Ed’s Letter

Hello, and welcome to the new issue of

Bloody Well Write

Send your letters to us at: Prog, Future

BIG BIG TRAIN GET BACK ON TRACK

After the death of frontman David Longdon, the band resolve to continue, appointing a new vocalist, announcing shows and new album plans for 2023.

THE FIERCE AND THE DEAD GET VOCAL!

Single Wonderful out now with lyric video, and more new music on the way this year.

TRAIL OF DEAD GET PROGGY ON QUADROPHONIC NEW LP

Floyd, Gabriel, Rush and Bush inform XI: Bleed Here Now.

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX TAKE WING

The avant-garde rockers return with new album, Banefyre, and European tour.

LONG DISTANCE CALLING GO WILD!

The German rockers tackle the “erosion of nature” on forthcoming album, Eraser.

HATS OFF GENTLEMEN PLAY THEIR CONFIDENCE TRICK

UK prog duo’s sixth album deals with a timely fallacy.

HELLFIRE – BLACK MIDI ARE BACK!

An “oscillation of comedy, drama and romance” beckons on Londoners’ third LP.

VLMV BACK TO SING WITH ABANDON

Prog Award-nominated post-rockers return with their first new music in four years.

ROBERT FRIPP EARLY SOLO ALBUMS SET FOR REISSUE

Two early 1980s albums buffed up for re-release in July.

FAD GADGETS

Rhodri Marsden on three of the latest must-have gizmos currently putting the prog in progress.

MATTHEW HEAFY

Inspiring the wider music world…

PROG IN BRIEF

Guitar legend Adrian Belew (right) will release his

SHADOW ACADEMY

Online comedian gets deadly serious in his new progressive metal duo.

“BUT SERIOUSLY, WHICH ONE IS PINK?”

A reader has members on his mind…

OKSANA LINDE

Our far-out trip to far-flung prog

PROG IN BRIEF

Violinist Anna Phoebe and Aisling Brouwer are AVAWAVES

PLAYGROUNDED

Quintet explore new worlds with their fusion of prog metal and hypnotic electronics.

CHILDREN OF THE SÜN

Woodstock-loving Swedes embrace their inner hippie with psychedelic harmonies galore.

HÄLLAS

Scandinavian five-piece embark on a mystical journey with album number three.

DAVE GREENSLADE

From Colosseum and Greenslade to G&T, the keyboard player discusses his latest musical adventures with Blonde On Blonde guitarist Dave Thomas.

THE PROG INTERVIEW

JEAN-LUC PONTY

PORCUPINE TREE

New spins…

Take a bow

GENESIS VENUE THE O2 ARENA, LONDON DATE 23/03/2022

HASSE FRÖBERG

The great and good of progressive music give us a glimpse into their prog worlds. As told to Grant Moon

IN MEMORY OF KLAUS SCHULZE

As an early member of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze was an electronic music pioneer who pushed aside trends to explore what was in his heart. The Berlin School alumnus and Ash Ra Tempel founder’s experimental solo work has long been associated with epic soundtracks, his best known being Dune. His passion for Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel was rekindled with Hans Zimmer on the recent award-winning remake, and on his latest album, Deus Arrakis, which is to be released on July 1, following his death in April at the age of 74.

THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW…

In January 2009, Bill Bruford announced his retirement from performing and recording. From Yes and King Crimson to UK and Earthworks, the highly respected drummer with an extremely distinctive sound has never allowed his career to stand still. Two decades later, Bruford has re-emerged with a six-CD career retrospective called Making A Song And Dance. He tells Prog about developing a thick skin, suffering for his art and why he doesn’t like looking backwards.

FAR ABOVE THE CLOUDS

When Pure Reason Revolution announced their return in 2019, mainstays Chloë Alper and Jon Courtney had no idea how unrecognisable life would soon become. Their latest album, Above Cirrus, explores a brave new world and finds the band revisiting their Floyd-infused past. Alper and Courtney discuss parallel universes, silencing critics and expanding their horizons

Heat Of The Moment

In 1982, Asia released their self-titled debut album and embarked on an unprecedented journey that took them to the top of the charts and halfway across the globe. With the release of the box set Asia In Asia, the original line-up look back over the creation of a chart-topping supergroup whose career reached unexpected heights in the 80s.

Shades Of Grey

When lockdown halted Dream Theater’s touring plans, vocalist James LaBrie had a chance encounter that led to the creation of his fourth solo album, Beautiful Shade Of Grey. He tells Prog how teaming up with his son Chance and Eden’s Curse bassist Paul Logue gave him the opportunity to show off his more melodic side.

Bringing The Power Back!

They released their last album in 2021, and now Swedish prog metallers Evergrey have steamrolled their way into another, their 13th record A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament). Founding member Tom S Englund tells Prog why the band can’t stop writing – and how the state of the world around him is providing fresh inspiration

Going Dutch

After a two-year pause, Prognosis Festival returned to the Netherlands in April 2022 and Prog travelled to Eindhoven to soak up the atmosphere. Prog acts new and old rubbed shoulders at the rescheduled two-date event, which brought many surprises as well as some new favourites.

Charting The Singular

When experimental cellist Jo Quail was commissioned to create a long-form piece of music to showcase at one of Europe’s best-known underground music festivals, she let her imagination run riot. The Cartographer finds her diving into even proggier waters with an artful blending of wild ideas. Prog catches up with the British musician to find out more and discover her ambitious plans for the future

Mood Music

As Bjørn Riis returns to the spotlight with his latest solo album, the Airbag guitarist talks about his close-knit Norwegian prog family, creating narratives in music and finding inspiration from an infernal 14th-century poem for Everything To Everyone.

Secret Wishes

Four decades after they released their debut, A Secret Wish, original Propaganda vocalists Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag have teamed up with that album’s producer, Stephen Lipson, to form xPropaganda. The two singers revisit the past and explore their latest chapter with current release The Heart Is Strange.

ONE WAY. OR ANOTHER.

As Monuments unleash In Stasis, their most progressive and accomplished record to date, they do so into a landscape unlikely to welcome them with open arms. Balancing the fine line between metal and prog, their position is arguably too precarious for mass appeal, but guitarist John Browne tells Prog that, with patience and an open mind, listeners will find something to love in the unknown