Rush's 20th album consist of the now well known melodic progressive driving rocksongs that has been their trade mark for almost 40 years! The album feels alive and delivers, as usual, good songs. The only thing I can complain about is that they are a bit too similiar to eachother and has approxematly the same length. 

The album went straight into nr.1 on the Canadian charts and to nr.2 on the Billboard 200 chart and also won the Rock album of the year in the 2013 Juno awards. 

1)Caravan (7,5)

2)BU2B (8,0)

3)Clockwork angels (7,5)

4)The anarchist (8,5)

5)Carnies (8,0)

6)Halo effect (7,5)

7)Seven cities of gold (8,5)

8)The wreckers (7,0)

9)Headlong flight (9,0)

10)BU2B 2 (-)

11)Wish them well (7,5)

12)The garden (7,0)

Score: 7,82

Geddy Lee-vocals, bass and synthesizer (b.1953)

Alex Lifeson (Alexandar Zivojinovich)-guitars and keyboards (b.1953)

Neil Peart-drums (b.1952)

2nd album from progressive rock-"supergroup" Transatlantic with members from Marillion, Dream Theater, The Flower Kings and Spock's Beard. Later in 2001 the band went on an European tour and featuring a 5th member; Pain Of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlöw who played guitars, keyboards, percussion and also did vocals. The album reached nr. 56 in Germany and nr. 98 in France.

This album is not as good as their first even if there are some good parts and good playing. Unfortunately it gets too poppy and melodic here and there. I want more power!

)Duel with the devil (7,5) 27-minute progressive song that begins with a 5-minute instrumental part. Heavy and cool instrumental parts and melodic vocals.

2)Suite Charlotte pike (6,5) 14-minute mix of 60's-80's style soulful pop-rock.

3)Bridge across forever (7,5) Wonderful vocal-piano ballad.

4)Stranger in your soul (8,0) 30-minute quite good first half but like all Transatlantic songs they get too cheesy and melodic.

Score: 7,38

Neal Morse-vocals, guitars, piano, synthesizers and organ (b.1960)

Roine Stolt-guitars, keyboards, percussion and mellotron (b.1956)

Pete Trewavas-bass (b.1959)

Mike Portnoy-drums (b.1967)

This is the debut album from, in Sweden, very wellknown guitarrist Janne Schaffer. He was 28 when this album was released and features some also wellknown artists like Björn J:son Lindh and Ola Brunkert. The music is mostly instrumental and a lot of funk can be heard, mixed with rock, folk and jazz. Here and there it sounds like pornmusic but it's a rather okey album even though there ain't much vocals on it. The 8-minute "Jordbruksmaskinen" ("Harvest machine") is a progressive killer-song.

This album started a long career leading to playing with ABBA, Toto, Bob Marley, Ted Gärdestad and many many other swedish artists. He plays a Larrivée guitar but on this album it's a Gibson Les Paul. 

Drummer Ola Brunkert also played with ABBA (on all their albums) and recorded for many many other artists. He died in 2008 after a fall, 62 years old. Pianist Björn J:son Lindh is one of sweden's most known compositiors, he died of a tomour in 2013, 69 years old. Percussionist Jan Tolf died in 2005, 56 years of age.

1)Halkans affär (6,5)

2)No registration (7,0)

3)Kulan (5,0)

4)Titus (4,5)

5)Jordbruksmaskinen (8,0)

6)Daniel sover (-)

7)Did you ever love a woman (B.B. King) (6,0)

8)Fillins mignon (6,0)

9)Vindarnas madrass (7,0)

Score: 6,25

Janne Schaffer-guitars (b.1945)

Bengt Karlsson-guitar

Stefan Brolund-bass (b.1947)

Ola Brunkert-drums (1946-2008)

Björn J:son Lindh-piano and flute (1944-2013)

Sven Larsson-trombone

Håkan Nyqvist-trumpet

Slim Notini-vocals and piano

Jan Tolf-percussion and congas (1949-2005)

Malando Gassanna-congas

Jan Bandel-vibrafon and tabla (b.1944)

The history of one of my all time favorite bands Scorpions begins as early as 1965! Rudolf Schenker played guitar and also sang on the beatinfluenced music they played in the first years. In 1970 Rudolf's younger brother Michael and vocalist Klaus Meine joined the band leading to "Lonesome Crow" being released in 1972 followed by a tour where they supported UFO. During the tour Michael accepted an offer to join UFO instead and Scorpions called in Uli Roth to take over Michael's parts. The band split up and later Rudolf joined Uli Roth's band Dawn Road, a band that took the name Scorpions since the name was already known in Germany.

This album is really only psychadelia and progressive heavy rock popular at the time, not much of the later hardrock that they would develop to play later on. But I really like this album, I love progressive rock and hardrock and these songs are among the better albums of the kind from that area, that's for sure. It's heavy, have some nice playing, good production and great vocals along with interesting music.

1)I'm going mad (7,5) Psychadelic mexican rhythms with talked vocals. Unique!

2)It all depends (8,5) Very cool bass- and drumdriven song with some crazy guitarwork. Reminds of "Electric Funeral" by Black Sabbath.

