Issue 2026-012
Clâm — Clâm
Jerry Kranitz
Clâm are the multinational quartet of German guitarist Sven Hollmann, German drummer Björn Giebler, American vocalist Michelle Blythe, and English bassist Eddie Blythe. This is their self-titled debut album.
The promo sheet describes the music as fusing "psychedelic, ambient, space/slack and fuzz rock with a light sprinkling of disco into a unique heavy psych sound." Sven explains that he and Björn had been long time friends who began with song-based music before "pushing the material into a more experimental and krautrock-influenced direction." With the addition of Michelle and Eddie the music again became more song-oriented while attempting to retain the spirit of improvisation, and many of the songs developed from what started as jams.
We've got six songs in a relatively short 33 minutes. Levee Lament opens the set with a dreamy psychedelic flow and Michelle's soulfully hypnotic vocals. I like how the psychedelic soothe is punctuated by aggressively fuzzed passages, which are matched by Michelle amping up the vocal potency. It's a seamless back and forth that makes for a nice balance of aggression and drift, though in the last minutes the band launch into a melodic yet acid rocking dirge that brings the song to a close. It definitely strikes that improv vs. structured song balance Sven described.
Outside is a little different. It's still psychedelic, with a bouncy rocking groove, but has a more accessibly mainstream feel during the "song" portion, while veering into an exploratory instrumental passage. Here And Now is more like Levee Lament, alternating between dreamier melodic and easy-paced yet potently fuzzed segments. And in the last minute it launches into a heavy rock and rolling fuzz-drone finale. Home is a psychedelic soul song with a gyrating groove, plenty of fuzz guitar with tasty solo bits, and includes some of the best instrumental fills of the set. Borrowed is different, with acoustic guitar and funky, tribally danceable percussion. And I like the fuzzed and screechy angst guitar on the dreamily acidic Lovely Time.
In summary, Clâm are accessible enough to border on mainstream appeal. But the songs are psychedelically solid, are balanced with instrumental passages that add variety and a freeform feel, and would appeal to psych fans who appreciate a good song. The more I hear Michelle's vocals the more I like her singing style. Soulful, sort of but not quite bluesy, and with a somewhat shaman-like chant and even whispery quality.
Dream Theater — Quarantième: Live à Paris
Calum Gibson
Ah, Dream Theater, what can be said about you that hasn't already? For those who don't know, they formed back in 1985 under the name Majesty by guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy. James LaBrie joined on vocals for in 1991 in time for the second album Images And Words, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess in 1999. This makes up the current line up for the group (after Portnoy left in 2010 and rejoined in 2023). Now, they have dropped their latest live album (their 10th) — Quarantième: Live à Paris, which was recorded during the tour celebrating 40 years of the band.
Having been a long-time fan, and a frequent attendee of their live shows, I have a good idea of what to expect. Indeed, any fan of the group probably knows what to expect (except maybe the setlist) in terms of sound and quality of music. As standard for one of their gigs, it is split into two acts with an encore and nearly three hours in length.
The band sound tight, clear and musically on target. The production is superb and everything can be heard beautifully. Portnoy appears full of energy and glad to be back, and Rudess is leaning heavily into his wizard persona with his new glasses.
One amusing thing I find with these folks live is that LaBrie is the weak link. Ever since a very serious case of food poisoning damaged his vocal cords back in 1994, his live voice has been hit or miss. In the studio he can be superb, and his voice is integral to their sound as well, and when it is right live it is great. Thankfully the sheer quality of musicianship and number of face melting solos (from every member of the band) is enough to make up for this.
The set list tries to cover their entire career, but some albums do sadly get missed out. Their latest one for example only has the lead single appear, and only two tracks (This is the Life and Barstool Warrior) showcasing the years without Portnoy. However, it still is a superb collection of songs covering 10 of their 16 albums.
An interesting note is the version of Hollow Years they play is actually the demo version, rather than the album version, and the Orchestral Overture is an instrumental piece featuring music from each album, rearranged into a 5-minute overture.
