Zeuhl; Jazz rock
Latest: Evil Erbez (2026). June 3
After a decade of silence, Rhun has become very active and are releasing their third album in four years.
12/14/13 (new entry)
May 31, 2026
Polis ~ Germany
Heavy prog
Latest: Pilger (2026) June 7
Weitklang (2020)
Funny to see the name of Polis, as that's the name of our current governor here in Colorado. I'm guessing it's a German word meaning "raise your taxes."
Speaking of which, language plays a major role in the sound of Polis. They sing defiantly in their native German, and from my perspective that's a positive development. Indigenous languages offer up one more ingredient to the stew. Because of this, the first thought one might have is Weitklang is Deutschrock, but that's certainly not the case here. Because they are located in the former East Germany, it's also been suggested they represent the sounds of the late 70s and early 80s GDR progressive rock bands. I don't hear that either, primarily because the guitars are of the modern variety. The heavy guitar tone conjured up on Weitklang is very much of a post 90s sound. It's this same guitar that also keeps it from the retro prog realms, that I originally thought it might fit comfortably with. The real stars of the show are the analog keyboard beasts of yore, primarily Hammond organ and analog synthesizers. This keeps the balance nicely and the album avoids falling into the stoner trap. Apparently Polis started as a blues rock band, and that's apparent in some of the guitar solo parts. I'm not so keen on the songs themselves, but most of the tracks have some fine instrumental mid sections.
2/5/24 (review)
2/5/24 (new entry)
May 19, 2026
Quantum Fantay ~ Belgium
UK Festival styled psych; Space rock
Latest: The Butterfly EffeX (2026)
UMR review page for Quantum Fantay
9/14/12 (new entry)
April 28, 2026
Hex A.D. ~ Norway
Retro Hard Rock; Progressive rock
Latest: Surgical Cuts in the Cosmos (2026). May 22.
Astro Tongue in the Electric Garden (2020)
I wasn't sold at first on the 3rd album by this Norwegian band. The first track sounds like Candlemass and 'Astro Tongue' has all the trappings of a typical Stoner album. While those two genres are welcome here, it's not something I'm on the lookout for. I have plenty already and will likely trim some off the collection. Ah, but not so fast. Things get much more interesting on the proggy 'The Day the Sky Exploded', where keyboards and meter and thematic changes add a whole new dimension to their sound. The other two tracks on side one are pre and postludes. Fortunately all of Side two maintains the momentum, and there's even some Iron Maiden like riffing. The album sits at the border of hard rock and metal, with more than a nod to progressive rock. The difference maker is keyboardist Mags Johansen who brings a raft full of vintage keys, most notably mellotron and Hammond. The band's image is also mixed - the album cover demonstrating psychedelic prog, whereas the fonts and titles are Stoner all the way. The hype sticker is misleading as well, where it states this album is for fans of: Rush (huh?); Rainbow (que?); Iron Maiden (yes, but only Side 2); Opeth (well maybe, I know little about this band beyond Blackwater Park). In addition to the fine cover, there's a 4 page insert with band photos, lyrics, and album credits.
3/5/22 (review)
10/14/23 (new entry)
April 5, 2026
Trion ~ Netherlands
Progressive rock
Latest: Terra Tiempo (2026) Mar 30
Yet another band making a return that I thought was long gone.
2/8/11 (new entry)
March 29, 2026
French TV ~ USA ~ Louisville, Kentucky
Avant prog; Canterbury styled; Jazz fusion
Latest: The Spanish Caper (2026). Apr 24
9/30/11 (new entry)
March 22, 2026
The Cosmic Dead ~ Scotland
Space rock; Krautrock styled
Latest: Beyond the Beyond (2026) Apr 17
UMR review page for The Cosmic Dead
6/1/13 (new entry)
March 2, 2026
Telegraph ~ Israel
Retro prog
Bandcamp
Latest: Topography of Mind (2026). Digital only though they mentioned they are considering a CD and / or LP.
