Sonic Perspectives

Joel Hoekstra does know how to keep himself busy. Aside from being one of David Coverdale’s gunslingers in Whitesnake, he has done tours with Cher and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In 2015 he created a solo project entitled Joel Hoekstra’s 13, and released the debut album “Dying to Live”. February 12th sees the release of the band’s [...] The post JOEL HOEKSTRA Reflects on Upcoming JOEL HOEKSTRA&#8217...

Accept are back with another killer record, the aptly titled “Too Mean to Die”. Since their reformation in 2010, now with Mark Tornillo on vocals, they have experienced quite a resurgence, with a string of very successful albums, beginning with 2010’s “Blood of the Nations”. “Too Mean to Die” follows the same tradition of their [...] The post ACCEPT’s WOLF HOFFM...

Throughout its almost forty years of existence, change has been the only constant in VOIVOD’s trajectory. From their punk beginnings, evolving into thrash, incorporating prog influences, odd time signatures and melodic sensibilities, they seem to be always on the move. The release of 2018’s “The Wake” finally brought them much deserved recognition, with the band [...] The post VO...

Much has been written about the impact 2020 will have in both the near and distant future, and live music fans have certainly felt its sting since March at least. We’ll leave more cerebral analysis to the experts and instead cap off a grueling year with an hour of thoughts and observations from Sonic Perspectives [...] The post Armageddon in Retrospect: SONIC PERSPECTIVES Looks Back at 2020...

The casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Vikram Shankar‘s recent rise to prominence in the prog-metal scene happened overnight. He did, after all, recently appear on Redemption‘s long-awaited live album, which documents his live debut with the band. And very soon after that, he’s also released the debut from the absolutely [...] The p...

IRON MAIDEN… Arguably the most seminal heavy metal band in the annals of music history. The solely mention of its name strikes joy in the hearts of millions of metal fans, and immediately your mind takes you back to one of their gigs, with of giants columns of pyro, Spitfire planes flying overhead the frenzy [...] The post IRON MAIDEN’s Guitarist ADRIAN SMITH Discusses Recent Book and...

Whenever a metal band chooses to go off the beaten path, it always causes polarizing views: old school fans refuse to embrace it, while a younger generation is quicker to give it a chance. From a combination of the powers of Frédéric Leclercq (Kreator, Sinsaenum, ex-Dragonforce) and Saki (Mary’s Blood) comes Amahiru, a band that [...] The post KREATOR’s Bassist FRÉDÉRIC LECLERCQ Talks His Ne...

Guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and producer Jakko Jaksyzk has experienced an amazing career which has culminated this past decade in his joining King Crimson. Filling the shoes of such legends as Greg Lake, John Wetton and Adrian Belew is not for the faint of heart but Jaksyzk has the talent and experience to be able to [...] The post KING CRIMSON Guitarist JAKKO JAKSZYK Talks “Secrets and Lies”...

Throughout his lengthy career as a multi-platinum mixer, sound engineer and producer, Richard Chycki has helped to materialize the sonic visions of artists such as Rush, Dream Theater, Mick Jagger, Aerosmith, Jeff Healey and many more. Known for his pioneering mix work in multichannel audio, prog legends Rush entrusted Chycki to remix the multi-million selling [...] The post RUSH and DREAM THEATER...

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons are back with another killer release, the boldly titled “We’re the Bastards”. What started as an excuse for Phil to play with his sons soon evolved into its own entity, and the band has moved from playing a set of covers in the afternoon slots at European summers to [...] The post Singer NEIL STARR of PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS Reflects...

There are many album widely considered like masterpieces of progressive rock, however you may not know that “Unfolded Like Staircase” by DISCIPLINE. is world renowned with a cult following since its release in 1997.    DISCIPLINE. formed in 1987 in Detroit Michigan, a far cry from progressive rock music.  The band had been writing progressive rock [...] The post MAT...

From hard rock, to heavy metal, punk, progressive rock and AOR, Jeff Scott Soto has done it all. The singer, who has more than 85 albums under his belt along with numerous collaborations and recordings, has established himself as a consummate professional who manages to expertly deliver with his vocal performances across multiple musical genres. Soto’s [...] The post Iconic Singer JEFF SCOTT...

