CATEGORIES

The Voyage Beyond Eurovision

Many artists would follow a mainstream moment with the most accessible music of their career. However, weeks after finishing in the Top 10 at the Eurovision Song Contest, Voyager have doubled down on their heavy synth-prog with new album Fearless In Love. Singer Danny Estrin, guitarist Simone Dow and bassist Alex Canion tell Prog about life after playing to more than 160 million people.

Stories To Thrill And terrify

A ghost train, aliens, Captain Nemo's famous submarine and much more besides inhabit I Am The Manic Whale's Bumper Book Of Mystery Stories. Frontman and founder Michael Whiteman talks to Prog about giving voice to his lifelong love of the uncanny and the inexplicable.

Far Beyond The Lighted Stage

One of metal’s biggest bands has thrown caution to the wind, embracing psychedelics, absurdity and a wilful disregard for the limits of genre. Avenged Sevenfold’s frontman M Shadows gives Prog an insight into the philosophy, sound and pursuit of discomfort that all shaped Life Is But A Dream…

Read All About It!

The Fierce And The Dead haven't had it easy in recent years, but they're ready to put all that behind them with their fourth album, News From The Invisible World. It's striking in many ways - not least that, for the first time, they've recorded with vocals. Guitarist Matt Stevens and bassist Kevin Feażey join Prog to lift the lid on how the quartet are enjoying a new lease of life.

Filling The Empty Spaces - EIGHT YEARS THAT CHANGED PINK FLOYD FOREVER

The two shows Pink Floyd played at London’s Earls Court in May 1973 marked a quantum leap for the group out of the ballrooms and theatre circuit into the arenas, stadiums and fields, where their concerts would remain for the rest of their career. Thanks to the worldwide allure of their eighth album, The Dark Side Of The Moon, their controls seemed to be set; any intimacy and direct connection with the audience – never something highest on Floyd’s priority list – was over. Prog explores those shows and their impact on the group in the following years.

EVERYONE'S A WINNER

Almost 15 years into their career, Godsticks are still winning new fans with their blend of dark and complex music. Bandleader Darran Charles talks through the highs and lows of making their sixth studio album, This Is What A Winner Looks Like, and tells us why he doesn’t mind if you call them ‘prog metal’.

Mystery Lessons

Montreal-based Mystery put their planned ninth studio album, Redemption, on hold in 2020. The ensuing break enabled Michel St-Père, who founded the band 37 years ago as a studio project, to write some of its more grandiose tracks. He explains how a heroic Canadian soldier found his way onto the album and why coming to the UK has always been a costly business for the Mysterons.

MONG TONG

Taiwanese brothers mix up their native culture with western electronics and global psychedelia to blur genres.

OSYRON

Queensrÿche-inspired Canadians take prog metal to darker realms.

THEY WATCH US FROM THE MOON

Spaced-out US collective reach new heights with their debut album.

THE ANCHORET

A stranger ina strange land spins a tale of loneliness with help from some new friends.

Dance To The Music

Norway’s self-proclaimed “retro-prog” trio are back with an album inspired by an abstract dance performance! Ring Van Möbius reveal why they jumped at the chance to move away from their comfort zone with the project that led to Commissioned Works Pt II – Six Drops Of Poison, and their plans for future releases – which could even include a recording of the soundtrack to the horror flick Suspiria.

Q&A RAY ALDER

The Fates Warning vocalist discusses his complex second solo album, the future of his main band and playing live without his ‘brothers’.

Rebel Rousers

After the seriousness of Ayreon and Star One, Arjen Lucassen is ready to let his hair down with Supersonic Revolution. The Dutch polymath is shaking things up and heading back to the 70s for some serious fun, and he's gathered together a fantastic group of musicians to help him.

THE PROG INTERVIEW - IVAR BJØRNSON

Every month we get inside the mind of one of the biggest names in music. This issue it’s Ivar Bjørnson. Enslaved’s guitarist and synth player discovered Pink Floyd at an early age and found an unlikely prog mentor in one of the founders of Bergen’s controversial black metal scene. His first group was a brass band, but he quickly moved from more traditional to extreme sounds, eventually finding his place as one of the pioneers of modern progressive metal. In 2015, he and Wardruna’s Einar Selvik reignited the Nordic flame with their By Norse label, and more recently Enslaved celebrated their 30th anniversary with the even proggier Heimdal. Here, the multiinstrumentalist takes a break from touring to recount his curious and unexpected musical journey so far.

HAPPY OLD WORLD...

In 1970, Barclay James Harvest caught the critics' attention when they experimented with rock and orchestra on their bold self-titled debut. Half a century later, John Lees' Barclay James Harvest are preparing for their final live shows before the bandleader retires, including a special orchestral concert in Huddersfield in September. John Lees discusses the band's incredible career and the tracks that made up their recently reissued second album, Once Again.

"I'm on a journey as a guitarist to achieve perfection"

Heavy rock heroes Greta Van Fleet are on a mission to explore new territory. For guitarist Jake Kiszka, this means different techniques, random guitars and all-improvised solos. "Stagnation," he says, "Is a form of death."

"The strat sound is the most inspiring”

The Lemon Twigs' power-pop has a new sense of refinement - plus some classic guitar heroics

"It sounds like a cyborg hungover and vomiting!"

Inside the 'sonic craziness' of punkmetal project Mutoid Man

MITCH DALTON

The studio guitarist's guide to happiness and personal fulfilment, as related by our resident session ace. This month: Forgive Me Father, For I Have Sinned.

JAM TRACKS TIPS

Use these to navigate our bonus backing tracks

EXPRESSIVE SOLOING WITH PAUL GILBERT

In this exclusive video lesson, the legendary Paul Gilbert treats you to a37-minute overview on transferring vocal phrases to the guitar, with Jon Bishop as your guide.

BONNIE RAITT

This month Stuart Ryan looks at the acoustic side of a Grammy-winning legend who's usually more at home with a Strat and a bottleneck!

VINNIE MOORE

Guitar instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments. Jason Sidwell asks top guitarists for their take on this iconic movement. This month, American virtuosic rock legend, Vinnie Moore.

CHRIS DUARTE: 5 Texas Blues Licks

We invited the San Antonio-born blues master to record five of his favourite Texas blues licks. Prepare to turn up the heat, with Jon Bishop as your guide.

SIX SOUTH AMERICAN RHYTHMS

Latin music combines exciting rhythms with a vibrant feel and can be both challenging and rewarding to play. So get ready, says Jon Bishop-it's Carnival time!

GASPAR SANZ: Canarios

We take a journey to 17th-century Spain this month to explore Declan Zapala’s arrangement of this uplifting miniature originally written for the baroque guitar.

MICHAEL ROMEO

Join Charlie Griffiths on an Odyssey through the divine strings of Symphony X, to encounter a multitude of picking and tapping techniques.

ALBERT KING

This month Phil Short explores the sound of a blues guitarist who used minimal notes but maximum feel to create unforgettable music.

THE CROSSROADS: John Scofield

This month John Wheatcroft investigates the playing of a true contemporary jazz great who mixes bluesy-rock tone with sophisticated harmony and dazzling technique.