Latest: Topography of Mind (2026). Digital only though they mentioned they are considering a CD and / or LP.
6/18/20 (new entry)
Blues Pills ~ USA / Sweden
Blues rock; Hard rock
Latest: Birthday Live (2026)
I quite liked their first album, not so much the second. I need to revisit that first CD and get some notes down while continuing to explore their other works.
Albums heard: Blues Pills (2014); Lady in Gold (2016)
7/6/24 (new entry)
February 9, 2026
Hadal Sherpa ~ Finland
Space rock; UK Festival styled psych
Latest: Memoria (2026). Jan 22
This album is dedicated to the founder Vesa Pasanen, who died unexpectedly in 2025. At this point, it appears the band is calling it quits after this recording.
UMR review page for Hadal Sherpa
7/18/18 (new entry)
February 2, 2026
Agropelter ~ Norway
January 31, 2026
January 4, 2026
December 27, 2025
Secret Saucer ~ USA ~ Cleveland, Ohio
Space rock
Latest: Space Chamber Live (2025) Dec 15
2/8/11 (new entry)
December 14, 2025
Minimum Vital ~ France
Progressive rock; Folk rock
Latest: Le Royaume (2025). 12/12
Released ahead of schedule. Was originally planned for 2026.
UMR review page for Minimum Vital
7/24/11 (new entry)
November 29, 2025
Grovjobb ~ Sweden
Retro prog; Neo Psychedelic
Latest: Nallebjörn är Död (2025) 11/28
Here's another band I didn't think we'd ever hear from again. Lots of 20+ year reunions going on!
11/29/25 (new entry)
November 24, 2025
Aufklärung ~ Italy
Neo prog
Latest: Nell'idea De Un Tempo Che (2025) 9/30
Following on the heels of Tale Cue comes another band that I thought was long gone. I did manage a review last year, placed in the journals (below). If I get a chance to hear the new album, I may spin up a UMR page for them.
De La Tempesta… L'Oscuro Piacere. 1995 Pickup (CD). Collection revisit (Sep). Yet another obscure 90s prog CD languishing in the collection that hasn't been touched in over 20 years. Much praise was heaped onto Aufklarung's debut on release, as it offered more than the usual Marillion styled neo prog / arena rock coming from Italy. Their sole album possesses quality songwriting and challenging segments, but does suffer from a typical 90s production. Singing in English takes away from the "Italian" edge, and some of the music falls flat. As you'll see repeatedly below, it was "good for its time" but hasn't aged as well as some of the albums I've recently featured in UMR from this same era.
11/24/25 (new entry)
Aufklarung (for searches)
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News: A note from August 2019 gave an update on the various members, with no plans for new recordings. Last check: February 15, 2020 We... -
UK Festival styled psych; Space rock Facebook Bandcamp YouTube Latest: The Butterfly EffeX (2026) UMR review page for Quantum Fantay 9/14/12... -
Berlin School electronic Website Bandcamp Latest: Archives Volume 3 (2025) 11/21 It doesn't appear that FSP are active anymore, but they... -
Retro prog Facebook Bandcamp Latest: Panacea (2026). May 22 UMR review page for Agusa 5/10/14 (new entry) -
News: We recently heard from a label called Essence Music, and they've informed us of a new Spacious Mind release called The No. 4 o... -
News: OK, I really wasn't prepared for this. We've seen some crazy reunions, but this one has to take the cake. These guys have to... -
Retro prog Facebook Bandcamp Latest: Topography of Mind (2026). Digital only though they mentioned they are considering a CD and / or LP. U... -
News: I thought this band were inactive and I'd already archived this page. But they're back with a new live album celebrating the... -
News: Wolf People are currently touring Europe supporting their new album, the massively brilliant Ruins, which is one of the best neo ps... -
News: It appears the band played live at least once in 2019. Last check: February 15, 2020 Facebook Location: Tuscany (not sure the c...