Album Review: Pure Reason Revolution – Terrifying Angels

Band: Pure Reason Revolution | Album: Terrifying Angels | Genre: Progressive rock, Post-rock | Year: 2026

From: London, UK | Label: InsideOut Music

For fans of: Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Phideaux

Bandcamp

Pure Reason Revolution is a band I haven’t really kept up with. I absolutely love their debut record, The Dark Third. It’s an exciting and inventive blend of prog and post-rock with some good pop sensibilities. As someone who is a sucker for complex vocal arrangements, it’s right up my alley. I’ve checked in on them from time to time, but none of their albums since have particularly held my interest. None have been bad, by any means, but they just haven’t spoken to me.

Terrifying Angels, PRR’s seventh full-length release, is their first to really grab my attention in a while. The band has kept their signature sound, but they’ve also made some noticeable changes. This is their heaviest and most aggressive record to date, with significant alt-rock and alt-metal inclusions. My gut instinct is to call this the best Porcupine Tree record since Anno Domini High Definition, but that’s unfair to these guys, Riverside, and Porcupine Tree. It should get the general point across, though.

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Odds & Ends: September 7, 2026

Bands: Cocanha, Los Sara Fontán, Tarta Relena | Album: 4132314 | Genre: Experimental folk | Bandcamp

This collaboration of three duos is a mixture of original compositions and reinterpretations of folk songs. Cocanha specializes in Occitan polyphony, Los Sara Fontán in Catalan folk, and Tarta Relena in electronic-tinged post-rock; and all three bands’ styles are on proud display here. The vocals are rich, multi-layered, and carefully arranged; and the backing is brimming with odd metrical flourishes. This record feels like it has one foot in the twenty-first century and another in the nineteenth, and it’s a fantastic mash-up.

Score: 86/100

Band: Furii | Album: Pyromancy | Genre: Progressive pop | Bandcamp

Furii (pronounced “fury”) is a Cardiacs-adjacent project, a fact which is unmistakable from this album’s opening moments. Sole bandmember Adrien Rodes is the longtime keyboardist of Spratleys (another Tim Smith project) and an occasional member of Cardiacs’ live band. Joanne Spratley, another member of Spratleys, provides vocals on Pyromancy, and her vocals lend an eerie, airy atmosphere. The textures on this record are psychedelic and dreamy, with tinkling piano and swirling synths. Despite the songs being rather to-the-point, the soundscapes presented are dense and complex, with lots of innovative sonic choices. I found LSD to be an exhausting listen (and not in a fun way), but this is a much more enjoyable spiritual successor to Cardiacs.

Score: 80/100

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Album Review: A Forest of Stars – Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface

Band: A Forest of Stars | Album: Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface | Genre: Progressive metal, Post-metal | Year: 2026

From: Manchester, UK | Label: Prophecy

For fans of: Arcturus, Ashenspire, Primordial

Bandcamp

A Forest of Stars has been around for nearly 20 years, but this record is my first exposure to them. It is their first release in eight years, so, in my defense, they have been quiet lately. Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface is their sixth full-length release, and it’s full of theatrical, abstract, and highly emotive music that draws from classic prog, folk metal, folk, and avant-garde music. It’s a demanding record: the six songs range between nine and 17 minutes in length, and all the compositions are dense as hell. But it’s well worth your time and attention.

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Album Review: Yes – Aurora

Band: Yes | Album: Aurora | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2026

From: London, UK | Label: InsideOut Music

Bandcamp

Look, it’s a new Yes album. We all know who Yes are. We know what we’re signing up for. I had low expectations, despite Mirror to the Sky being pretty decent overall. Let’s just get to it.

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Odds & Ends: June 1, 2026

Band: Angine de Poitrine | Album: Vol. II | Genre: Math rock | Bandcamp

I’ve gone on record saying I’m really not a fan of microtonal music, but Angine de Pointrine’s microtonality is more restrained compared to some other acts I’ve heard. Their unusual tunings and oddly-fretted guitars serve to enhance their wild and inventive riffs. Their music is energetic and driving, drawing from psychedelia and garage rock. Some of the individual songs can run a bit long, but overall, Vol. II is a fantastic display of technical prowess and inventive composition. “Utzp” in particular is one of the most exciting songs of the year.

Score: 80/100

Band: Divided by Design | Album: Stages to Osiris: Rebirth | Genre: Progressive metal | Bandcamp

The latest EP from this British instrumental trio is some really solid music. The band draws heavily from Tool, Porcupine Tree, and their ilk on the non-extreme end of alt-influenced prog metal. The music is usually melodic and fairly lush, with each song capturing clear dramatic arcs and motifs that tie everything together. This 30-minute release is, in my view, an ideal vessel for this style of music. It’s long enough to express some interesting ideas without drawing on so long as to become tedious and exhausting. I’ve listened to many 45-to-65-minute versions of this record from a lot of other bands, and this more-digestible size really suits this style well.

Score: 83/100

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Album Review: The Magpie Arc – Gil Brenton

Band: The Magpie Arc | Album: Gil Brenton | Genre: Progressive rock, British folk | Year: 2025

From: UK | Label: Independent

For fans of: Strawbs, Comus, Jethro Tull, Steeleye Span

Bandcamp

The Magpie Arc is a British quartet that spins traditional folk songs of the British Isles into hard-hitting, proggy folk rock, and Gil Brenton is their second full-length album. Where many bands I describe as folk rock are primarily rock acts with some folk influences, this band is the inverse. Their vocal style and instrumentalism belie a deep love of British folk music, and that helps give their music a character that stands out from other acts in a similar space.

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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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