Showing posts with label Dream Theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dream Theater. Show all posts

Short Cuts: Dream Theater, Magnum, Steven Wilson

CD Review: Magnum – Sacred Blood "Divine" Lies
Steamhammer/SPV
All Access Rating: A-

Magnum - Sacred Blood
"Divine" Lies 2016
Forever inhabiting and exploring the more progressive terrain of hard rock and heavy metal, the good ship Magnum forges ahead, its old parts still in good working order. Dependent on the prolific songwriting of Tony Clarkin, brilliant instrumental chops and the emotional, expressive delivery of singer Bob Catley, Magnum's dramatic power reaches critical mass on the worldly, dynamic and engaging – if at times overly sentimental – Sacred Blood "Divine" Lies. Here's where an uplifting, heavenly ballad such as "Your Dreams Won't Die" can soothe nerves put on edge by the menacing undercurrents and tightly drawn guitar figures of a title track destined to become a Magnum classic. Where the bracing stomp and racing heartbeat of "Princess In Rags (The Cult)" propels a grandiose scheme, the rousing anthem "Crazy Old Mothers" seeks adventure and renewed vitality and finds both in spades. The divine and the sacred are found here.

CD Review: Steven Wilson – 4 1/2
Kscope
All Access Rating: A
Steven Wilson - 41/2 2016

Most of 4 1/2 comprises disparate scraps left over from the critically acclaimed Hand. Cannot. Erase., as progressive-rock auteur Steven Wilson seamlessly pieces together a lush, celestial quilt of a six-song EP that holds together remarkably well. Moments of blossoming transcendence emerge from immersive instrumentals like "Year of the Plague," but it's the well-crafted, flowing melodies of "My Book Of Regrets," interrupted by a jazzy eruption and dissolving into a spacious, dreamy interlude, and "Happiness III" that worm their way into listeners' memories and set up permanent residences. A live recording of the Porcupine Tree favorite "Don't Hate Me," further manicured in the studio, closes this brief chapter in Wilson's creative arc with its haunting grace and sense of desperation, as Wilson and Ninet Tayeb exchange lovely male-female vocal retorts in a duet full of world-weary, heartfelt yearning. Mini-LPs like this are rarely essential. This one is an exception.

CD Review: Dream Theater – The Astonishing
Roadrunner Records
All Access Rating: B+

Dream Theater - The Astonishing 2016
Even those with voracious appetites for all things Dream Theater might find The Astonishing to be a lot to digest. Bulging at the seams with 34 tracks spread across two CDs, interspersed with quite a bit of filler, it might be the progressive-metal institution's most theatrical and ambitious undertaking, its grand compositions artfully emboldened and fleshed out by an orchestra and choir conducted by David Campbell. A cinematic concept album touching on themes similar to Rush's magnum opus 2112, The Astonishing imagines a future where the oppressed revolt against a totalitarian regime going to extremes to control the masses, but there is also a refreshing romantic element to the story. The sweeping majesty of "2285 Entr'acte" opens Disc 2 with dramatic force, whereas the passionate urgency and motoring drive of both "Moment of Betrayal" and "My Last Farewell" seem engulfed in a violent energy and "Dystopian Overture" blackens into an ominous storm cloud gathering strength, just before the innocent longing and immaculately conceived songcraft of "The Gift Of Music" let in the light. Settle in, because it's going to take some time to fully appreciate and comprehend what Dream Theater has accomplished here.

Heart Of Storm merges dance and rock

Supergroup convenes to back Russian ballet

Heart Of Storm is a live mix of
rock music and Russian Ballet.
Take the glitzy bravado and loud bluster of a rock concert, pair it with the athletic beauty of Russian ballet and it all adds up to Heart Of Storm.

A unique artistic and cultural experience, Heart Of Storm will make its premiere in Los Angeles on Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25, at the Orpheum Theatre.

