaned Land. Thanks for listening!

Originally 12 July 2013

When you hear the last name Collins in the context of progressive rock, the first name most will come up with is Phil. That could change very soon, as his singing-and-drumming son Simon is adding to his musical output of solo albums like U-Catastrophe with his new band project Sound of Contact. For the band's debut album Dimensionaut, Collins is joined by keyboardist Dave Kerzner and bassist/guitarist Matt Dorsey, as well as Kelly Nordstrom on guitar in the studio and drummer Ronen Gordon and guitarist Randy McStine in concert. Having wrapped a European tour with Spock's Beard and Beardfish in May, the band will embark on a North American set of shows they're dubbing Bring the Prog Back tour, joined by various support acts in different cities. Host Mark Ashby spoke with Collins and Kerzner about the BtPB tour, the influence of the likes of Carl Sagan on the concept of Dimensionaut, the support Collins' famous dad has provided over the years, and their approach to working with so many of progressive rock's royalty (hint: they're people just like us). Visit www.soundofcontact.com for news and tour/festival dates.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Cosmic Distance Ladder"
"Pale Blue Dot"
"Not Coming Down"
"Only Breathing Out"
"Möbius Slip: Part IV - All Worlds All Times"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia. Thanks for listening!

Originally posted 28 June 2013

It's not unprecedented for a band to break up in dramatic fashion, but events of the past couple of years have torn apart the fabric that has been woven by hard-rock heroes Queensrÿche. Having had their salad days with albums like Operation: Mindcrime and Empire, the band split last year with long-time vocalist Geoff Tate, and subsequently two versions of the group -- both carrying the Queensrÿche name -- have coalesced. Prior to a judge's decision in November as to which entity gets to conduct business under the band name, they're each releasing albums, the first of which was Frequency Unknown by Tate's group. Featuring several well-known guests, the album is being supported by a spring and summer tour through the US and Canada. During a break between concert stops, Tate phoned in to speak with host Mark Ashby about the new album and the band he's assembled, the legal issues he's embroiled in with his former bandmates, why he's not a media watcher, and how he sees the art of music as distinct from the business of music, plus much more, including his Insania wine label. Find them on the internet at www.queensryche.com.

Featured songs/excerpts:
"Running Backwards"
"Give It to You"
"Jet City Woman"
"Cold"
"In the Hands of God"
"Silent Lucidity"

"Like" Progtopia on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Progtopia) and follow Progtopia on Twitter (@Progtopia) to send a message about the show and to receive news about current and upcoming interviews. Please also visit our partner stations IAAM Radio at www.itsallaboutmusic.net and PRM Radio at www.progrockandmetal.net, where you can listen to and request songs hundreds of bands in the genre, including many featured on Progtopia like Queensrÿche. Thanks for listening!

Originally published 3 June 2013