The Aurora Project - Everon - Lunar - Pattern Seeking Animals - Jacob Roberge - Selvans

March already, so herewith some CD tips of the past weeks.

The Aurora Project - EVOS12

The Aurora project are bordering between heavy progressive rock and progmetal light. They are possibly the best band in the genre in The Netherlands. I saw them perform at ProgPower in 2005 and 2008, both times good enough to watch their full set.Later on I did see them once or twice in de Boerderij, but I only had one of their albums (Selling the Aggression). This album was presented live in Watering at WPC 21 February. That was for me the first time I heard the new album and first impressions were it is mainly a calm affair, but very well executed. Playing it a few times not much changed. This is a nice and calm album where mainly the good vocals and guitars stand out. Talking about guitars Remco is one of the two guitarists. Interesting that while the band played PPE twice, he is the only one attending every year in Baarlo. So my guess is that he is also responsibe for the more progmetal outbursts. After a nine year break, this is a welcome comeback, for those appreciating the calm and moody.

Everon - Shells

In the category surprising comebacks, this one was even bigger to me. 17 years after North these Germans return. For me even longer ago as my last Everon album was Flesh from 2002. Everon play in the same genre as TAP above and are Germany's best doing so. In the past I saw them at Progfarm 2000 and missed them at Progpower as they had to cancel due to illness. I also saw them later on in de Boerderij and they are one fine band. I bought this album out of curiosity and nostalgia in equal portions. Their sound did not change one notch. Maybe this is one of their calmer albums. Still it is filled with good songs. My only issue is that 70 minutes is a bit much. They could have skipped a new recording of the song Flesh for me. First as I already own it on the album Flesh and second these twelve minutes less would make this album more compact. Still a good comeback with even some growls light on the title track. Welcome back, now bring on that tour.

Lunar - Tempora Mutantur

Lunar's Illusionist was my favourite album of 2023. So when this new album was announced I knew I needed a hardcopy breaking all my rules of spending on postage, taxes and customs clearing. Well I can say this was worth every cent as again they released what shall turn out to be one of the best progmetal albums of the year. This one is going all over the place and I love their mix of many heavy bits with the progmetal. Opener A Summer To Forget starts quirky Haken alike until it becomes heavier and goes in more death metal directions. Hereafter we get the longest track Fall Back Into Old Habits, which starts off as tech death, Than halfway after an Opeth alike break it turns into heavy progmetal and ends with a few minutes instrumental. Classic written all over for me. Seasonal Interlude starts ballad alike but goes heavy and grunting within the five minutes too. The middle two songs might be most representative for the band with Weakening Winter Touch and Spring in My Step being both heavy progmetal songs. The last three songs form the title suite Tempora Mutantor. The three shortest songs on the album are a ballad, a return to progressive death metal and a closing progmetal epic even if under five minutes. Lunar confirm their status with me as one of the greatest new bands of the last years (this century). Mixing the heavy and beautiful resulting in yet another classic album I shall go back to often. With some guest roles by members of Wilderun and Calgula's Horse this band has ProgPower Europe written all over for me. Let's sse if that can become reality in 2026.

Pattern Seeking Animals - Friend of All Creatures

Back again to progressive rock with Pattern Seeking Animals.This offspin of Spock's Beard has been very productive over the past years. Debuting in 2019, this is already album number five. Main writer is John Boegehold who is the only one not been or currently still in Spock's Beard, even if he is involved with that band too. Patter Seeking Animals are more accessible and less freaky. Luckily they also have the mighty voice of Ted Leonard one of the more pleasant sounding vocalists in progrock. This album of 52 minutes holds four long tarcks (8:11-12:20) and three shorter ones around four minutes. I feel that the short songs make this album even stronger. Nothing overly complicated or pretentious, but all sounding very fine. This is music that offends noone, but still has enough to explore for those loving their progrock. Nice cover artwork too.

Jacob Roberge - The Passing

There is a buzz going round on the internet. Well on pages linked to progressive rock that is. A new hope for the future has been found and his praise is sung by many. So after seeing a review on Rhyme Signatures I listened to the closing epic and ordered the album immediately too. The man in person is 27 year old Jacob Roberge. Check out his interview on the Prog Corner together with amazing guitarist William. What these two put together is worth all the praise they are receiving and the epic is epic indeed. Lasting 32 minutes it opens with an overture in the vein of Dream Theater and Spocks Beard long songs, with thereafter a ride through progressive rock and progmetal bits and pieces all flowing fluently. That song alone is reason enough to buy this album. It is self released for now, but I guess very soon a label will pick him up. It is not every day that a young Canadian surprises the world of progressive rock. Well a Canadian is the least surprising bit as Canada does it once again. The first five songs are also very welcome with my favourite being Petrichor another song over ten minutes. This guy will become big in progland, so check him out now. My only comment could be on his name. Being  pronounced differently  in many countries maybe a bandname would have been smarter.

