Home Posts tagged "Crossover Prog"

Tag: Crossover Prog

The Safari Explores the Music of Germany’s Frequency Drift – Over!

Over the last few days I’ve been exploring the music of the German Grossover Prog Band Frequency Drift; I stated with their current release Over. On my first few listens I wasn’t to sure about the vocals. The female lead singer’s voice was just a little too high and operatic sounding than I  like. What I was sure of was the music,I know I heard some instruments that you don’t normally hear like violin and flutes.Here’ what I read about the band at their website: Read More

The Safari listens to Crossover Prog from Norway’s Fatal Fusion – The Ancient Tale

Today I was reviewing the Top Albums of 2013 at the ProgArchives  at number 16 was a band that I had listened to earlier this year, Fatal Fusion. Their 2013 release is The Ancient Tale and was the soundtrack for several periods of time today. Earlier in the year I had listened to their 2010 release Land of the Sun. I liked both of the albums. Fatal Fusion is a Norwegian crossover prog rock band strongly influenced by bands like  King Crimson, Camel, Pink Floyd, ELP, Yes, Genesis, Rainbow, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Deep Purple from the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s and 90’s bands like Anekdoten, Spocks beard, IQ, Marillion, Toto, Dream Theater, Iron Maiden According to their biography the music cover a wide landscape, combining many musical styles from Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal, Funk, Psychedelia, Ambient, Latin, and Classical music! No wonder I like their music!! The Ancient Tale is composed of only five tracks and yet the combined length of the album is over 65 minutes!! Three of the tracks are over 14 minutes in length and the other two are over  8 minutes!! Each track is full of tempo and musical changes, that keeps the music continuously interesting! The two core members of the band keyboardist Erlend Engebretsen and bassist Lasse Lie first played together in a band called No Name way back in 1986. After that band disbanded in 1993, they created a new band in 1997 called Hydra with Erlend’s younger brother Audun as the drummer. After the formation and disbanding of  two more groups,  Moonstone  and  Chrystal Blues, Fatal Fusion was born because of their desire to play more progressive material! Along the way the band recruited the other two members of the band: Knut Erik Grøntvedt was added to handle the vocals. He had only played in a few cover bands, and guitarist Stig Selnes  who played in The Rumbling Tubes in the 1990’s, and Agathe in the 2000’s, before joining Fatal Fusion in mid 2008, he continued to play in both “Agathe” and “Fatal Fusion” for a while, before quiting “Agathe” in 2010, to fully concentrate on “Fatal Fusion”  Got all that!!! So the current line-up for the band is

Knut Erik Grøntvedt – Vocals
Erlend Engebretsen – Keyboards
Stig Selnes – Guitars
Lasse Lie – Bass
Audun Engebretsen – Drums & Percussion

Fatal Fusion;’s first album Land of the sun was released November 2010 as a private release only, and was nominated for”best debut album 2010″ by Prog Awards. Since that release, the band has shared the stage with bands like “Agents of Mercy” in 2011, and “The Watch” in 2012. The band got a full time manager in 2012, and was signed to a record label in 2013. Over 55% of the reviews at the ProgArchives are 5 star which carries a label as  an “essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music”!!

So check them out at all the normal locations Facebook, MySpace and Reverbnation. Here’s a video for “Cry No More” from Land of the Sun Read More

The Music Safari meets the Dutch Crossover Prog band Tumbletown!

Over the last week or so I’ve listened to the debut album from a band named Tumbletown Done with Coldness  and enjoying it more with each listen. Of course this leads to the ubiquitous question: Who are these guys and where in the world  do they hail from?  The answer to  the who is Han Uil and Aldo Adema, two skilled producers, guitarists and composers and the where is the Netherlands. Uil and Adema both were members of the band Egdon Heath and its continuation Seven Day Hunt. Uil also played with the band Antares and has released some solo works. Seven Day Hunt released their debut album  File This Dream  in 2008. The album was produced and mixed by Adema and well received! Both Uil and Adema left Seven Day Hunt in 2009. Adema to concentrate on production work and Uil to work on his solo career. In 2010 Han released his solo album Dark in the Light. Adema worked with  Uil on the track “Memento” on the album and the two hit it off well, and the result was the birth of Tumbletown! Read More

The Safari finds Crossover Prog from Argentina’s Vanished from Earth!

So one of the things that I like about prog rock are the album covers. The majority of them are very artsy and very interesting and the one to the left of me is no exception! It was one of the reasons that the band and album Vanished from Earth caught my eye this more at progstreaming.com. Of course it was the music that ultimately sealed the deal and made resulted in the album becoming the soundtrack while doing some chores this afternoon. Read More

Crossover Prog from Argentina’s Vanished from Earth!

So one of the things that I like about prog rock are the album covers. The majority of them are very artsy and very interesting and the one to the left of me is no exception! It was one of the reasons that the band and album Vanished from Earth caught my eye this more at progstreaming.com. Of course it was the music that ultimately sealed the deal and made resulted in the album becoming the soundtrack while doing some chores this afternoon. Read More

The Safari listens to the Crossover Prog of Bremen’s Eyevory – Euphobia!

So I either have to study more German or stop listening to prog rock from Germany, because for the second time today I was faced with websites written in  German, the band’s native language. First it was Osta LCVE and tonight it was the band Eyevory. I have been listening today to Euphoria the debut album from the band. Eyevory is a  a progressive folk rock band from Bremen, Germany. They describe their music as a “colorful mixture, combining joyful flute melodies, catchy hooks, hard rocking guitar riffs and complex instrumental arrangements without boundaries and barriers.” Read More

Crossover Prog from the UK: Into the Night with Big Big Train

Big Big Train – Crossover Prog – United Kingdom

So my son Andrew came over to me in the market at Target,the other night, when he finished his shift.  He asked if the track from Big Big Train he had put in my Father’s mix made it to my computer. I told him no. Because not all of the tracks transferred  properly to my computer from his thumb drive. He told me that he thought I would like them. He told me their new album English Electric was getting rave reviews and it was really good. So last night and today, I have been listening to the album. He was correct in his opinion that I would like them. They are English prog-rock band composed of: Andy Poole / Dave Gregory / David Longdon / Nick D’Virgilio / Greg Spawton. Read More

Archives:Crossover Prog from the UK: Into the Night with Big Big Train

So my son Andrew came over to me in the market at Target,the other night, when he finished his shift and asked if the track from Big Big Train he had put in my Father’s mix made it to my computer. I told him no, see not all the tracks got transferred to my computer from his thumb drive. He told me that he thought I would like them and that their new album English Electric was getting rave reviews and that it was really good. So last night and today, I have been listening to the album and he was correct in his opinion that I would like them. They are English prog-rock band composed of: Andy Poole / Dave Gregory / David Longdon / Nick D’Virgilio / Greg Spawton.   Read More