Odds & Ends: May 4, 2026

Band: Czyszy | Album: Aftermoon | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

On his latest release, one-man Polish experimental rock act Czyszy (pronounced “chih-shih”) draws heavily from classic ‘70s prog sounds. Yes, ELP, and Camel are all obvious influences, as are more recent emulators of that sound, like Wobbler. The playing is nimble and creative, and the compositions are generally lively. The structures of the songs can feel slightly disjointed at times, and reading about how this record was written and recorded, that makes sense. This work evolved out of plans for a rather short EP. Despite the occasional lack of coherence, this is a fun release with a lot to like.

Score: 75/100

Band: Gondhawa | Album: Täkomā | Genre: Heavy psych | Bandcamp

This French trio plays high energy, muscular psychedelia heavily suffused with “oriental” (their phrasing) scales and melodies. Just how far east “oriental” encompasses varies from song to song. Some tracks draw influence from Central and South Asia, while others take cues from Anatolia and the broader Middle East, and yet others head (south-)west of France to draw sounds from the Sahel and Maghreb. This transcontinental musical sampler platter may not have a ton of geographic consistency to it, but Gondhawa’s musical pillaging results in something pretty fun. They demonstrate a good ear for catchy melodies and infectious rhythms, as well as a knack for powerful and engaging jams.

Score: 76/100

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Album Review: Gong – Bright Spirit

Band: Gong | Album: Bright Spirit | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2026

From: London, UK | Label: Kscope

Bandcamp

I briefly touched on Gong’s convoluted history and past output in my review of their last album, 2023’s Unending Ascending, so I will not go into it in depth here. But this lineup–long bereft of any original members but operating under the blessing of the band’s late founder–has just put out its fourth full full-length release, Bright Spirit. In general, this album largely stays in line with this incarnation of Gong’s modus operandi. It’s fun and lighthearted prog with heavy psychedelic infusions.

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Album Review: Legs on Wheels – Gobble

Band: Legs on Wheels | Album: Gobble | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2026

From: Manchester, UK | Label: Dismembers Club Records

For fans of: Cardiacs, Caravan, early Soft Machine, The Dear Hunter

Bandcamp

I like the Canterbury sound a lot, but the modern practitioners of this sound can be a bit like zeuhl. Where zeuhl often devolves into rote Magma worship, so too do many neo-Canterbury acts slavishly strive to sound like Soft Machine or Caravan.

Legs on Wheels is a Mancunian quintet that does an incredible job of taking classic Canterbury influence and melding it into more modern sounds. The band dabbles in punk, psychedelia, and art rock alongside more progressive strains of rock. The music is consistently energetic and varied, and Gobble, the band’s third full-length release, is a delightful listen.

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Odds & Ends: April 6, 2026

Band: END! Begin | Album: The END! | Genre: Progressive folk | Bandcamp

This collection of four instrumental pieces is a solid follow-up to END! Begin’s fantastic debut LP. The overall mood is a bit more energetic and less torporous here, and I really appreciate getting to see this other side of the band. “Cherry Blossoms” in particular draws a lot from rock music, which is a very exciting blend.

Score: 78/100

Band: Mellow Beast | Album: Grimble, The Worm | Genre: Psychedelic rock | Bandcamp

Mellow Beast’s latest record sees him expand upon the musical universe he has established. The story of this record takes place right after Reactor, his 2023 release. Throughlines are obvious in the music, and there are even connections to earlier releases. The mood is spacy and often-hypnotic while also imbuing some Gong-ish fun and whimsy.

Score: 76/100

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Album Review: Plantoid – Flare

Band: Plantoid | Album: Flare | Genre: Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock | Year: 2026

From: Brighton, UK | Label: Bella Union

For fans of: Pink Floyd, Diagonal, Kate Bush

Bandcamp

Brighton’s Plaintoid are black with their sophomore album, Flare, two years after their debut. The band maintained their lush, jazzy air while also imbuing their sound with a bit more muscle. On repeated listens of Terrapath, at times I do wish the band had a bit more contrast in their sound. Here, they’ve successfully added a bit more while also maintaining their unique character.