As for the all-star band that will be accompanying the dancers live, it'll feature many familiar names, including keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater), drummer Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, Electric Light Orchestra), guitarist Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio) bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers), Brent Woods (Warrant, Sebastian Bach), and saxphonist Brandon Fields (Tower Of Power, George Benson).

They teamed up with talented young Russian-Korean choreographer Stas Tsoy to tell the tale of a young major named Storm as he travels the labyrinthian depths of life, death and love with stunning visuals and powerful, and oftentimes symphonic, music. The dancing talent spans the Bolshoi Theatre, Swan Lake and the Nutcracker. Visit www.redrockballet.com for more information. To get tickets to the show, go to tickets@redrockballet.com.

Sherinian, Bissonette, Aldrich and Franklin took time out to talk about the project in this interview:

When did the whole idea for Heart Of Storm evolve from? What sparked it for you?
Derek Sherinian: The creator Alex Semenov approached me in late 2013 to produce and play on a rock instrumental record. Alex decided to have choreographed ballet performing live along witha rock band, he found Stas Tsoy, a talent Russian-Korean choreographer, and this sounded like an exciting, unique opportunity to me.

What was your vision for this artistically? What message do you guys want to get across? What should people walk away with?
Doug Aldrich: Artistically, I thought this was a cool fusion of arts, and I wanted an opportunity to push myself in some new directions after Whitesnake. This was really something interesting and obviously with a great bunch of friends that also happen to be at the top level as musicians. I hope to have people walk away feeling happy to see and hear something fresh that is a new idea.

Derek Sherinian: Heart Of Storm is Alex Semenov's vision. My job is to help him see his vision through on the musical end.

Tony Franklin: Heart Of Storm is part rock show, part Russian ballet – with a killer band, featuring top-name rock musicians – and world-class Russian ballet. "Storm" is the main character, and the storyline follows his tumultuous journey of love, anger, jealousy and death. But this is not just a dance show with accompanying rock music. Both the band and ballet are interwoven into a unique, powerful and emotional performance. I've never seen anything like it.

How did the idea of fusing the music with ballet come about? How did you create the songs to fit with the ballet choreography?
Derek Sherinian: The music was written first, and then the dancing was choreographed afterwards.

Doug Aldrich: Music has always been in ballet I guess, but this is a fresh approach that the composer felt would be more intense and fit well with the choreography. It could possibly reach a new audience that might otherwise skip ballet. I myself have never been to a ballet, but now I'm interested. The Red Rock Ballet is made up of very talented young dancers from Russia.

What is the story of Heart Of Storm? Tell us about the production and look of the show.
Tony Franklin: The Orpheum Theater is the perfect setting. In the Broadway Theater District of Los Angeles, it has a long history dating back to the 1920s. The list of artists who've performed here is remarkable, including Judy Garland, the Marx Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Little Richard, Stevie Wonder – the list goes on. "American Idol" and "Amerca's Got Talent" are also filmed here. The Orpheum stage has been transformed to accommodate the unique Heart Of Storm production. The lights, the setting, the sound and performances are all fine-tuned to express the broad array of emotions of the storyline. I'm really excited to be part of Heart Of Storm.

Doug Aldrich: I was so immersed in learning the material that I didn't really know much about the story at first. But once we started to run the show together, it all made sense ... The look seems to be heavy ... very edgy, but with classic ballet feel in spots. In other places, it probably pushes the limit a bit.

Can you elaborate on the band's chemistry? What's the dynamic like?
Derek Sherinian: Everyone in this band is not only incredible musicians, but incredible people as well. Tony Franklin and Gregg Bissonette are hands down the nicest rhythm section in rock! I am truly blessed to be working with such a great team of people across the board.