3)Leave me (7,5) Spacy psychadelic and calm, sounds like pornomoviemusic interupted by nice inferno at the end.

4)In search of the piece of mind (6,0) It doesn't get much more psychadelic than this! Charming crazyness and sometimes melodic.

5)Inheritance (7,5) Smooth and gentle.

6)Action (7,0)

7)Lonesome crow (9,0) A truly remarkable progclassic! It has all the elements of a good progger; 13 minutes long, variated themes, up-tempo and slow, good guitarplaying, spacy and crazy but all the time with the melody present.

Score: 7,57

Klaus Meine-vocals (b.1948)

Michael Schenker-guitars (b.1955)

Rudolf Schenker-guitars (b.1948)

Lothar Heimberg-bass

Wolfgang Dziony-drums

This is the 1st album by supergroup Transatlantic consisting of ex Spock's Beard singer Neil Morse, The Flower Kings guitarist Roine Stolt, Marillion bassist Pete Trewavas and ex Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. They formed as a sideproject in 1999.

The music on this disc consists of only 5 songs with the first clocking in at 31 minutes! I really like the variation, song quality and also heaviness on the album. It has a good sound and production and there's always something happening in the songs but it's also kept together in a professional way. Well, these guys are no beginners! A great album!

Swede Roine Stolt has recorded with the band Kaipa in the 1970's and The Tangent in the 2000's and also appears on other band's albums as well as some soloalbums in he's own name. American Mike Portnoy had prior to this album played with both Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment.

1)All of the above (8,5) 31 minutes of good progressive rock!

2)We all need some light (9,0) Fantastic ballad!

3)Mystery train (8,5) Strange but very good heavy rocker.

4)My new world (7,5) 16 minute jazzy prog.

5)In held ('twas) in I (7,5) A 1968 Procul Harum-cover.

Score: 8,20

Neil Morse-vocals, guitars and keyboards (b.1960)

Roine Stolt-vocals and guitars (b.1956)

Pete Trewavas-vocals and bass (b.1959)

Mike Portnoy-drums (b.1967)

An alternative american band led by former 16 Horsepower lead singer David Eugene Edwards, who plays most of the instruments himself. The band that lies nearest to this music is certanly Tool. The sound is very mystic and dark but is also very inspried by folk music, I can hear some scandinavian folk inspiration here and there and the progressivity is always close to hand. Unfortunately it's an very uneven album, with some good songs and some that don't shine very much. It gets too mellow and dark. NOT an party album but music to enjoy in the darkness and LISTEN to. Some would say that it is very strange music, maybe it is.

1)Breaking bull (-)

2)Winter shaker (8,0)

3)Swedish purse (6,5)

4)Twig (3,5)

5)Whistling girl (8,0)

6)Elktooth (5,5)

7)Bible and bird (5,0)

8)Dirty blue (7,0)

9)Slota prow-full armour (6,5)

10)Truly golden (8,0)

11)Deerskin doll (7,0)

12)Little raven (1,5)

Score: 6,05

David Eugene Edwards-vocals, guitars and bass
Ordy Garrison-drums

Daniel McMahon-piano

Elin Palmer-strings

Another release by British proggers Gentle Giant, this time with a concept made out of interviews the band had been in during the years. Questions from interviewer can be heard here and there on the album. And, yes, this is not music for the masses or hit lists, not even in the 70's! It's jazzy progressive rock with complex vocal arrangements and music with very weird and strange twists. At this time Gentle Giant toured with Sha Na Na, Yes and Jethro Tull. Do I like this? Well, it's not easaly accessable music, sometimes it's just to strange and crazy but at other times I crank up the volume, such as in Another Show, I lost my head and Empty City, songs that are somewhat more towards "normal" rock.

1)Interview (6,5)

2)Give it back (6,5)

3)Design (5,0)

4)Another show (7,0)

5)Empty city (6,5)

6)Timing (6,0)

7)I lost my head (8,0)

Score: 6,50

Derek Schulman-vocals, bass, percussion and saxophone (b.1947)

Gary Green-guitars and percussion (b.1950)

Ray Schulman-guitars, bass, percussion, violin and trumpet (b.1949)

Kerry Minnear-keyboards, percussion and cello (b.1948)

John Weathers-drums and percussion (b.1947)

On this, Symphony X's 7th album they really got things together. From beeing a promising progressive metal band with something missing to be one of the leading ones in the genre I love so much. This is great stuff from beginning to end with their hard hitting bass and drum-section, super heavy guitar riffing, symphonic keyboards and variated songs with power and glory! Listen and enjoy some quality music!

1)Oculus ex inferri (-) Monster-intro!

2)Set the world on fire (8,5)

3)Domination (8,5)

4)Serpent's kiss (7,5)

5)Paradise lost (8,5)

6)Eve of seduction (8,0)

7)The walls of Babylon (9,0)

8)Seven (8,0)

9)The sacrifice (8,5)

10)Revelation (Divus pennae ex tragedia) (8,5)

Score: 8,33

Russel Allen-vocals (b.1971)

Michael Romeo-guitars (b.1968)

Michael Lepond-bass (b.1966)

Jason Rullo-drums (b.1972)

Michael Pinnella-keyboards (b.1969)