22: THE MARS VOLTA - De-Loused In The Comatorium (2003)

Introduction by Roger Trenwith

I remember this album coming out of nowhere in 2003. I was not a hardcore fan so knew nothing of At The Drive In, the band that vocalist Cedric Bixler Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriguez Lopez bravely dissolved on the cusp of success, feeling hemmed in by fans' expectations.

The intrepid sonic explorers' new project was The Mars Volta (great name!), who sounded like a frightening collision of Van der Graaf Generator, Santana and Led Zeppelin on very, very bad drugs. In 2003 when this album came out, the prog scene was largely an irrelevance to me. On the one hand the "neo" bands all strived to be Genesis or Yes but failed, obviously, and on the other hand there were dozens of dull carbon copy prog metal Dream Theater wannabes that held no interest for me whatsoever. Even my favourite band of the time, Porcupine Tree, could never be accused of pushing any envelopes off the desk.

None of this was progressive, at all. The Mars Volta's Latino-American explosion of noise rock and super-technical playing on a dark concept album about a man in a coma, and the stark choice he faces when he eventually emerges into the conscious world was however, something else entirely.

The first time I played this album with the volume control set to stun, it left me reeling like George Foreman after the Rumble In The Jungle, but hungry for more. Thoroughly modernistic, with samples and odd industrial soundscapes in addition to the usual rock instrumentation, this music charges around with an immense energy, the likes of which had not been seen since the early knife-edge tight-but-loose extrapolations of early live Zep. Listen to the mad but glorious cacophany that is Drunkship Of Lanterns and I dare you not to impressed by its sheer power.

As was inevitable, blasting out such highly intense music was going to take its toll, and after their second, almost-but-not-quite-as-good album Frances The Mute in 2005, the band's output saw a marked suffering by the law of diminishing returns. The one time I saw the band live was a thoroughly dispiriting affair of monstrous self-indulgence and non-communication. For all that, with De-Loused In The Comatorium, The Mars Volta left us with one of the best debut albums ever, and certainly the best debut of the noughties.



From  the DPRP review archives, read Tom de Val's original review of Deloused in the Comatorium in 2003.
Read it here 

Watch The Mars Volta performing Cicatriz ESP off Deloused in the Comatorium for Japan's Summer Sonic Festival in 2003.
Listen here

21: FROST* - Milliontown (2006)

Introduction by Eric Perry

In the first decade of the 21st century, as the newest wave of prog was slowly but surely gathering momentum, one album appeared from the most unlikely of sources, capable of carrying the moniker, 'Game Changer'.

Coming from a creative genius (and that feels like the correct use of the word) and former pop hits writer, Jem Godfrey, Milliontown was the outstanding debut from Frost*, Godfrey's progressive creative outlet. Aggressive and intense, this is one of the most exciting progressive albums of modern times and one that has not yet been matched in its brilliance by its creator.

At the centre of this vibrant work is the epic, 25-minute title track, the peak of which is the jaw dropping last eight minutes, which assaults the senses like a steroid-pumped version of Dukes Travels from Genesis's Duke. Revisiting this album is something of a common experience, and in almost ten years, it sounds as fresh as the day it was released.

From the 2006 archives, read Mark Hughes' original review of Milliontown for DPRP
Read it here  

Listen to the title track in its full glory.
Listen here

Watch the band perform the second part of the title track at the Manchester Academy in 2019.
Watch the YouTube video here

20: PENDRAGON - Fallen Dreams and Angels (1994)

Introduction by Andrew Halley

I often strip my phone of music, and start loading it up for the next month or so, hoping to try and listen to something new. However, I always put this mini four-track album back, I just can't live without it!

I first heard Fallen Dreams ... whilst walking my then dog on a Welsh beach with a raging hangover. The line from The Third World in the UK;  "I've had too much to drink, I've had too much to smoke" spoke volumes, and by then I'd heard power chords, a great Moog solo, great drumming, and my head had totally cleared. There was also Dune, the fantastic Sister Bluebird with that great key-change coda towards the end, and then the title track. I listened to it all again.

R.I.P. Polo, my Bedlington Terrier. You had some very long walks thanks to prog!


From the 1999 archives, read Dirk van de Hout's original review as part of a Pendragon Review Special.

Read it here  

Listen to a version of the title track from Pendragon's Acoustically Challenged album.
Listen to it here

19: MARTIN ORFORD - The Old Road (2008)

Introduction by Martin Burns

I recently went to see IQ in concert and witnessed a fine set. On the journey home, my thoughts turned to this album by ex-IQ founder Martin Orford. Playing The Old Road for the first time in a while, I was struck by how fabulous it is.

