The Progspace List 2018
In 2018 we had an extraordinary number of quality releases, a real feast for all progressive music fans and lovers. As our team grew up, this list is a tad longer than before and it reflects very well how many releases were top of the top on so many diverse progressive genres mashups or combinations, or if you prefer, progressive sub-genres. From melodic to djent to doom to prog-death to piano-chamber music. There's a bit for everyone! These are the favorites of our Progspace crew - our very personal short "best of" list, if you want - purely subjective, of course!
Øystein
1
Distorted Harmony – A Way Out
The undisputed winner this year. With hefty guitars, interesting keys and captivating melodies, Distorted Harmony has pulled off a masterpiece, and cemented themselves in the top tier of modern progressive metal. Read my in-depth review here.
2
Subsignal – La Muerta
I’m a sucker for stunning vocals and gorgeous melodies, and “La Muerta” has it in abundance. A classy, passionate and engaging output from one of my favorite melodic prog rock bands.
3
Redemption – Long Night’s Journey Into Day
Tom Englund is the new frontman, and boy does it work. Yet again Redemption has given us a masterclass in heavy, melodic and emotional progressive metal.
1
Distorted Harmony – A Way Out
The undisputed winner this year. With hefty guitars, interesting keys and captivating melodies, Distorted Harmony has pulled off a masterpiece, and cemented themselves in the top tier of modern progressive metal. Read my in-depth review here.
2
Subsignal – La Muerta
I’m a sucker for stunning vocals and gorgeous melodies, and “La Muerta” has it in abundance. A classy, passionate and engaging output from one of my favorite melodic prog rock bands.
3
Redemption – Long Night’s Journey Into Day
Tom Englund is the new frontman, and boy does it work. Yet again Redemption has given us a masterclass in heavy, melodic and emotional progressive metal.
Luis
1
Rivers of Nihil – Where Owls Know My Name
The best prog AND metal album of 2018 for me. From the moment they released 'The Silent Life' and I heard the saxophone and punishing guitars I knew this was going to be an excellent album and it didn't disappoint. The guys from RoN decided to take a new approach to their music, taking in a lot of diverse influences from King Crimson all the way to Death, and they came up with an incredibly powerful listening experience.
2
Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures
What a return to form and to the epic story of The Amory Wars. This album has almost everything: great rock anthems, lovely ballads, frantic riff-driven songs, and Claudio's enchanting high-pitched voice.
3
Kingcrow – The Persistence
Such an emotional and beautiful album. An excellent direction for the band to take, and the way more bands should strive to sound in my not-at-all-humble opinion. Read our review here.
1
Rivers of Nihil – Where Owls Know My Name
The best prog AND metal album of 2018 for me. From the moment they released 'The Silent Life' and I heard the saxophone and punishing guitars I knew this was going to be an excellent album and it didn't disappoint. The guys from RoN decided to take a new approach to their music, taking in a lot of diverse influences from King Crimson all the way to Death, and they came up with an incredibly powerful listening experience.
2
Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures
What a return to form and to the epic story of The Amory Wars. This album has almost everything: great rock anthems, lovely ballads, frantic riff-driven songs, and Claudio's enchanting high-pitched voice.
3
Kingcrow – The Persistence
Such an emotional and beautiful album. An excellent direction for the band to take, and the way more bands should strive to sound in my not-at-all-humble opinion. Read our review here.
Sander
1
Conjurer – Mire
Their debut album, released this summer. And what a debut it is! Relentless from start to finish, throwing at you one killer riff after another. By far my most listened album recently, and my clear winner for album of the year.
2
Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik – Hugsjá
I know this is supposed to be a prog site, but I just can't let this album slide. Ivar of Enslaved and Einar of Wardruna have created a folk-inspired masterpiece. Going through this album start to finish is a special journey, with the enchanting vocals accompanied by a variety of Norwegian folk instruments. Strongly recommended for any who want to expand their musical horizons!
3
Tesseract – Sonder
Their best release in years. This album is all I could want from Tesseract, even if it does come in a little short at only 36 minutes. Great vocal performance, and the instrumentals are on point. Return to form. Read our review here.
1
Conjurer – Mire
Their debut album, released this summer. And what a debut it is! Relentless from start to finish, throwing at you one killer riff after another. By far my most listened album recently, and my clear winner for album of the year.
