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Roots Remain: A Conversation With Bill Kelliher of Mastodon

Among other things, Mastodon rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher delves into how loss and life shaped their sixth outing, Emperor of Sand.

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Entering the Void: A Reflection on Beardfish

Beardfish may've broken up, but they left us with one of the most humorous, colorful, intricate, and distinctive discographies in all of progressive rock.

Music

Marrow of Their Spirits: A Reflection on Agalloch

Agalloch regularly melded metaphysical ponderings into its light-and-dark sonic tapestries, yielding a catalog that’s as enticing intellectually as it is musically.

Music

Destined for Greatness: A Conversation With Rikard Sjöblom of Beardfish

Beardfish frontman Sjöblom discusses the makings of his latest solo effort, The Unbendable Sleep, as well as the future of Beardfish, Big Big Train, and more.

Music

In Keeping No Secrets: A Conversation with Josh Eppard of Coheed and Cambria

Drummer Josh Eppard offers a jovial yet highly earnest examination of how his career, personal demons, and pop culture interests relate to Coheed and Cambria's newest disc, The Color Before the Sun.

Music

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The purpose of this column has been to revisit, reassess and, above all, celebrate classic prog rock, so it’s inevitable we name names and select the best of the best.

Music

Turning Dreams Into Reality: A Conversation With Piotr Grudziński of Riverside

Guitarist Piotr Grudziński reflects on the inspirations, processes, and intentions that make Riverside's latest opus, Love, Fear and the Time Machine, another fearless trip into its distinctive and beloved style.

Music

Shrines of Supremacy: The Five Best Riverside Songs (So Far)

With Love, Fear and the Time Machine, arriving next month, it's worth discussing why these five tracks make Polish quartet Riverside one of the best modern prog rock bands.

Music

Reappraising Ian Anderson's 'Minstrel in the Gallery'

Minstrel in the Gallery seems as autobiographical as any Jethro Tull album, before or after, and there is a vulnerability and sensitivity that the songwriter was simply growing into.

Music

Keeping the Acclaim: The Legacy of Coheed and Cambria's 'Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV'

A decade after its release, Coheed and Cambria's third full-length album remains the group's highest benchmark, as well as one of the genre's best modern albums.

Music

Jethro Tull: Back to Basics (Sort Of)

After the back-to-back-to-back brilliance of their previous three albums, a letdown seemed inevitable; amazingly, Ian Anderson & Co. raised the bar, instead.

Interviews

Genius. Doesn't. Fade: A Conversation With Steven Wilson

Revered English musical visionary Steven Wilson discusses the inspirations, methods, and reflections that helped create his newest solo opus, Hand. Cannot. Erase.

Music

Miraculous Metropolis: A Reflection on Dream Theater's 'Scenes from a Memory'

Fifteen years after its release, Dream Theater's fifth LP remains not only the quintet's truest masterpiece, but arguably the greatest progressive metal album ever made.

Music

The Moody Blues: Masters of the Mini Epic

While so many of their progressive rock contemporaries were writing novels in the form of side-long suites, the Moody Blues were masters of the short story.

Interviews

What He Has Sown: A Conversation With Bruce Soord of the Pineapple Thief

The Pineapple Thief mastermind delves into the making of Magnolia, the [un]fair criticisms of fans, and the joys of modern Opeth, among many other topics.

Music

How About Some Unironic Love for Emerson, Lake & Palmer?

Love them or loathe them, Emerson, Lake & Palmer wore immoderation like a badge of courage.

Music

Wond'ring Aloud: A Conversation with Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson

As the creative mastermind behind Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson is often considered one of the most distinct musicians of the past 50 years.

Music

Ripe with Rich Attainments: Jethro Tull's 'A Passion Play', Reassessed

A Passion Play tends to draw the most resistance from even prog-rock aficionados; it obliges time and attention to let it work its charms.

Music

Benighted by Beauty: The Legacy of Opeth's 'Still Life'

Still Life's narrative borders on Shakespearean levels of romantic tragedy and social commentary, making it the most poetic and philosophical in Opeth’s catalogue.

Music

Never One for Striped Trousers: Talking Shop with Steve Howe

Steve Howe and his Yes bandmates are obviously driven by a desire, perhaps an obsession, to measure up favorably, and to improve upon what they’ve already achieved.

Music

Omniscient Visions: The Genius of Devin Townsend

There's no modern prog musician whose approaches, innovations, and reinventions are as multifaceted, brave, intricate, and original as those of Devin Townsend.

Music

The Holy Trinity: Genesis

During this three album stretch, Genesis evinced as much growth and glory as any of their prog brethren, and the banner they raised still casts a huge and heavy shadow over everything that followed.

Music

Cherished Concepts in Current Prog Rock

Many diehard prog rock enthusiasts dismiss modern bands as inferior imitators. These three releases prove there are still a few visionaries out there.

Music

The Holy Trinity: Jethro Tull

Jethro Tull have always confounded critics, and despite albums sales, hit songs, influence and longevity, it is above all the brain of frontman Ian Anderson that ensures they will remain forever on the outside, looking in.

Music

The Holy Trinity: Yes

In addition to being one of the pivotal bands of the early '70s, Yes perfected prog-rock as a kind of performance art in sound.

Music

King Crimson: A Prog-Rock Case Study

King Crimson, as much as or more than any other prog rock band, consistently shaped and refined a unique vision, arguably creating whole new types of music in the process.

Music

Pink Floyd: The Prog Rock Archetype

Although they became hugely successful, Pink Floyd championed a type of integrity that seems uniquely associated with progressive rock: they never imitated anyone else or copied their own previous efforts.

Music

Time Stand Still: Why Rush Belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rush, as much as any rock band, represents the eternal present tense: they adapted and evolved in real time, reflecting the issues, sounds and styles of their day.

Music

1967 and the Prog-Rock Progenitors

If 1967 characterizes a high point where rock music could be appraised as Art, it also initiated an explicit realignment of what was henceforth possible.

Music

Why Is Prog Rock So Inadequate, Simplistic, Reductive, Portentous and Perfect?

Somewhere between the first hit of acid and the last ray of light from the disco ball, rock music got ambitious. What we would come to know as prog rock would go on to launch a million air guitars.

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