Mad About Rock

  Following this weekend's DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL performance, visionary British prog-metal legends SIKTH have announced two very special performances to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album Death Of A Dead Day . Taking place in February 2026 at Manchester's Academy 2 and London's O2 Forum Kentish Town, the shows will see the band's founding members - Mikee Goodman (vocals), Justin Hill (vocals), Dan Weller (guitar), Graham Pinney (guitar), James Leach (bass) and Dan Foord (drums) - reunite to perform the iconic record in its entirety. Support will come from HERIOT. Speaking on the shows, Goodman shares: “We are excited to perform Death of a Dead Day on its 20th anniversary, with Justin Hill singing this album live for the first time ever, alongside myself and the rest of the band. We’re looking forward to playing it in its entirety. “Also, for those who may not know — Justin Hill is back in the band. He is, and we’re planning to get busier from next year ...

  Immensely talented UK prog metallers, FAR FROM REFUGE, unleash their towering new EP, False Flag on Friday 19th July. This stunning release is backed by their scorching single and video, 'Whitemane'. Check out the video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OMyFtTlNJ4 and listen via: https://open.spotify.com/artist/74mR1HzwvTKXLmj7ddpoyq Since their inception in 2018, FAR FROM REFUGE have repetitively captivated audiences with a glut of deeply alluring live performances and a substantial stream of potent releases. Hailing from Cambridge, UK, the progressive quartet traverse the frontiers of modern metal, cleverly merging a varied mix of engrossing influences to construct a powerful sound that provokes and rouses the senses. The band’s self-titled debut EP, landed in 2019, balanced fury and vigour alongside hooky refrains, and was followed by a series of compelling and distinct singles. Supplemented by a string of appealing music videos that showcase their varied approach...

  Diverse Brit prog metal crew, FAR FROM REFUGE, lay down a significant marker in the form of their blistering new EP, False Flag, which lands on Friday 19th July. The record is preceded by their explosive new single and video, Ghost of Eros, which is out now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCBEhXqE9uU Ever since their formation eight years ago, FAR FROM REFUGE have continually captivated audiences with a barrage of exhilarating live performances and a hefty stream of deeply immersive releases. Coming at you from Cambridge, UK, the progressive quartet navigate the boundaries of modern metal, intricately amalgamating an eclectic mix of engaging influences to create a formidable sound that challenges and excites. Their self-titled debut EP, which arrived in 2019, balanced aggression and dynamism against melodic reprises, and was followed by a string of powerful & distinctive singles. Complemented by an array of evocative music videos that showcase their diverse style and pass...

  RISTRIDI states about "Genesis": "'Genesis' is a song about my personal dealings with difficult times, with which I want to express the inner conflict about the new start after personal problems. Knowing that all the 'promises' and expectations of life you had as a young adult were always empty, there is still a little bit of hope that things will get better again. That this will be an uphill battle and that one will once again 'conspire' against oneself is clear from the beginning. But through creativity and with perseverance you may manage to take one step after the other and find new strength - even if the new songs and texts that emerge may never reach the public." Check out the video for "Genesis": RISTRIDI is best known on YouTube for his guitar covers. With over 20,000 subscribers, he regularly amazes his audience with his clear and precise playing. Until 2023, he was also the lead guitarist of the German dark metal insti...

  Calgary's own prog-power band Red Cain drop their new single The Great Hunt from the band's upcoming album NÄE'BLISS, out everywhere on June 2nd. Accompanying the single, the band shares a music video filmed at their most recent live performance. The Great Hunt displays the band's cinematic influences right out of the gate, opening up with a haunting intro and quickly ascending flawlessly into the classic progressive heavy metal sound they are known for. The latest single off of the upcoming album NÄE'BLISS is reminiscent of Periphery, Kamelot, Mastodon, and others like them, seamlessly blending heavy melodic undertones with progressive power metal instrumentals and striking vocals. On the single, the band comments: "And now - the Hunt is on! With our last single for the upcoming album NÄE'BLISS, we are pleased to debut one of the heaviest tracks in the Red Cain repertoire - The Great Hunt. A stomping, driven ¾ march utilizing 8-string guitars and layers ...