2
Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik – Hugsjá
I know this is supposed to be a prog site, but I just can't let this album slide. Ivar of Enslaved and Einar of Wardruna have created a folk-inspired masterpiece. Going through this album start to finish is a special journey, with the enchanting vocals accompanied by a variety of Norwegian folk instruments. Strongly recommended for any who want to expand their musical horizons!
3
Tesseract – Sonder
Their best release in years. This album is all I could want from Tesseract, even if it does come in a little short at only 36 minutes. Great vocal performance, and the instrumentals are on point. Return to form. Read our review here.
Rune
1
Head With Wings – From Worry To Shame
Like I said in my review: “From Worry To Shame” is brimful of emotions and humanity. The album is raw passion, delicate hope, and all-to-human pain in one graceful package".
2
Spires – A Parting Gift
I was unsure if these Manchester lads would be able to top 2014's amazing "The Whisperer". I should never have doubted them. Just an extraordinary album filled with a combination of atmosphere, complexity and raw power, and graced by the outstanding voice of vocalist Paul Sadler.
3
Nauticus – Disappear in Blue
A great surprise from Finland. It's been a long time since I've heard something just so authoritative and of such a dominant ambience. Potent, yet dynamic and chaotic yet restrained. It's joyfully hard to categorize, but if you enjoy bands like Intronaut, Anciients, or the most interesting and adventurous sides of Mastodon, do yourself a favor and listen to this!
1
Head With Wings – From Worry To Shame
Like I said in my review: “From Worry To Shame” is brimful of emotions and humanity. The album is raw passion, delicate hope, and all-to-human pain in one graceful package".
2
Spires – A Parting Gift
I was unsure if these Manchester lads would be able to top 2014's amazing "The Whisperer". I should never have doubted them. Just an extraordinary album filled with a combination of atmosphere, complexity and raw power, and graced by the outstanding voice of vocalist Paul Sadler.
3
Nauticus – Disappear in Blue
A great surprise from Finland. It's been a long time since I've heard something just so authoritative and of such a dominant ambience. Potent, yet dynamic and chaotic yet restrained. It's joyfully hard to categorize, but if you enjoy bands like Intronaut, Anciients, or the most interesting and adventurous sides of Mastodon, do yourself a favor and listen to this!
Pauline
1
Manes – Slow motion death sequence
The trip hop lover in me could not ask for a better album with "Slow motion death sequence". This gem concocted by Norwegian band Manes blends trip hop, metal textures, synth pop, industrial with powerful vocals. It is definitely avant garde and experimental, like nothing you have ever heard before and that's why I liked it so much! Rune and I also interviewed some of the members of the band in Trondheim last August, you can read all about it by clicking here. Shout out to the amazing artwork by Ashkan Honarvar.
2
Madder Mortem – Marrow
“Marrow” is a complex album spanning a variety of genres, it’s heavy, doomy, melancholic at times while still being catchy and full of energy. I was personally touched by the saturnine, enraged and beautifully written lyrics exploring topics such as inner strength, longing and believing in yourself. More about it in my review.
3
Zeal and Ardor – Stranger Fruit
When Gospel meets Black Metal: the result is an unique, avant garde album with images of rituals, negro spirituals in a Louisiana bayou mixed with heavy riffs! The music of Zeal and Ardor oscillates between blastbeats and blues, delicate melodies and forceful rhythms. I was fortunate to see the band live at Pstereo festival in Trondheim, Norway in August 2018 and despite pouring rain, their live performance was mind blowing with impeccable sound !
1
Manes – Slow motion death sequence
The trip hop lover in me could not ask for a better album with "Slow motion death sequence". This gem concocted by Norwegian band Manes blends trip hop, metal textures, synth pop, industrial with powerful vocals. It is definitely avant garde and experimental, like nothing you have ever heard before and that's why I liked it so much! Rune and I also interviewed some of the members of the band in Trondheim last August, you can read all about it by clicking here. Shout out to the amazing artwork by Ashkan Honarvar.
2
Madder Mortem – Marrow
“Marrow” is a complex album spanning a variety of genres, it’s heavy, doomy, melancholic at times while still being catchy and full of energy. I was personally touched by the saturnine, enraged and beautifully written lyrics exploring topics such as inner strength, longing and believing in yourself. More about it in my review.