Doug Aldrich: Derek is our fearless leader and has put together a very diverse bunch of people to perform the music. I know Derek has been working on this for some time. Then I happened to be in Moscow for a day, and I got a phone call from Brent Woods saying that he and Derek were out at a party in town and asked if I wanted to join (laughs). I was asleep and jet-lagged, so I didn't go, but a few months later Derek started to think about this production and called me to play. I have to say, it's been a huge amount of work for me to get up to speed, but we had so much fun that time has flown by. We are all very different people, so it feels unlike any project I've been in. Gregg and Brent secretly coordinated wardrobe the entire time showing up with the same shit and shoes or whatever ... tony is truly one of the nicest people you could ever meet. His playing is just astouding ... so giant. Like all the guys I reckon. Brandon has just blown me away ... with horns and flutes!! He has been very patient wiht his as he has not had to deal with a band this loud. But he seriously shreds if that can be deemed a compliment from me. Derek is that bad boy dude with chops that will back it up. Derek and Brent are serious gearheads, which, of course, I can relate to. Derek has more gear than just about anyone I know ... I get it. There is always more room for something new. Brent plays so awesome. I'm really glad to work with him. He is playing solos as well, but also doing acoustic work, which is very important with a ballet. Gregg is joking around all the time ... always, but he is just an insanely talented player. He, like all the guys, has played with the best of the best, 'cause they are that good.

Gregg Bissonette: The band chemistry is awesome. I've been a fan of all of these musicians for many years and have played with everyone before except Brent Woods, but now he's my new best friend. The first day I showed up for rehearsal, I was wearing a red Foo Fighters shirt and black jeans and Brent was wearing a red shirt and black jeans. Everyone commented on it, so each morning we decided to mess with the others by calling ahead of time and wearing the same colors. It took them a while to figure it out, and they thought we were on the same wave length, but they quickly caught on. We all take the music seriously, as a drummer in the band you have two-man jobs: the tempo and controlling the dynamics ... bringing it way down and way up when you need to. Brandon is one of the world's greatest sax players and I've played with him at the Baked Potato Jazz club in L.A., on his solo albums, and we were in the house band for the Latin Grammys a few years ago. I was in a band with Derek called Jughead, which my brother, Matt Bissonette (Elton John's bassist) and Ty Tabor (King's X) were also in. Derek and I played in Italy with Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple, that's where I played with Doug Aldrich as well. Tony Franklin and I have played a ton together over the years and have been great pals for 20 years. We played years ago on a movie called Endless Summer 2. It was a surf movie. We've done a million albums together and toured all over the world. Derek is the glue that brought us all together. He is a great guy, a fantastic musician, and a wonderful producer and band leader. The music we are playing with Heart Of Storm is written so well that it lends itself to having a lot of dynamics, (playing at different musical volume levels). It's very passionate music and when everyone sees the dancers and storyline, they will love it and see that it's all brilliantly connected.

Drumroll Please...Welcome The Many Heads Of Mike Portnoy

He doesn't always take a break, but when he does, he will be in two continents at the same time, recording with one band and performing with two others.

Mike Portnoy is the heavy-metal personification of the energizer bunny. With arms like an octopus and the brains of a polymath, Portnoy is as versatile as they come. And the beauty of it all...it is all driven by his unrelenting passion for (making) music.

Mike recently found 23 minutes of unexpected free time and decided to pull the rake through his closet to select an impressive assortment of high-caliber collectibles that will hit the auction block next week.

Partnering with Backstage Auctions, Portnoy is offering a wide range of recording used drum sticks and drum heads, as well as a jaw-dropping collection of concert used bass drum heads, that include tours with Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Transatlantic, Flying Colors and even Yellow Mellow Custard.

But why stop there? If a G3 tour used bass drum won't fill your appetite, or a complete set of his very first ever drum road cases, Mike has done something that's even a first for him; letting go of a complete drum kit. And not just any kit - we are talking about his legendary Mapex kit as used on the 1994 - 1995 'Awake' album recording and tour.


Mike Portnoy's Mapex Drum Kit
Owning a true piece of Mike Portnoy memorabilia does not come with the guarantee that you will end up being the virtuoso he is, but it does come with a signed Certificate of Authenticity, a great deal of history and the spirit of passion and inspiration!