Truth be told, there is little else that can be said about it that hasn't been said about any of their previous releases. The music is incredible and the sound quality is superb. The songs are fantastic crowd pleasers and despite not exactly being energetic on stage (aside from LaBrie running about), the band have a fantastic presence and energy on stage. For someone who hasn't experienced them live, this would be a good starting point (probably followed by Breaking The Fourth Wall or Live At The Budokan), but for long time fans it will be one more for completion's sake simply because it is their tenth live album (although still very good).
Flame Dream — Supervision
Jan Buddenberg
Following last year's releases of Elements and Out In The Dark, their fourth album Supervision marks the third official digital/CD release in Flame Dream's long-awaited series of reissues.
Recorded in a line-up consisting of Peter Wolf (vocals, flute, saxophones, percussion), Pit Furrer (drums, percussion), Urs Hochuli (bass, guitars, bass pedals), and composer Roland Ruckstuhl (piano, organ, keyboards, sequencer, vocoder), this was the reissue I was most looking forward to. After discovering Flame Dream through Travaganza in 1983, I quickly developed a soft spot for this wonderful album. But aside from a long-ago cassette transfer that became useless when I parted with my cassette player, it never found a permanent place in my collection.
Beautifully packaged with a reproduction of the original album cover and a booklet with photos and lyrics (all written by Wolf, in keeping with the zeitgeist) that differs slightly in style from previous reissues, it is now an asset that feels like a gift from prog heaven.
As outlined in the oeuvre overview preceding the 2024 review of Silent Transition, this album signalled the band's progress towards a more direct and less complex, synth-pop prog style, at the expense of fusion aspects that characterised earlier albums. General interest in Flame Dream's music from early enthusiasts gradually diminished because of this. Exploring the music in opposite direction at the time myself, this actually suited me just fine. To this day it still does!
Opener Blackmail showcases Flame Dream's newly chosen direction in the 80s. Synth-driven, funky bass, animated rhythmic textures, and playful arrangements captured with clear instrumental distinction. The song represents what I personally most associate with Flame Dream. The vocoder vocals, Wolf's distinctive voice, the bass-driven melodies, and Ruckstuhl's richly varied keyboard playing all evokes memories of Anyone's Daughter, Eloy, and UK.
The short instrumental Dancing Into Daylight follows with cheerful synth melodies and acoustic arrangements that shine bright with 70s Neuschwanstein, which others will likely link to Genesis. The ominously compelling Supervision revisits the exciting UK-influenced sound with tight drum patterns, expressive vocals, unique saxophone elements, and bass-driven melodic complexities highlighted by virtuoso synth.
The sorrowful Signs Of Solitude, which unfolds in a sensitive neo-progressive style with a prime IQ appeal, surpasses this lavish UK-influenced many times over. Especially when during the song's second half, Ruckstuhl arrests the melodies as if his life depends on it. It meticulously builds towards a delicious melodic high point that brings out Anyone's Daughter again. This song is among my favourites on the album. As is the prophetic Time For A Change. Catchy and fast-tracked with driving bass and synths are recalling early Saga. This song always sees me smile from ear to ear when Ruckstuhl goes all out with beautiful organ and synth solos, while the tight operating rhythmic unity of Furrer and Hochuli propels the wonderfully dynamic melodies.
The swaying ballad Tragedy adds a subtle melancholic sad note shaped by restrained performances and strong vocals by Wolf. His voice is reminiscent of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel and in combination with Hochuli's finalising guitar melodies bring Genesis to mind. Woman's Art? adds a graceful consort of sensitive performances and romantic piano parts that drag on towards a satisfying unravelling of melodies embellished with a surprise lyrical twist.
The album concludes with Paradise Lost. It has been promoted from a trilogy on the original album to a thoughtful narrative that according to the booklet now consists of six seamlessly connected parts. Its storyline starts dreamily in Arrive and carries on in The Attack. A wonderful bombardment of groovy complexities which, with everybody's instrumental skill on full display. It brings UK, Genesis and Gentle Giant to mind all once. The Voice of Evil then gives short outing of Flame Dream's divine sense of harmonious fusion play before Reprise revisits themes. UK-influenced melodies segue into the upbeat pop melodies of The Inevitable Loss. Finale closes the captivatingly crafted track on a heavenly high with beautiful symphonies and enchanting melancholy, reminiscent of late 70s Omega. Rich in arrangements, musicianship, interpretations and melody, I find Paradise Lost to be a real winner and one of the most rewarding epics to be recorded by Flame Dream so far.