“The demos were so exact that we all knew exactly what we needed to do,” says longtime Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder from his flat in Madrid. “I usually record with either Bobby or Joey, but this time I was living in a police state.” Alder speaks at length about the unorthodox process by which [...] The post FATES WARNING Singer RAY ALDER Talks New Album: “The Demo...

Every once in a while a band emerges seemingly out of nowhere and provides a debut album that surprises you with depth, skill and musical landscapes filled with imagery. Such is the new band RUBBER TEA hailing from Bremen Germany having just released their album RUBBER TEA. RUBBER TEA is a progressive rock quintet who [...] The post German Proggers RUBBER TEA Talk About Their Excellent Debut Album...

Amidst a sea of cancellations and delays in both shows and album releases, most artists have hunkered down to wait out the storm that 2020 became. Yet true to a reputation for embracing the unorthodox and conquering the nigh impossible, the eponymous Devin Townsend has spend these last six months busier than ever. Over the [...] The post DEVIN TOWNSEND on Upcoming “Empath” Live Album a...

With their 40th anniversary just around the corner, Armored Saint is ready to unleash their eight full-length album, entitled “Punching the Sky”. Written and recorded in the last two years, it’ definitely a step up from its predecessor, 2015’s “Win Hands Down”. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it’s everything the band’s faithful have come to expect [...]...

With 2020 being an absolutely devastating year for live concert shows, we’re happy to say the good folks over at ProgStock Festival are doing their best to keep the live music happening. ProgStock Festival is American Northeast only progressive rock music festival, especially now that RosFest has moved down to Florida. They’ve been keeping the [...] The post TALKING PERSPECTIVES: PROGS...

There are few mainstays in the world of extreme metal who have been as consistent in their quantity and quality of releases, yet as varied in style, as Norwegian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ishahn. Though Ihsahn may be best known for his role in founding Emperor and for the legacy he built as a cornerstone to [...] The post IHSAHN Speaks To Style Contrast Between EPs “Telemark” and “Pharos”...

In 2017 Ayreon released ‘The Source” which revisited the ‘Forever/Planet Y’ saga, and now three years later it is time for something completely different… “The year is 1884, these are dark, troubled times, fraught with greed, envy and prejudice…” begins our narrator and storyteller, Tom Baker… The brand-new sprawling and epic studio album “Transitus” is built [...] The post...

Music has become more important than ever in recent times. As a result, the triumphant return of AMARANTHE feels particularly timely. The Swedish six-piece have spent the last decade establishing themselves as a formidable, positive and fervently melodic force for metallic good. From their explosive self-titled debut in 2011 to the more sophisticated, streamlined likes [...] The post AMARANTHE&#82...

If you’re a prog metal fan and haven’t been living under a rock for the last few months, you know that Dream Theater’s John Petrucci has a new album out. Available on all digital platforms since August 28th, “Terminal Velocity” comes fifteen years after John’s first album, “Suspended Animation”, and consists of eight tracks which [...] The post DREAM THEATER’s guitarist JOHN PETRUCCI talks w...

“Whoosh!” is Deep Purple’s twenty first solo album, and judging by the energy it exudes, there’s no end in sight for these British rockers. Their third collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin honors their lengthy history, and broadens their musical palette, with songs like “Man Alive”, “Throw My Bones” and “Nothing At All” being added to [...] The post STEVE MORSE Talks DEEP PURPLE Recent Album and...

The multi-talented Snowy Shaw has been called a “worldwide underground superstar.” After more than 30 years of touring the world, he has earned himself a rock-solid reputation as one of the most hard-working, multifaceted “art-ist” with loads of groundbreaking creativity and integrity. In 2018, his highly acclaimed solo debut “White Is The New Black” received [....

In 2013 a brand-new progressive rock band named Sound of Contact released the fastest selling debut album ever on the Inside Out Music label: “Dimensionaut”. Their lead singer and drummer, Simon Collins, had a familiar surname to fans of prog-rock and they soon came to discover that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. [...] The post SIMON COLLINS Talks New Album “Becoming Human”...

The Ocean, the progressive and post-metal band, is set to release their new album “Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic” on September 25th through Metal Balde Records (CD / digital) and the band´s Pelagic Records (vinyl). Such album will conclude the Phanerozoic journey initiated by the band’s previous record, with a bolder, more experimental, darker, and mo...