The Rock Gods & Metal Monsters Auction will be live from June 20th – 28th with a special VIP Preview that starts June 13th. If you are not registered for your All Access Auction Pass, rock on over and sign up today – it takes just a minute and there is no fee to sign up.
Link: All Access Registration

Follow Backstage Auctions on Twitter and Facebook for auction highlights before, during and after the event. 



'That Metal Show' announces first guests

Rush, Dream Theater fans ought to be excited
By Peter Lindblad

'That Metal Show' returns Feb. 21 with
hosts Jim Florentine, Eddie Trunk
and Don Jamieson
The waiting is over. "That Metal Show" returns Feb. 21 on VH1 Classic, and, drum roll please, who will be the first guest? Why it's none other than today's Tom Sawyer Rush's Geddy Lee!

It'll be his second appearance on the acclaimed hard rock/heavy metal program, hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine. Lee will be there ostensibly to promote this summer's highly anticipated Rush R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour, a 34-city run through North America.

"Back when 'TMS' was first born Geddy & Alex were nice enough to fly to New York and be a guest in our very first season. I've always had a great relationship with the Rush guys and it meant so much to me they were willing to support something that I was doing that at that point hardly anyone had seen or heard of," said host/co-producer Eddie Trunk. "Amazingly, almost seven years have passed and we're now about to debut our 14th season of 'That Metal Show' and I couldn't be more honored to welcome back Geddy to the set to celebrate 40-plus years of Rush and the return of 'TMS'!"

There's another little surprise in store for viewers of the season premiere, as Dream Theater's seven-string virtuoso John Petrucci will make his inaugural appearance on the debut episode. Dream Theater is currently working on a new album, expected to be released later this year.

All the TMS favorite segments are back, including "Metal Modem," "TMS Top 5," "Rank" and "Take It Or Leave It," as well as "Stump The Trunk" and Ms. Box Of Junk, Jennifer.

Fans can watch previous episodes and other exclusive bonus clips at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and the new VH1 app.


TMS debuted on VH1 Classic in November 2008. Check out That Metal Show's Facebook page for more information at https://www.facebook.com/thatmetalshow

Dream Theater app now available

Prog-metal outfit to offer fans increased interactivity

Mativision happily announces the release of their DreamTheater360° App on Android on June 9, 2014. The Android DreamTheater360° App offers fans a unique 360° interactive experience into the Grammy-nominated progressive metal titans’ performance, as captured onstage by Mativision® multi-camera 360° video technology at Luna Park in Buenos Aires. (App Promo video: http://youtu.be/d6t3z-vuS0M)


In its first release, the Android DreamTheater360° App will include two interactive 360° songs filmed and produced using the Mativision technology, which virtually transports fans directly onto the Luna Park stage right next to the band members and completely immerses them in a unique experience that they can control in real time. 

Each fan can direct the show by manipulating Mativision’s multi-camera player, and enjoy the concert in any way they want. Fans can seamlessly choose among six different cameras while also having the capability to rotate each camera angle and zoom in and out, by tapping and dragging. More 360° interactive Luna Park songs will be added to the Android App every week, at no extra charge to Android DreamTheater360° App users.

The Android DreamTheater360° App is available on the Google Play Store, priced at $9,99.https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mativision.dt360Complete

CD Review: Winger – Better Days Comin'

CD Review: Winger – Better Days Comin'
Frontiers Records
All Access Rating: A-

Winger - Better Days Comin' 2014
Winger's Karma has decidedly taken a turn for the better. Once bashed by critics, constantly derided on "Beavis and Butt-head" and symbolically trashed by Metallica in the video for "Nothing Else Matters," where Lars Ulrich tosses darts at a poster of Kip Winger, these '80s purveyors of melodic metal had seen their career trajectory crash and burn in the '90s. And then grunge came along and finished the job.

Their reputation shot to hell, Winger disbanded in 1994, but the story doesn't end there. A damn sight more intelligent and musically sophisticated than the hair-metal crowd they ran with, a resilient Winger reunited in 2001, and eight years later, intent on restoring their good name, they issued Karma, their fifth studio album. 