While awaiting their latest announced reissue, their debut Calatea (released in 1979, and not in 1978 as many sources state), I noticed that the four independent releases' catalogue numbers carry the numbers 2, 3, 4, and 7. Although not confirmed, this suggests that both album no. 5 (Travaganza) and the even more pop-oriented no. 6 (8 On 6) will also be reissued. I hope so with all my heart, especially from a completist point of view, although I realise that prog enthusiasts might feel differently. The excellent Supervision, on the other hand, still comes highly recommended for symphonic prog lovers who cherish the innovative eclectic sounds of the 80s. Duly noted.
The One — Lighter Than Air
Greg Cummins
The One is yet another new band that I had never heard before but have apparently been around since 2022 as far as I'm aware, although some members have been at their musical craft for decades. The band consists of Max Gilkes (vocals), Ron Moser (keyboards), Edwin in 't Veld (electric & acoustic guitars), Frank "Fish" Ayres (slide guitars & spoken word), Nick McQuire (bass), Timothy van der Holst (drums, production).
If you're still mourning the 1970s or wondering why modern music lacks the audacity to include a synth solo, stop what you're doing. The One has dropped Lighter Than Air and it's the best thing to happen to my CD player since I figured out how to clean the laser with a Q-tip.
This album is a gorgeous, Anglo-Dutch collision of "I can't believe it's not 1975" and actually, this feels remarkably fresh. It's progressive rock with some neo-prog and a dollop of metal that manages to be complex without making you feel like you need a PhD in music theory just to tap your foot. It's not a ground-breaking or different album per se but what is these days? Sure, there is no really innovative or mind-blowing departure from what already exists today, but it's just so well done and instantly enjoyable. Songs range in length from 3 to 5 minutes and manage to envelop the listener with plenty of catchy hooks and variety to please just about all tastes.
The Wolf is a track that doesn't just start; it stalks. It's got a greasy, driving pulse and a guitar solo so slick it should come with a cautionary, "danger ahead" sign. The vocals are theatrical in that delicious, slightly unhinged way that makes you want to howl along—which I did, much to my neighbour's concern. Juno is where the band goes full Empire Strikes Back. It's a slightly bombastic affair, featuring some great keys and organ that sounds fully authentic. The bassline is thick enough to stop a charging rhino and sounds impressive if played loud on a set of quality speakers.
South of Cookham Wood is the perfect palate cleanser. It's very "British countryside in the autumn"-pastoral, fluttery flutes, and piano glitter. It's the kind of song that makes you want to buy a tweed jacket and wander through a meadow looking for a portal to another dimension. I'll Be Gone reminded me of some of the bouncier music from Be Bop Deluxe while the closing song The Beautiful Lie has some seriously good lead guitar along with a very catchy chorus.
If your record collection is a shrine to Genesis, Pendragon or the Clutching at Straws era of Marillion, you're going to treat this CD like a holy relic. It's for the person who likes their melodies soaring, their rhythms adventurous and their synthesizers strictly analogue. Other similar bands include Saga, Magnum, Kayak, Galahad, Leap Day, High Wheel, Like Wendy, Jadis, Lands End, Mindgames, IQ, and a lighter version of Arena.
Basically, if you enjoy music that tells a story and doesn't mind taking a scenic route to get to the chorus, The One is your new favorite band. It's ambitious, it's melodic, and despite the title, it carries some serious musical weight.
Perevod — The Kingdom of Forgotten Whales
Jerry van Kooten
Perevod is Oleksii Perevodchyk, an artist from Ukraine who has been releasing music under that name since 2019. He is also part of the band Obiymy Doschu. Oleksii is mostly a solo artist, playing drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. The Kingdom Of Forgotten Whales was released late last year, and it's an impressive piece of work in several ways.