  Award winning Prog-metal three piece WEBB have announced details of their new album 'Deadly Sins and Virtues'. Ahead of the release, the band have premiered a music video for album track, 'Hope'. Watch 'Hope' (official music video): https://youtu.be/2A86eTYJkq4 "If there is no hope, we wouldn’t have anything to get excited about." explains vocalist/guitarist Ryan Webb. "Hope is such an important feeling. We all have hopes of one kind or another, whether it’s hoping people will become kinder towards each other, or even hoping a war will end. It’s definitely something we all need." Sonically powerful and progressive, WEBB deliver huge riffs, addictive hooks, and anthemic melodies throughout their album. ‘Deadly Sins and Virtues’. Mastered by Grammy Award winning mastering engineer Dave Collins (Metallica, Alice In Chains, Slipknot), ‘Deadly Sins and Virtues’ was produced and mixed by Ryan Webb in his studio. Focused, potent and all prevaili...

  HRH can barely contain their excitement as the full lineup is announced for what could possibly be the greatest HRH Prog yet. 3 amazing bands complete the stunning HRH Prog XII jigsaw with Americans Spock's Beard, Norway's Airbag and the UK's Jump added to the already strong lineup that includes Tangerine Dream, The Earth Band, Steeleye Span, Pendragon, Headspace, Galahad, Doris Brendel, IT, Solstice, Magenta and many more. HRH Prog XII takes place from 17th to 20th March 2022 in Great Yarmouth, England. Get ready to get lost inside 3 days of astonishing music as HRH Prog returns to the very popular residential format. The event is now 93% sold, but seeing as it's Easter HRH are offering an incredible 20% off for the next 4 days only - with just 48 rooms left and accommodation looking to sell out in record time, fans are urged to book early. Fans can use promo code HAPPYPROGEASTER at www.hrhrpog.com to get 20% off all packages for HRH Prog XII and witness one of the ...

Tomorrow, the Swiss Prog Metallers CELLAR DARLING kick off their European tour bringing their concept album 'The Spell' as well as their previously released sound tales to the European stages! They also announce an additional show, on which they will be supporting OPETH on October 27th in Norwich, UK. As a bonus, the band unveil the new video for 'Hang' from their latest album 'The Spell', which you can see here: https://youtu.be/_8ANMbIZ5z4 The band comment: "We welcome the beautiful colours of autumn with 'Hang', yet another animated video from our concept album 'The Spell', once again created by Costin Chioreanu. This is the 8th video in our ongoing series, in which every one of the 13 album tracks will receive a visual interpretation by Costin. We hope you enjoy it! We are also pleased to announce that we'll be joining the one and only OPETH at their upcoming show on 27 October 2019 at the Nick Rayns LCR UEA in Nor...

LETTERS FROM THE COLONY RELEASE SURREAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR 'ERASING CONTRAST' FROM THEIR DEBUT ALBUM VIGNETTE On February 16th, prog metal architects LETTERS FROM THE COLONY will guide listeners into their world of math metal, crushing death elements and virtuosic shoegaze, all united in their debut album Vignette. After announcing their signing to Nuclear Blast, a calm before the storm prevailed until now. Today the five young Swedes from Borlänge present the video for their first single 'Erasing Contrast': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSanE0Izc70 Singer Alexander Backlund comments: "We're proud to share the first single off of our debut album 'Vignette'. 'Erasing Contrast' saw it's completion shortly after I joined the band, and is in many ways the song that set this whole thing in motion for us. The lyrics — which were my first musical contribution — are about this sort of phantom self that haunts all of us; our ideal selve...

Prog metallers, Vrona released their debut EP 'A Lapse In Time' last year which received positive press and even led to them being compared to the likes of heavyweights Karnivool, TesseracT and Tool, minus the vocals, as in 2016 they were an instrumental act. Now in 2017, they are back, not only with a new two-track release titled 'Impermanence' but they have also unveiled and added an extra dimension to their already massive sound with the introduction of a vocalist Jamie Ball. The main title track 'Impermanence' is ambient and textured. The vocals are pleasant, captivating and varied which immediately gives them a different feel and layer, proving that adding vocalist Jamie was a wise move. It features soaring and powerful moments throughout. The fact that they now have vocals doesn't overpower the well crafted and intelligible instruments either but only acts as the perfect unison, with both complimenting each other wonderfully. They are all impr...