Selvans - Saturnalia

Closing today off with a dark piece of art from Italy. Selvans is nowadays a one man affair. This album is the last of a trilogy, but my first time encountering the band. Selvans is again for the open minded ones. His blackened Heavy Metal at times reminds me of Hellripper. But on the third song he is Italy's answer to Lacrimosa with his bombastic gothic rocksong. Bombastic might be coming from the 60 men orchestra joining on this album. Metal Archives describes this style as progressive black/heavy metal and if that opens your appetite you must definitely check out this album. All songs are sung in Italian and the truly wonderfull booklet holds the lyrics, so a free refreshening course of my never existing rusty Italian is included. The lyrics are about Italian folklore stories, but as I said rusty, so cannot confirm. Selvans released an EP in 2021 called Dark Italian Art. That is what they play too, so enjoy if you want to get in a holiday mood of the darker kind. Note to the Progspace: the winner of the 20025 poll for best artwork is herewith declared.

Saxon, Girlschool & Grand Slam - 013 Tilburg, 2 March 2025

Saxon touring 45 years Wheels of Steel was reason enough to attend. I missed the previous Saxon shows in Holland with Brian Tatler and wanted to see that too. After all Hell, Fire and Damnation is a very strong album. If you than add the fact that Grand Slam would open, a band I also always missed when in Holland and joining Ton to Tilburg was decided. If doubting it must have been by the tour of Unleash the Archers, Striker and Seven Kingdoms in closer to home Haarlem. Still Grand Slam and  Brian Tatler tipped the balance to Tilburg so 013 it was. What we as proper westerners did not realize when getting a ticket was that it is carnaval this weekend. So Tilburg is called Kruikenstad and orange/green is all around. For us it meant that we needed to park further away, but still not all that far from the venue.Walking around in Kruikenstad it was clear that you must have been born and raised in the south to appreciate the joy of carnaval. Well carnaval or not 013 was packed this Sunday evening and we were ready to rock

Opener of the evening were Grand Slam. The band formed by Phil .Lynott and Laurence Archer in the eighties. Now I am Holland's biggest Stampede fan, so I always followed Laurence Archer's ways as well. I only saw him live in Bristol with Lautrec and a guest appearance at Stampede. He is on the long list of overlooked guitar heroes with a style where melody beats shredding for shreddings sake.  If you than add the good voice of Mike Dyer plus a solid rhythm section with Benjy Reid on drums and Rocky Newton (remember him?) on bass and expectations were high. I had their debut album Hit The Ground, but not yet got their last year's album Wheel of Fortune. Well that got corrected fast after their set. Why? because Grand Slam surpassed my high expectations by a mile. What a fantastic show they gave us, even if they only got 30 minutes.Six songs of which half were covers everyone knows. Well covers, Laurence actually wrote Nineteen and Military Man. Closing with Whiskey in the Jar took me back a month when Renegade did the same. The good thing was that their own songs inbetween were just as good and Grand Slam catapulted straight to one of my favorite hardrock bands playing in good old fashioned style. If Ton and I regretted anything it must have been we only learned about their headline shows in The Netherlands 7 and 8 February after they took place already. Next time I won't miss that as I would love me some 90 minutes of Grand Slam live. I aslo shall pick up their T-shirt when they headline, as I doubt they shall charge 40 euros like tonight. Finally Laurence Archer proved once again he is topclass also when his flying V is white and not yellow.

So starting with a high, means extra pressure on second opener Girlschool. Now I saw Girlschool in Musicon with Alcatrazz not all that long ago and I never have been their biggest fan. So an uphill battle they could not win it was. It's Ok to hear songs like Demolition Boys or Emergency, but it was not sensational. I felt their music did not age that well. A result of touring with Alcatrazz was that Joe Stump played on a song and he appeared live for this song too Now where I said that Laurence Archer puts melody first, Mr Stump just went for fast shredding not hindered by the rest of the song it seemed.  Best song of the set was Bombers reminding us how Motorhead helped them in their early years.

And than it was Saxon time. The banner was a huge Hell, Fire and Damnation cover and that is how they opened. Hereafter we got possily the best Saxon setlist I ever witnessed. Also the band was in topform and Biff's vocals were amazing. Does this mean we got a winner? you bet we did. The new songs blended fine with classics all over. When after some 20 minutes we get And The Bands Played On followed by Dallas 1 P, it can't get much better really. Well we also did get the whole Wheels of Steel album. I did not play it on purpose, to have some deep cuts surprise me. And side B with See the Light Shining and Suzie Hold On  was very nice indeed. By the end of the album I guess everyone was overwhelmed by Saxon in peak form. The guitar duo Brian Tatler / Doug Scarratt divided the solos fairly and Nigel Glockner and Nibbs Carter built l the foundations for Saxon to metal out. Both Ton and I did not remember if we ever saw Saxon before in better shape, which is amazing giving their 47 years running this year. After a short getting their air ack break we got an encore. Also here it could not get any better really with: Crusader / Heavy Metal Thunder / Denim and Leather / Princess of the Night. This was sheer joy from start to finish. If this would have been in a smaller venue it would have been a strong candidate for gig of the year. Biff now stated it was in a sold out 013, which is great for the band, but I prefer smaller venues really. Thanks to the mighty Saxon (and Grand Slam really) for giving us such a great evening. Next year a new album and a new tour. I shall be there and up to a magnificent 50 years of Saxon party in 2028.