Postcard from the LOO

I am on a major music acquisition spree these days, with about 50 new albums in my bag and some more on their way. This is probably the only good part of traveling away from your home and wife ;) The stuff I got is mostly the standard prog staples - Fates Warning, Shadow Gallery, Porcupine Tree, Gentle Giant etc. But while hunting for my music over the last couple of months, I was introduced to a bunch of bands new and old hitherto unknown to me and man, do they rock! Here are some of the bands that caught my fancy, check them out if you can -

(in the order my memory allows)

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - A very unique band whose music is hard to classify. Their music is like an unholy brew of Avant Jazz influences, Bjork-like female vocals, VDGG style atmospheric settings and Celtic Frost like brutality. They apparently use home made instruments and wield them to good effect. Picked up their second studio album - Of Natural History (they are only two albums old).

Izz - Their music is categorized as symphonic prog but you can feel the flavor of jazz, neo-prog and even some metal. Their fourth album, My River Flows, release last year is of particular interest and is considered their best yet. Check out the song 'Late Night Salvation' from this album, a 12-minute long composition reminiscent of prog epics by the likes of Marillion, Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings.

Wastefall - A prog metal band from Greece, it has been creating waves since it was formed 3 years ago. Their style is pretty similar to Pain of Salvation but it is not apparent right away. Their music is quite complex and powerful. Check out their second album Soulrain 21.

Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) - This symphonic prog band from Italy has been around since the beginning of time! Their first album was released in 1969, the year progressive music was born with the release of 'Court of the Crimson King'. Am I the only one who heard about them so late? They are a bunch of highly proficient musicians like the MVO. I have heard only their '74 live album Cook which had some awesome violin-guitar duets and awesome drumming. Check out whatever you can from this great band and let me know as well, I'm lusting for some more.

Power of Omens - This Texas based prog metal band should be in the Guinness Book of Records as the most underrated band of the new millennium. Have you heard of them? They have been around for the last 10 years but have released only 2 albums. Their music is essentially riff based but can build up to very technical and intricate frenzy. Check out their 1998 release, Eyes of the Oracle, its simply brilliant.

Riverside - This prog metal band from Poland was formed in 2005 and garnered loads of critical acclaim since then. Their music is quite reminiscent of PoS but they do have a unique melodic feel which I guess would be their signature style. They have released 2 studio albums so far, check out their second album, Second Life Syndrome.

Circus Maximus - This is a prog metal band from Norway. Norway metal band? Yup...and no, they do not sound like a pig being disemboweled. Instead, they are surprisingly melodic almost neo proggy. They have only one album to their credit so far, The 1st Chapter. Check out the song Glory of the Empire.

More as and when I remember or discover. If you try out any of these bands, let me know what you think.