Synchestra By: The Devin Townsend Band Year: 2006 Click here for the artist's site I am very, very cautious with my use of the word "genius" to describe musicians. I think it is overused almost to the point of rendering it a cliché. As such, if I call someone a musical genius, I really mean it. In that case, let me say up front that Devin Townsend is a musical genius. He is almost overflowing with musical ideas, and has the multiple different outlets for that musical energy. ...

Confession time: I am a Queensryche fan.  Not a huge, die hard type of fan, though I do have just about every one of their albums and have been listening to them since their album "Empire".  But I do enjoy some of their music a lot.  They have been very influential on a lot of bands, and have had some truly great albums. But they have also had music that far transcends the qualification of great.  Case in point: "Operation: Mindcrime".  This stands, to this day so...

Well, the year 2005 is over. Yeah, yeah, it has been a couple of months now, but better late than never! San Chonino and I have been fighting disparate schedules, sketchy internet access, and busy lives to hammer out what we agree is our top ten albums of 2005. So, sit back, grab a cup of your favorite reading beverage, and check out the music that got our motors running this last year. Top 10 albums of 2005 10. Demons and Wizards : Touched by the Crimson King BlueDev : This fi...

The Black Halo By: Kamelot Year: 2005 Click here for the artist's site I have to admit up front, this band is very new to me. Thanks to the wonders of the internet and internet radio, a track from Kamelot showed up on one of my Pandora radio stations (my Fates Warning station). It started slowly, built nicely, and then erupted into a marching, anthemic, powerful song. This was a band I needed to hear more of, and their most recent release "The Black Halo" seemed like ...

G3 Live: Rockin' in the Free World By: Satriani, Vai, and Malmsteen Year: 2004 Click here for the artist's site Since 1996 guitar god Joe Satriani has organized and spearheaded the G3 tour every year or two. And occasionally we get a CD from the show. I was out of the country when the first two went on, but I found the first G3 disc and ate it up. After all, what guitar fan could pass up an album with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson playing live and together? I...

Octavarium By: Dream Theater Year: 2005 Click here for the artist's site 2003 was an interesting year for Dream Theater fans. It saw the release of "Train of Thought", DT's heaviest album to date. Some critics loved it, calling it their best work yet. But many fans were left with a bit of a cold feeling in the pit of their stomachs, wondering what had happened to their beloved progressive metal band, and who were these angry guys who had taken their place. A three disc l...

Subhuman Race By: Skid Row Year: 1995 Click here for the artist's site The late 80's saw a flourishing of glam and hair metal. For better or worse, a number of sissy acts who pretended to use electric guitars came into prominence and forever dirtied the world of metal. Acts like Poison, Motley Crue, and Slaughter capitalized on songs of hedonism and lasciviousness. And they did it all with pretty boy hair, and sometimes even pretty girl makeup. But while glam or hair met...

Ghost Reveries By: Opeth Year: 2005 Click here for the artists site With the release of "Blackwater Park" Opeth did something that has damaged the careers of many other bands: They released a perfect album. Other bands release what is often considered their greatest work and then spend the rest of their careers trying to recapture that moment. Opeth, wisely, refuses to do that. They have continued to evolve, to experiment, and to craft excellent music. Each new album sin...

This entry will serve as a master index of album reviews here at The Prog Geek. Here you will be able to find all reviews (organized alphabetically by artist, then chronologically by album release) with that albums objective score. I will make sure this stays up to date, and will be found in the sidebar. Agalloch: Ashes Against the Grain  Score: 10/10 Ayreon: The Human Equation Score: 10/10 Between the Buried and Me: Alaska  Score: 8/10 Dream Theater: Octavariu...

So, over the break, my bro and I have had a bit more time to opine on some musical offerings. Feel free to stop by and tell us what you think. Porcupine Tree: Deadwing : Porcupine Tree released a progressive masterpiece with 2003's "In Absentia". Can they repeat the feat with their newest offering? Linkin Park: Hybrid Theora : One of the biggest of the rap-metal offerings from the school of nu-metal, do either of these albums have anything to offer the discerning listener? Are th...

I realize I have had little of substance to post lately. Perhaps I have just been saving up . There are two new album reviews up over at our music site. Stop by, check them out, and throw a few tomatoes if you disagree! G3: Rockin' in the Free World : Put three guitar gods together on one stage and you should get an amazing show for sure, right? Well, it certainly becomes a guitar wankfest, but is that a good thing? Check the review to find out. Kamelot: The Black Halo : ...

My brother has his first album review over up at our blog. Check it out. It is a great review of an album I had been torn over whether or not to get. Now I know the answer! "Adam and Eve" by The Flower Kings

My brother and I have decided to work together on a music blog. It will be a repository of sorts for reviews, rants and raves about anything musical we desire. I know that some here enjoy music, and may find it remotely interesting, so I will be linking here when there is an update, but I won't be cross-posting the reviews. I may cross post articles, but that will be about it. So, to start, we have a new review up. The album is "Ocatvarium" by Dream Theater. Check it out here ...

Ghost Reveries By: Opeth Year: 2005 Click here for the artists site With the release of "Blackwater Park" Opeth did something that has damaged the careers of many other bands: They released a perfect album. Other bands release what is often considered their greatest work and then spend the rest of their careers trying to recapture that moment. Opeth, wisely, refuses to do that. They have continued to evolve, to experiment, and to craft excellent music. Each new album sin...

Untitled Trans-Siberian Orchestra RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina November 21, 2005 Click here for the artists site Grow my hair out (it would be very straight and blonde) give me a black, sleeve less shirt and toss a denim jacket on the top and I could head bang with the best metal-heads. And I have a soft spot for some of the more talented metal acts to make it through the dark and dreary guitar solo-less wilderness of the 90's. One of those bands I still e...