Unexpectedly heavy and disarmingly alluring, with a series of intricate progressive-rock instrumental passages, Karma was remarkable, a stunning reminder of what Winger was capable of when properly motivated. Out via Frontiers RecordsBetter Days Comin' is more of the same, and perhaps even more dynamic than its much-praised predecessor.

Cementing its reputation as the "Dream Theater of pop-metal," Winger's compositions are artfully sketched out on Better Days Comin', where they trot out the sweeping, atmospheric epic "Out of this World" as the album's closer, its moody clouds pierced by the lighting bolts of a spectacular guitar solo. Guitarists Reb Beach and John Roth are as sharp as ever here, their byzantine leads and riffs biting down hard on sizzling, irresistibly crunchy rockers such as the gritty "Rat Race," the lust-filled "Midnight Driver of a Love Machine" – which has a memorable little earwig of a chorus – and the grinding "Another Beautiful Day."

Strangely colorful and maneuvering in the odd time signatures of a band like Yes, "Tin Soldier" weaves through prog-rock's twisting back roads and takes in beautifully diverse, ever-shifting instrumental scenery, while occasionally encountering slight dissonance. On the brighter, funkier title track, Winger embraces its inner Sly and the Family Stone and shining optimism, before settling into the drifting, Beatlesque psychedelia of "Be Who You Are, Now."

The genius of Winger is that they make challenging music that's also warmly human and accessible, all of it consisting of the tricky, yet powerful drumming of former Dixie Dreg Rod Morgenstein, silvery synthesizers, sure hooks and Kip Winger's gripping vocals. It seems Beavis and Butt-head had them all wrong.
– Peter Lindblad

New Dream Theater DVD hits No. 1

Dream Theater - Live at Luna Park 2013
Being nominated for a Grammy is nice. Having the No. 1 DVD in the country is a pretty big deal also.

Dream Theater's "Live at Luna Park" has landed in the top spot on the Soundscan Music DVD chart. Not too long ago, the progressive-metal giants debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's "Hard Rock Albums" chart for their latest self-titled album on Roadrunner Records.

Released Nov. 5 in various forms by Eagle Rock Entertainment, "Live at Luna Park"  is available as a double DVD version, a digital video offering and a packed-to-the-gills deluxe edition that boasts a 60-page hardback phonebook, Blu-ray, two DVDs and three CDs.

While on the final leg of their "A Dramatic Turn of Events" world tour in July 2011, Dream Theater's breathtaking and powerful performance at Luna Park Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was filmed for this overstuffed release. 

Along with the 160-minute main show, there is a bonanza of bonus material, including a trailer for the cinematic release, a documentary, a "behind the scenes" feature and an animated intro played on the big screen just prior to Dream Theater's entrance at Luna Park. 

Classic Dream Theater pieces such as "The Silent Man," "Pull Me Under," "The Test That Stumped Them All," "The Spirit Carries On," "Metropolis Pt. 1" and "On the Backs of Angels" are all here. Dream Theater earned a Grammy nod in 2012 for "On the Backs of Angels" door Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance.

Dream Theater formed in 1985 as Majesty, with John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy joining forces as founders. 

The trio stayed together for a good long while through a slew of lineup changes, adding James LaBrie and Jordan Rudess along the way. Portnoy departed in September 2010 and has since been replaced by Mike Mangini.


For a sneak peek at "Live at Luna Park," visit  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDY0hjky7i0.

CD Review: Paradox – Tales of the Weird


CD Review: Paradox – Tales of the Weird
AFM Records
All Access Review: B+

Paradox - Tales of the Weird 2013
Claudio Bergamin sure has a way with apocalyptic imagery. His cover art for Tales of the Weird, the first new album in three years from Germanic thrash/power metal mavens Paradox, is certainly eye-catching, what with the creepy cloaked figures wandering about a wintry, burned-out landscape surveying the destruction as broken pieces of what may be a meteor fall from the sky on what has to be an alien planet.

