Big Big Train is a band that I probably should have checked out sooner, but it wasn’t until the addition of Rikard Sjoblom in 2014 that I really started paying any attention to them. It said a lot to me that the lead player in Beardfish would join as a comparatively small part in a growing octet. Their first EP with Rikard, Wassail certainly confirmed my suspicion that there was something good happening, and the new album, Folklore shows a large and robust band following on all cylinders. The opening and title track, which also happens to be the lead single is so powerful it immediately enters in the competition for song of the year. The mixture of styles and the numerous voices of the band comes across fabulously, and the mix brings the many sounds of the band out well. As I mentioned during the show, I have given the station owners and hosts of Music in Widescreen a lot of crap over the years for their cult-like promotion of this band, but I have to say this album is a must buy. You can check out the single below, visit the band at their site here, and buy the album here.

Another fantastic recent release belongs to Eric Gillette, who joined forces with Thomas Lang, Conner Green, and Diego Tejeda to release his second solo album, The Great Unknown. You can buy the album directly from Eric here.

Next up is an album that I can’t wait for you all to hear, and thankfully it won’t take us nearly a decade to hear it this time. Fates Warning are primed to follow up Darkness in a Different Light with an even better offering, Theories of Flight, on July 1st. Mason is working on a full review, but it’s safe to say it will have a hefty endorsement from the both of us. Check out the lead single below and pre-order here.

Finally, the long wait to experience The Theater Equation is nearly over, and Ayreon‘s masterpiece, brought to life on stage, will be available for (some) customers on June 24th. It seems things have been delayed in North America and we might not get this until the end of July unfortunately. You can check out a video of “Love” below, and pre-order here.

2016-06-08

Big Big Train – Folklore

Eric Gillette – The Great Unknown

Haken – Eternal Rain

Ayreon – Love~

Fates Warning – From the Rooftops

O.S.I. – Indian Curse

Arch/Matheos – Midnight Serenade

Big Big Train – Along the Ridgeway

Moraz Album Project – The Drums Also Solo

Phideaux – Hive Mind

Redemption – Desperation, Pt. 1

Steel Prophet – When Six Was Nine

Dynazty – Keys to Paradise

Frost* – Numbers

Xen – Psycho Pilots

Lonely Robot – Lonely Robot

Vision Divine – 1st Day of a Never-Ending Day

Symphony X – Accolade II

Queensryche – Roads to Madness

Big Big Train – Salisbury Giant

Starsabout – Every Single Minute

Days Between Stations – How to Seduce a Ghost

Art of Illusion – Instinct

Dream Theater – Wait for Sleep

Dream Theater – Learning to Live