You can point to this album and say: “Listen to this…this is why I love prog rock!” Music so abundantly melodic that it easily pulls off the balancing act of feeling up-to-date, whilst taking inspiration from the classics of prog. It is full of playful instrumentation and lyrical detail. You wish it had just one more track every time the album comes to a close. It is an album that for once lives up to its super-group line up (see the review), because of the focus that Martin Orford gives to every detail. I can only add to Mark Hughes’ closing comment: Martin, you are still missed.

From  the DPRP review archives, read Mark Hughes' original review of The Old Road in 2008.
Read it here 

Listen to the the title track on Youtube
Watch the video here

Read the DPRP's interview with Martin from 1999 plus the review of his first solo album,
Classical Moments and Popular Songs
Read the feature here

18: LALU - Oniric Metal (2005)

Introduction by Raimond Fischbach

Despite just enjoying its 10th anniversary, somehow Oniric Metal isn't ageing and still sounds fresh. Although it hasn't been a commercial success, I loved this album when it came out and I still do. It has become a sort of companion and I still listen to it on a regular basis. There are so many unusual keyboard sounds on this melodic metal effort, that I never get tired exploring them all anew. The album provides a great variety, so one never feels bored at any second.

Vivien Lalu has done magic in writing this gem and playing the keyboards, and the line-up on the album is quite impressive. Martin LeMar on vocals, Joop Wolters on guitar, Russell Bergquist on bass and Ryan Van Poederooyen on drums, provided outstanding performances. The 16-minute track, Potboy (The Final Fantasy), is a bit cheesy though, as it's about a pot smoker riding his space ship. But it's quite fun and a perfect album closer.


From  the DPRP review archives, read Andy Read's original review of Oniric Metal in 2005.
Read it here 

Enjoy all 16-plus minutes of Potboy from this Youtube page
Watch the video here

Artist page where you can listen to and buy the album: 
Lalu Bandcamp Page

17: TWELFTH NIGHT - Live at the Target (1981)

Introduction by Jerry van Kooten

With time's passing, one's taste tends to shift, so sometimes it's nice to see how well one's opinion of some albums has held up. Looking through the list of reviews on DPRP I ran into Live at the Target. The first official CD re-issue was reviewed by our former team member Nigel Camilleri and rated 9/10.

Anyone who knows me because of my musical taste, knows that Twelfth Night have been one of my favourite bands for a few decades now. My taste has made a journey that has crossed the blues and now has reached mostly instrumental post-rock and post-metal. Interesting then to see that this album, an old favourite of mine, has never ceased to impress me or make me feel good, feel warm, feel lost, just feel. At the end of the day, isn't that the most important thing music can do?

I loved and still love the slow build-up of tense atmospheres, the sudden blasts of power, and the creation of well-crafted pieces without becoming overly complex. Music played from the heart, and everything very melodic, just the way I like it. It still touches me and moves me, as it did when I first heard it. I guess that's the definition of an all-time favourite. Whichever direction my musical taste has headed, this album has always been travelling along.



From  the DPRP review archives, read Nigel's original review of Live At The Target in 2005.
Read it here 

A very rare recording of vocalist Electra McLeod, singing Sequences with Twelfth Night at The Target on 21 November 1980.
Listen here

16: GENESIS - Calling All Stations (1997)

Introduction by Rich Kamerman
(A DPRP reader and music blogger from New York City)

Some albums have trouble surviving the weight of expectations, and Genesis’ Calling All Stations is a perfect example. Following-up several multi-platinum smashes was never going to be easy, and when they returned after a six-year absence with a new, mostly unknown lead singer, they were fighting an uphill battle. Open-minded fans were rewarded with a fantastic record that is dark, dense, melodic and full of memorable songs. They range from minor hit single Congo, to ballads like Shipwrecked and Not About Us, and on to extended progressive pieces like Alien Afternoon and (my favorite) The Dividing Line. 

It wasn’t successful enough for Banks & Rutherford to carry on (or even tour the US), but it’s an under-valued gem in their catalog and it introduced the prog world to the raw, powerful vocals of Ray Wilson. Had this album been released by Arena, Pendragon, IQ, Pallas or another well-respected modern prog band, the reception might have been significantly different.

From the 1998 archives, read Ed Sander's original review and see what score he gave the album:
Read it here  

Watch Genesis play The Dividing Line live in Poland in 1998.
Watch the video here