3
Zeal and Ardor – Stranger Fruit
When Gospel meets Black Metal: the result is an unique, avant garde album with images of rituals, negro spirituals in a Louisiana bayou mixed with heavy riffs! The music of Zeal and Ardor oscillates between blastbeats and blues, delicate melodies and forceful rhythms. I was fortunate to see the band live at Pstereo festival in Trondheim, Norway in August 2018 and despite pouring rain, their live performance was mind blowing with impeccable sound !
Matthias
1
Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik – Hugsjá
You won’t find “Hugsjá” by Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Einar Selvik (Wardruna) sorted under “Prog”, probably, but still it is an progressive album in its own way, and my favorite record of 2018. Bjørnson and Selvik combine ancient instruments and enchanting singing with rock and electronic music, creating their own wonderful soundscapes that take us to the cold coasts of Norway and all the way to Iceland. Living in the only Viking area in Germany I always had an interest in old Nordic culture and this music takes me back in time.
2
Vola – Applause of a Distant Crowd
Fresh is the word that comes to mind. Danish modern proggers Vola blend electronic sounds, keyboard scapes and grand melodies and top it with the distinctive voice of Asger Mygind and super heavy parts. In “Applause of a Distant Crowd” they masterfully mix grand soundscapes with a light, poppy overall feeling, and created an album that is a sheer joy to listen to. This is not only appealing to hardcore prog fans, but simply extremely well done progressive music that should be attractive to wider audiences. Read our review here.
3
Perfect Beings – Vier
“Vier” is like a journey through the world of progressive rock. Perfect Beings explore so many different influences that it is almost hard to keep track, but they manage to create a very round album out of that. It might be confusing in the end, but “Vier” is an album that grows on the listener, and almost one year after reviewing it I still find joy in exploring it. Read my review here.
1
Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik – Hugsjá
You won’t find “Hugsjá” by Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Einar Selvik (Wardruna) sorted under “Prog”, probably, but still it is an progressive album in its own way, and my favorite record of 2018. Bjørnson and Selvik combine ancient instruments and enchanting singing with rock and electronic music, creating their own wonderful soundscapes that take us to the cold coasts of Norway and all the way to Iceland. Living in the only Viking area in Germany I always had an interest in old Nordic culture and this music takes me back in time.
2
Vola – Applause of a Distant Crowd
Fresh is the word that comes to mind. Danish modern proggers Vola blend electronic sounds, keyboard scapes and grand melodies and top it with the distinctive voice of Asger Mygind and super heavy parts. In “Applause of a Distant Crowd” they masterfully mix grand soundscapes with a light, poppy overall feeling, and created an album that is a sheer joy to listen to. This is not only appealing to hardcore prog fans, but simply extremely well done progressive music that should be attractive to wider audiences. Read our review here.
3
Perfect Beings – Vier
“Vier” is like a journey through the world of progressive rock. Perfect Beings explore so many different influences that it is almost hard to keep track, but they manage to create a very round album out of that. It might be confusing in the end, but “Vier” is an album that grows on the listener, and almost one year after reviewing it I still find joy in exploring it. Read my review here.
Dario
1
Haken – Vector
I don't care if it is 'just' 45 minutes or over an hour long, "Vector" is already chock full of mind bending, jaw dropping progressive awesomeness as it is. Haken have truly proven themselves to be an unstoppable force in the scene. 'Nuff said. Read my review here.
2
Vola – Applause of a Distant Crowd
Their debut was praised as Pink Floyd meets Rammstein and Meshuggah, this stunning sophomore effort goes way deeper, adding Interstellar-like soundtrack vibes and atmospheres, gargantuan riffing a la Gojira and pop sensibilities Coldplay can only dream of to their musical palette. Music that crawls under your skin but would still work in a stadium live setting. Read my review here.
3
Phi – Cycles
By far my most listened album in the first half of 2018. Killer riffs, killer hook lines and perfect songwriting: six hit singles, even though all songs clock in between just short of 7 and almost 9 minutes. A genre-defining album in my book for heavy alternative prog rock. Read my review here.
1
Haken – Vector
I don't care if it is 'just' 45 minutes or over an hour long, "Vector" is already chock full of mind bending, jaw dropping progressive awesomeness as it is. Haken have truly proven themselves to be an unstoppable force in the scene. 'Nuff said. Read my review here.