The instruments he plays sound like he actually played them, no drum computers or AI. It tells a story of three young whales — part children's story, part fantasy / science-fiction, and with subtle deeper meanings. Oleksii wrote the concept, but Tetyana Perevodchyk (related?) wrote the story and text. Kyrylo Cherkashyn provides saxophone and flute in a few places.
There is a narrator and five characters. I was never a fan of narrated parts but although there is enough text to tell the story, I found it in no way to interfere with the experience. Most voices are over the music, there are no long silences. The voices and music are placed well on quieter but still very present parts of the music.
The album has been released in English and Ukranian. The music is exactly the same, and also the credits are the same for both. So all voices were recorded twice. Hearing the voices, everyone played the same characters. There are accents on all voices, as expected, but nothing distracting. With the narrator's English having the clearest accent, it might be hard for some people to listen to. I didn't care for that, I was slowly getting into listening to a narrated story.
I did wonder whether it would be interesting to hear an instrumental version. Not because of the accents (we've all been listening to Eloy since the 1970s!) but because I am pretty sure the music can stand on its own as well.
Musically, as that is what readers are interested in, this is pure prog laced with influences from several places. A sense of 1980s neo-prog in the synths section, as well as a modern approach that comes more to life in the guitar playing.
It's a bit silly to try and capture everything in a single paragraph since there is quite a lot. Opener Hide And Seek is partly a fierce progressive track with wonderful melodic guitar play that will bring a smile to Porcupine Tree fans. The excellent City In The Clouds shows a nice groove with proto-prog organ play, and a saxophone solo alternating with the guitar. The Remembering goes from contemplative light to intense and heavy.
The compositions range from atmospheric to melodic rock to near fusion. Longer sections to build up atmosphere, synths and guitar solos, the saxophone. Oleksii knows how to play and is excellent on both guitar and keyboards, and you will hear both a lot. Melodies are very important, while there's a lot of proggy riffing involved as well.
Every minute is exciting. While it could have been dragged along to 60 or 70 minutes, I think the 45 minutes are just perfect. I am pretty sure Oleksii was aware of this when he wrote the album.
Overall, the relative heavy complexity reigns, but brought with a sense of emotion so that never gets cold, and alternated with quieter parts. The recording quality and mix are excellent. Unless you would be unsettled by spoken voices during your music, I would recommend fans of modern prog to have a listen.
Next to the separate tracks as listed above, both versions also contain a single 45-minute track. After listening to the English version and reading the story while doing so, I found myself enjoying the Ukranian version very much as well. I don't speak the language at all, so it made me feel submerged into the whole experience. And what a lovely experience it was!
Realisea — Scratch
Theo Verstrael
Realisea started as a soloproject of Brian de Graeve (Silhouette) back in 2020 with the release of the fine Mantelpeace. Its follow-up Fairly Carefree came just two years after the debut and showed that the project had evolved into a real band. Prog-icon Ton Scherpenzeel (Kayak, Camel) guested on that album on which two epics clearly showed their confidence in the project. They took the band to the road and played gigs in The Netherlands and abroad. Now there is this third release entitled Scratch on which further changes have been realised, significantly affecting the band's musical style and the overall feeling of the new music. So what has happened?
Realisea's line-up is again considerably different with another bass player (Patrick Verheij replacing Mark op ten Berg) and the addition of second guitarist Jos de Jong, making Realisea a seven-piece band. De Graeve (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards), his wife Marjolein (vocals, flute), Rindert Bul (guitars), Christophe Rapenne (keyboards) and Jos Uffing (drums, vocals) have stayed on. Tamara van Koetsveld, who also contributed on the first two albums, plays clarinet on two songs as well as backing vocals on The Sixth Pamphlet together with Maurice Vliege. No other guest musicians are featured. Most of the album's eight songs are sung by De Graeve with background vocals by Marjolein. Uffing takes the lead vocals in Today's Cloud and Marjolein doing the lead vocals in Follow Me Home. Her role as vocalist has become considerably smaller compared to the former two albums.