Were this the 1980s, that sort of scene on a vinyl sleeve would have geeky teenage metal fans that had nothing better to do during the day but hang around record stores frothing at the mouth. This being the digital age, Bergamin’s imaginative, sci-fi/horror vision simply won’t have the impact on sales it would in the dwindling brick-and-mortar universe, but it does accomplish something for Paradox. And that is, it rectifies the cardinal sin of sequencing Paradox commits by opening the record with the 9:19 title track, an unwieldy, power-sapping mish-mash of conflicting and unfulfilled ideas that quickly unravel and fail to gain any real traction – despite some serious guitar shredding and the occasional attention-grabbing riff from Charly Steinhauer and Christian Munzer.

Hardy and fair-minded listeners who’ve crawled through that obstacle course of barely listenable challenges are rewarded with action-packed, dizzying progressive-metal mazes of dramatic arrangements, blinding tempos, pristine production and spectacular melodies. Among the most gripping and frantic tracks are “Escalation,” the multi-layered “Brainwashed,” “The Downward Spiral and “Slashdead” – all of them synthesizing Dream Theater and Metallica in combining fluid, fleet-fingered fretwork, flights of classical bombast and pounding, frenzied rhythms as unstoppable as a runaway train. Heavier than most of Tales of the Weird, but still fast as can be, “Brutalized” is Paradox on steroids, yet floating over this riotous, skull-crushing mayhem going on at street level is this strangely beautiful little guitar melody that somehow avoids being sucked into the tumult. Look for it and don’t miss it, make sure to stop and appreciate the pretty, well-designed acoustic guitar interlude “Zeitgeist” – they could get lost in all the brazen firepower Paradox unloads on Tales of the Weird.

Still, it all comes together for Paradox on the expansive and melodic “Fragile Alliance,” a raging river of monstrous, thick riffage, power-metal theatrics and vast, canyon-like vocal choruses. And yet for all of its extraordinary technical brilliance, its racing blend of power and speed, and its sheer immensity, Tales of the Weird suffers somewhat from ... well, a paradox. Trying to balance the desire to thrash like there’s no tomorrow with a flair for the dramatic is tricky for Paradox, especially with a singer whose strength is dynamic expression rather than brute force. Furthermore, the listener fatigue that comes with being bombarded every possible moment with instrumental fireworks is a very real problem. Paradox has the best of intentions with their cover of Rainbow’s “A Light in the Black,” but it’s too much, with whirls of synthesizer competing against a sensory overload of their own creation. And yet “Tales of the Weird” is a real page-turner once you get past the first chapter. (www.afm-records.de)

-            Peter Lindblad

Metal Evolution - "Progressive Metal"

Metal Evolution - "Progressive Metal"
Sam Dunn
VH1 Classic


All Access Review:  A-

As if channeling some malevolent force from the Great Beyond, the moody schizophrenia and heart-of-darkness explorations of King Crimson's unsettling early 1970s progressive-rock seemed to emanate pure evil. Where more timid musical spirits braked to a screeching halt at the borders of that uncharted musical territory they explored with such curiosity, Robert Fripp and company pressed on, eager to discover bizarre sounds and encounter odd time signatures while welcoming any weirdness that might suddenly jump out at them from the blackness. Hardier souls like Metallica's Kirk Hammett embraced the more disturbing and strangely foreign elements of Crimson's oeuvre, and some, like Classic Rock magazine's Jerry Ewing, even go so far as to consider them a proto-thrash outfit.

It's not quite as easy as it sounds to establish that link between the early forefathers of English prog-rock, like Yes and Genesis, and heavy metal, but filmmaker Sam Dunn and his co-conspirators do just that in the beginning of "Progressive Metal," the latest chapter in his "Metal Evolution" series that's been dominating the airwaves on VH-1 Classic over the last few months. Over the life of "Metal Evolution," Dunn has shown the ability to make connections that don't seem patently obvious, and he doesn't do it in a ham-fisted manner. With regard to Crimson's influence on thrash, Dunn lets Hammett and Ewing make the case for him. And Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, also interviewed by Dunn, bolsters the argument by adding "I doff my cap" to metal artists who have shown an affinity for weighty, challenging music. 

