Years ago a little program revolutionized the music world. Its name was Napster.
Napster wasn't the first way to find music on the internet. Usenet and IRC had been around for years. However, both of those solutions required a bit of tech-know-how to use and were not accessible to the mainstream user. Enter Napster. A clean, easy to understand interface and instant access for millions of people (many of them college students) to begin sharing and downloading music was born.
Along came Metallica and the RIAA.
Sure, they weren't the only ones, but they became the most vocal. Lawsuits ensued, the service was shut down, the RIAA declared victory and then realized that, just like Obi-Wan Kenobi, "If you strike [it] down, [it] shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."
As previously mentioned , with the death of The Prog Geek, Progged has been reimagined, redesigned, and reinvigorated. In order to keep that up, there is some new content over there. Why not stop by and check out the reviews for the latest Ayreon album, 01011001 ? Arjen again proves that he has the Midas touch. Fans of metal, folk, acoustic, pop, prog and even electronica can all find something to enjoy on this album. Lyrically, the story is coherent, cohesive, and powe...
San Chonino and I have had some discussion about the direction, etc. of our reviews here at The Prog Geek. As I was doing some work on the master index article, I came upon a disturbing revelation: We rate things here way to freaking high. There are too many 9 and 10 ratings. I just didn't feel we had been appropriately critical. Part of the problem is that this is totally amateur. We review music we have and have listened to, so it stands to reason we would lik...
Rush: Snakes and Arrows Year: 2007 http://www.rush.com Some review are difficult to write simply because the music is so bad I don't know how to convey just how atrocious the music is while still sounding professional. Some reviews are difficult to write for the exact opposite reason; they are so good it is difficult to write about the music without coming across as a blind superfan. And then there are perhaps the most diffic...
Midterm Music Report 2007 For the past few years, San Chonino and I have been doing end of the year article wrap ups. They are a lot of fun, but they often prove to be quite difficult to write, due to trying to remember a full 12 months of musical goodness (and sometimes badness) and compress it into a few paragraphs. Plus, with quite a few highly anticipated albums coming out this year, 2007 had the possibility of being one of the best years in music in a while. So her...
Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain Year: 2006 Desolation. Skeletal trees, reaching their barren limbs to gray, bleak sky. A chill in the air, snow blanketing the ground, muffling the sounds, smothering life. Picture this scene, and you will see the bleak majesty that is Ashes Against the Grain . Ashes Against the Grain is the latest magnum opus from the Oregon band Agalloch. After several listens, I have no hesitation calling it a masterpiece. ...
San Chonino and I were discussing which albums we would place in our top ten albums of the year article. However, we both were having a difficult time really selecting a stand out track, unlike last year . That isn't to say that there weren't some great albums in 2006. There really were. But nothing that grabbed us. Plus, when there are so many albums that slip under your radar, making a top ten list seems presumptuous. For example, Deadsoul Tribe's...
Free Artist: OSI Year: 2006 The year 2003 saw the release of what has become one of InsideOut Music's top selling albums. What was it that made Office of Strategic Influence such a success? Of course, it is impossible to tell, but it is likely a multi-factorial effect. Dream Theater fans, who are often rabid and follow the members from side project to side project, picked it up to hear Mike Portnoy smack the skins. They also likely picked it up to hear more from ex-DT keyboar...
With the current glut of hip-hop acts, what is an up and coming band to do to set themselves apart? The answer is decidedly simple: write actual music. Meet JC Ronikal , a four piece band hailing from the great Down Under, looking to make their mark on the music scene by doing what they love. The beginning of 2006 saw them completing the recording of and polishing their first EP, Thus Far... Since that time, they have been working hard to get their music out to the public with a revamp of...
Astralism By: Astral Doors Year: 2006 Click here for the artist's site Although they have only been around since 2002, Astral Doors has a sound that belies their recent creation and hearkens back to the real roots of metal. Members of various bands at various times, a passion for solid, unpretentious heavy metal brought the band together and 2006 sees them releasing their third album: Astralism . From the very first bombastic chords, it is evident that Astralism is ready to rock. ...
Hot on the heels of the success of previous releases R30 and Rush in Rio , the boys from the Great White North are preparing their fans for another round of DVD concert goodness. Announced earlier this month, Rush is preparing to release Replay x3 on June 13, 2006. With new stereo mixes of the audio (thanks to guitarist Alex Lifeson), the 4 disc set will contain DVD versions of some Rush classics, thus far only available on VHS (and some choice Laserdisc copies). The set will contain 19...
Monday Morning Apocalypse Artist: Evergrey Year: 2006 Click here for the artist's site Sweden's Evergrey have carved out quite a niche for themselves. I can think of no other band that really comes close to their brand of somewhat progressive, dark and melancholic power metal. And with their previous five albums, they have built quite an expectation for their fans. Dark and brooding lyrics, excellent musicianship, powerful guitars and distinctive, gravelly vocals have helped to m...
Karmacode Artist: Lacuna Coil Year: 2006 Click here for the artist's site Before Evanescence made it cool to be a rock band with a female lead singer, Lacuna Coil had already polished the sound with five solid releases. Too few people knew of the band, but that would soon change. With intelligent and aggressive touring, a strong work ethic, and stellar musicianship and song-writing, 2004 saw them joining the big leagues of metal. The band was invited to join Ozzfest, and won over t...
Operation: Mindcrime II Queensrÿche Year: 2006 Click here for the artist's site I have to be honest right from the beginning here. Operation: Mindcrime is one of the best concept albums written. Ever. Period. The music is powerful, the lyrics both interesting and politically poignant (both 18 years ago as well as today), the story well told. But for me, the clincher that lifts Mindcrime from the level of good to astoundingly great is just how strong the songs are. One...
The Fullness of Time By: Redemption Year: 2005 Click here for the artist's site Every once in a while, and album just comes out of nowhere and blows the listener away. The unexpected nature of these musical surprises makes them that much more exciting. Redemption wasn't completely unknown to me. I recognized the name, and knew that the inimitable Ray Alder was the new voice of the band. But I wasn't familiar with the music and didn't have any elevated expectations going into ...