In the notes accompanying the files the band states that their sound has become "... richer, more layered, more confident ..." and that this album offers "... more mature and powerful melodic progressive rock compositions ...". There's no question that the sound is indeed more powerful, especially when both electric guitars in the band burst out in several very attractive dual solos. On the other hand, some very fine characteristics of the first two albums have disappeared, such as the use of harp, oboe and violin, the epic lengths of some tracks as well as the musical input of Silhouette co-founder Erik Laan. The booklet mentions Laan's involvement as facilitator of the bands practice room so there is obviously still contact.
Things start off in an excellent way. Longest track Living The Dream offers everything a prog-lover can wish for. A quiet intro on acoustic guitar backed by strings, an instantly attractive vocal line, fine harmony vocals by Brian and Marjolein, several surprising musical breaks and numerous heavenly guitar outbursts. Unfortunately, the next two tracks follow quite a different path. They sound more or less like standard pop songs, be it very well played and with again very fine guitar solos. Gone are the breaks and the extended instrumental parts, instead the listener hears songs that follow the usual verse-chorus-verse path. Both are quite nice to listen to, but they don't really surprise like the opening song.
Today's Cloud is a slow ballad well sung by drummer Jos Uffing with harmony vocals by Brian and Marjolein and lush and beautiful keyboards backing the vocals. After one-and-half minute the electric guitar joins in, anticipating another outburst. That doesn't happen though for the song goes on quietly only to burst out completely after the three-minute mark. It is a shame that this guitar solo was cut off after nearly five minutes, a couple of more minutes would have been more than deserved. It is a song that slowly crept under my skin, evolving from a rather unnoticed one to the highlight of the album. Especially the flute-like sound of the keyboards is very appealing.
In The Sixth Pamphlet, the band returns to prog heaven with a very good vocal melody, almost a cappella choruses, beautiful keyboards that subtly change the key of the song and several extensive double guitar solos. It is another highlight of the album because of the numerous things that happen in the song. Keys also dominate the first part of Never Feel This Way Again but the chorus convinces less here as it is quite repetitive. The piano bridge between the chorus and the guitar solo is excellent, as is the very romantic middle section with soft electric guitar, keys and the high-pitched voice of De Graeve. That this quiet section evolves into another guitar outburst is almost as expected but nonetheless heavenly.
Follow Me Home is lyrically quite repetitive again and musically in the same vein as Eternal Sleep, a rather straight-forward yet quite attractive song. In closer The Great Ricochet, the full band fires on all cylinders during the first minutes with some menacing keys, fast drumming, some heavy riffing and soloing, but things become quieter quickly with the start of the mellow chorus. The song keeps that mellowness and that works fine, yet it also makes that the album just slowly fades out. A heavier, more intense musical end might have worked better.
Most lyrics refer to mankind's stupidity towards the environment. The demise of nature, climate change, ongoing pollution, the indifference towards those who need our attention and care, it is all there. Remarkably, the music is far from sombre or depressive which hopefully helps to get the messages across. Never Feel This Way Again is the characteristic love song, a recurring element in Realisea's musical output. The song forms a fitting counterpart for the menacing dangers described in the rest of the lyrics. The band's darkest thoughts are expressed in the closing song which may be a far from uplifting end of the album but sadly their message is highly understandable and to the point.
The covers and booklets of Realisea's albums are very well-designed and this album is no exception. Artist Antonio Seljas was clearly inspired by the rather dark lyrics and used dark colours reflecting the serious issues the songs deal with. The pink and blue colours are gone, brownish, greyish and blackish colour dominate the booklet. Quite sombre but beautifully done.
Surprisingly, the album took me more spins to get into the music than its two predecessors. I had hoped that this third album would have fitted perfectly in an ongoing rising musical development but unfortunately it didn't fully fulfill my expectations. This is a good album by a very fine band sharing their deep concerns about how we humans treat the earth but the music lacks much of the variation that characterised their first two albums. I especially missed the melancholy of the flute, oboe and violin and the complexity of real epics. The eight songs are enjoyable, especially the longer ones will appeal to neo-prog lovers who like excellent guitar work, but I had hoped for more musical surprises. For me this album is therefore a stand-still in the development of Realisea's music. Nevertheless, it is far better than average and it offers ample opportunities for further development.