And this heavy metal sub-genre certainly has its share of challenging artists. There's the mysterious complexity of Tool and the blend of raging thrash metal, technical brilliance and melodic playfulness of Dream Theater - Dunn's inquisitive nature leading him to revisit Dream Theater's somewhat rebellious Berklee College of Music experience and study Tool's brooding intensity and penchant for remaining anonymous. All of that, however, is nothing compared to the extreme lengths Meshuggah goes to in pounding out its jazz-infected death metal assault or the completely insane prog-metal noise riots Dillinger Escape Plan ignites onstage. It is at this point that Dunn wonders if progressive-metal hasn't gone too far, the furious live clips of Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan leaving viewers with mouths gaping wide. Mastodon brings "Progressive Metal" back to some semblance of normalcy, the Atlanta, Ga., prog-metal outfit combining unrelenting heaviness, surging power and intricate instrumentation on albums such as the "Moby Dick"-style concept record Leviathan, one of the truly important rock albums of the last decade. Dunn isn't shy about singing Mastodon's praises, and with good reason, considering the focused study of Leviathan he undertakes. Their lofty ambitions, Brann Dailor's multi-dimensional drumming, the hoary vocal blending of Dailor, Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders, and the sheer immensity of their sound has turned Mastodon into what is perhaps the biggest force in metal today, at least among the more independent-minded metal denizens plying their trade.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the fearless experimentation of 1970s progressive-rock envelope-pushers Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson. Dailor cites Crimson and Genesis, in particular, as inspiration at the beginning of "Progressive Metal," which leads Dunn to craft a concise, yet compelling history of prog-rock through intelligent, insightful interviews with the likes of Hackett, Yes/King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, and Yes bassist Chris Squire, along with Ewing and another Crimson drummer, Michael Giles. Augmenting the tightly edited and endlessly fascinating dialogue is a series of period live footage from Crimson - playing "21st Century Schizoid Man" - and Yes, shown performing a lively, boisterous version of "Roundabout" that makes present-day Yes seem impotent by comparison.

Once Dunn dispenses with the old guard, he turns his camera eye on Rush. Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson, and Geddy Lee are all interviewed for Dunn's piece, and their commentary on the transition from Caress of Steel to 2112 is informative and interesting. Clearly, Rush is the suspension bridge that connects old-school prog and the progressive-metal community that is driving metal out of all its predictable ghettos and into places where others fear to tread. Dunn's keen interest in Rush shows, resulting in a long segment on the band's development from basic, blue-collar hard-rock dynamos to a trio that isn't afraid to stretch the limits of imagination. That hunger to expand and grow that's made Rush an enduring proposition has undoubtedly made an impact on the upstart metal bands swept up in their hugely influential wake. Plenty of Rush live footage - from yesterday and today - is offered that puts the band's rugged, uncompromising, and dynamic musicianship on display in "Progressive Metal," and when Lee, in his talk with Dunn, mentions how radio contains many "empty calories" and that people will also be on the lookout for interesting, unconventional music, it gives one a glimmer of hope that many will turn to early Genesis, Crimson and Yes to scratch that itch.

Though Dunn takes a more linear - and therefore, less artful - path in detailing progressive-metal's rise, he handles the subject matter with characteristic humility and sincere interest. He is thorough in his investigation of progressive-metal, leaving very few stones unturned. "Progressive Metal" is the last episode of the season for "Metal Evolution," and it is a strong chapter in the series. Whatever Dunn has up his sleeve for the future let's hope it matches the detailed examinations, intellectual groping and witty humor that have made "Metal Evolution" such wonderful television.


- Peter Lindblad


Metal Evolution - Progressive Metal
Watch the Full Episode - Here and Now!