2
Vola – Applause of a Distant Crowd
Their debut was praised as Pink Floyd meets Rammstein and Meshuggah, this stunning sophomore effort goes way deeper, adding Interstellar-like soundtrack vibes and atmospheres, gargantuan riffing a la Gojira and pop sensibilities Coldplay can only dream of to their musical palette. Music that crawls under your skin but would still work in a stadium live setting. Read my review here.
3
Phi – Cycles
By far my most listened album in the first half of 2018. Killer riffs, killer hook lines and perfect songwriting: six hit singles, even though all songs clock in between just short of 7 and almost 9 minutes. A genre-defining album in my book for heavy alternative prog rock. Read my review here.
Van
1
Gleb Kolyadin - Gleb Kolyadin
This album is a masterpiece. Gleb managed to bring together his classical piano and composition upbringing and the world of progressive rock, a combination that was clearly maturing up through the years as one half of prog-chamber duo Iamthemorning. Now he was ready to go solo in a masterful almost instrumental album which is the perfect combination of progressive creativity and piano mastery. Cleverly interwoven melodies and rhythmic patterns lead by his piano or electronic keyboards, accompanied by drums, bass and guitars with the luxury of having guest musicians the calibre of Gavin Harrison, Theo Travis, Nick Beggs and Jordan Rudess. By far my most played album of the year. A rare jewel amidst the endless homogeneous world of mainstream progressive music. Read my review here.
2
Kingcrow - The Persistence
The italian band was a surprise for many. Their previous album "Eidos" was already on my favorites of that year list, so I never expected to see them back on my top albums. "The Persistence" is a roller-coaster of emotions, melodies and words that go straight to the heart and soul. Though it is an easy-to-listen experience, thanks to the many catchy melodies, this is in fact a very well composed progressive rock album, of those that the more you listen, the more intricate patterns start to appear. It is about time that Kingcrow have a seat among the best bands out there.
3
Vola – Applause of a Distant Crowd
This is only their second album, and VOLA has already gained themselves a spot among the top bands of the genre, thanks to their fresh approach to progressive rock with elements of metal, combining the best of both trends. In this album they topped their game creating catchy, at times, pop melodies, to throw in sudden massive metal patterns of the most brutal kind, then Asger's voice, sweet and melancholic, throw you back to the emotional road we were before. Ah what the hell was that!? This is prog at its highest expression. Music very well composed, easy to dig into your skin but so well crafted that it could very well be heard in radio, but then you notice those bits here and there which makes progressive rock the music we love. Read our review here.
1
Gleb Kolyadin - Gleb Kolyadin
This album is a masterpiece. Gleb managed to bring together his classical piano and composition upbringing and the world of progressive rock, a combination that was clearly maturing up through the years as one half of prog-chamber duo Iamthemorning. Now he was ready to go solo in a masterful almost instrumental album which is the perfect combination of progressive creativity and piano mastery. Cleverly interwoven melodies and rhythmic patterns lead by his piano or electronic keyboards, accompanied by drums, bass and guitars with the luxury of having guest musicians the calibre of Gavin Harrison, Theo Travis, Nick Beggs and Jordan Rudess. By far my most played album of the year. A rare jewel amidst the endless homogeneous world of mainstream progressive music. Read my review here.
2
Kingcrow - The Persistence
The italian band was a surprise for many. Their previous album "Eidos" was already on my favorites of that year list, so I never expected to see them back on my top albums. "The Persistence" is a roller-coaster of emotions, melodies and words that go straight to the heart and soul. Though it is an easy-to-listen experience, thanks to the many catchy melodies, this is in fact a very well composed progressive rock album, of those that the more you listen, the more intricate patterns start to appear. It is about time that Kingcrow have a seat among the best bands out there. Read my review here.
3
Vola – Applause of a Distant Crowd
This is only their second album, and VOLA has already gained themselves a spot among the top bands of the genre, thanks to their fresh approach to progressive rock with elements of metal, combining the best of both trends. In this album they topped their game creating catchy, at times, pop melodies, to throw in sudden massive metal patterns of the most brutal kind, then Asger's voice, sweet and melancholic, throw you back to the emotional road we were before. Ah what the hell was that!? This is prog at its highest expression. Music very well composed, easy to dig into your skin but so well crafted that it could very well be heard in radio, but then you notice those bits here and there which makes progressive rock the music we love. Read our review here.
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