Biv's Prog-Metal Journey Pt. 2

Lost In Thought - Opus Arise (2011)

What's that you say? You never heard of them? Man, are you missing out! This band, out of England, features some of the best clean prog-metal vocals on the planet in Nate Loosemore. Add to that slamming riffs, contrasting beautiful keys and excellent drum-work and you'd swear this was a lost early Dream Theater record in the Awake era. Sadly, Nate is no longer with the band. But that won't keep me from picking up their new release, slated for sometime in 2018,


Theocracy - Mirror of Souls (2008)

I would argue there are no better opening three tracks on any progressive metal album better than "A Tower of Ashes", "On Eagles' Wings" and "Laying the Demon to Rest". Add to that a 22 minute epic track that ends the CD in the title track, along with other better-than-average tunes and you have a classic. And, if you are a believer, you can finally say there is a Christian prog-metal band that as good or better than any secular band. This album is a must-have in your collection!

Pyramaze - Contingent (2017)

In any other year, this would have been album of the year for me, but it was edged out by Threshold's "Legends of the Shires". Nevertheless, it is a well-written masterpiece that finds this band hitting on all cylinders. The theme of this CD focuses on man's potential demise, primarily from it's own greed. The tunes are well-crafted under the direction of keyboardist Jonah Weingarten and guitarist Jacob Hansen and Toke Skjonnemand. And Tarje Haroy kills it on vocals, especially with Aannynubis Gate's Henrik Fevre accompanying on vocal harmonies and arrangements.

vConception - Flow (1998)

In the mid to late 90's, when prog-metal was still in it's infancy, Conception was paving their own path, with Roy Khan at the helm, prior to his days with Kamelot. This would be his last recording with the band, but he made it count. With tracks like "Gethsemane", "Angel", and "Flow", this CD was years ahead of it's time. Unfortunately, this group would disband at its very peak.




Savatage - Wake of Magellan (1997)

Savatage has a long history, with the vast majority of it featuring quality releases, even with the passing of Chris Oliva and constant lineup changes. As they matured musically, they found themselves going from a power metal band (think Hall of the Mountain King) to this epic progressive-metal release. In  my opinion, this was, and still is, the greatest concept album of all-time. It's heavy at times, slows down at others, but the whole time is absolutely majestic, If you are a newer fan of the genre, this is something you should spin a few times.




BIV'S PROG-METAL JOURNEY PT. 3

BIV'S PROG-METAL JOURNEY PT. 1




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