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Odd & Ends: March 2, 2026

Band: Hällas | Album: Panorama | Genre: Progressive rock, Hard rock | Bandcamp

I saw this record getting a lot of hype online, and I can’t say that I get it. On a structural level, at least, the opening epic is well-built, and the occasional fun twist does occur. But my biggest issue with this release is the sound palette. This sounds like schlock-rock acts from the ‘70s and ‘80s tried their hand at prog. The vocalist reminds me of Dave Cousins of Strawbs, which is different, at least. But I don’t particularly like Journey or Foreigner or Styx, and these guys are clearly drawing a lot of influence for that particular vein of cheesy arena rock. Everything is overblown and uses trite, tired musical tropes. That results in an exhausting listen. Oddly, the four shorter songs on this album feel much more tedious and drawn-out than the 21-minute opener.

Score: 62/100

Band: JUZZ | Album: JUZZ (II) | Genre: Progressive rock, Jazz-fusion | Bandcamp

Juzz, a jazzy instrumental six-piece from Galicia, has put out their sophomore album. It’s similar in tone and style to their debut, if perhaps a bit more rock-oriented. Moods morph fluidly across this album’s runtime, ranging from hard-rocking numbers to Tangerine Dream-inspired space-synth passages. These songs also show greater focus than their debut, so I am happy to see that evolution in their writing style.

Score: 80/100

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Album Review: Mirkwood Spiders – The Black Mountain Ritual

Band: Mirkwood Spiders | Album: The Black Mountain Ritual | Genre: Heavy psych, Stoner metal, Progressive rock | Year: 2025

From: Chur, Switzerland | Label: Independent

For fans of: King Gizzard, Garcia Peoples, Stoned Jesus, Witch Ripper

Bandcamp

Mirkwood Spiders is a Swiss band that continues in the proud tradition of bands like King Gizzard and (sometimes) Stoned Jesus. Fuzz-drenched, occasionally-bluesy psychedelia swirls and storms as this four-piece weaves their magic.

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Lesser-Known Gem: Bruce Haack – The Electric Lucifer

Artist: Bruce Haack | Album: The Electric Lucifer | Genre: Progressive electronic, Experimental rock | Year: 1970

From: Alberta, Canada | Label: Columbia

For fans of: The United States of America, The Residents, Cluster

Bandcamp

The Electric Lucifer is the kind of crazy, oddball shit that I really love discovering and then sharing. I’ve known about this record for a while, and it is pretty wild. Bruce Haack (pronounced like “hack”) was a Canadian musician who started off his career dabbling in a lot of different styles. He briefly studied at Juliaard, and he also worked in theater, pop, and Ukrainian folk music throughout his early life. As synthesizers became more widely available, he began dabbling in proto-electronic music, and if his poorly-written and shoddily-sourced Wikipedia article is to be believed, he achieved some degree of notoriety.

Starting in the 1960s, Haack began releasing children’s music. But it was really weird children’s music, full of strange synth effects and hypnotic rhythms. Just take a listen to 1968’s The Way-Out Record for Children. So, while there may have been a thematic shift in Haack’s music, he was always dabbling in electronic experiments. The jump from his “children’s music” to The Electric Lucifer wasn’t as big as one might expect. The lyrics are markedly more serious, however, featuring a very strong anti-war message.

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Best of 2025: Top 50 Prog Albums Part 2: 25-1

Welcome to the top half of The Elite Extremophile’s Top Prog Albums of 2025. Part One can be found here.

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Best of 2025: Top 50 Prog Albums Part 1: 50-26

Welcome to The Elite Extremophile’s Top Prog Albums of 2025! As usual, this is a two-part list of 50 total entries. Part two is here.

As a reminder, the music on this list spans December 2024 through November 2025. Music from December 2025 will be on the 2026 list. I’m sure there is plenty of good music I missed, but when it comes to the reviewing, this is a one-man operation. (My proofreaders/editors, Kelci and Dan, have been very helpful, as always.) There are also certain trends and styles I simply don’t like very much.

2025 was a fantastic year for progressive rock and related genres. I was spoiled for choice with this list, and this may be the overall-strongest batch of recommendations I’ve given to date.

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