Progressive Rock charts

Review: Fear Inoculum brought a 13-year Tool hiatus to an end in typically dramatic, knock-your-socks-off and blow wind through your hair style. A fine example of what the group have always done so well - running with wolves like Mogwai, only with far more metal sensibilities, and a damn-sight bigger helping of experimentalism, when this bad boy arrived in 2019 it shot straight to the top of the US Billboard 200, the third consecutive record from the group to do so.

Of course, those charts don't necessarily mean as much in this age as they did when the preceding Tool LP dropped, but 270,000 album-equivalent units within the first week do not lie. Nor does the quality of work here. From the avant-garde percussion and awkward synths of 'Chocolate Chip Trip', to the almost-ethereal ambience of 'Legion Inoculant' and the riff and crescendo heavy 'Pneuma', it's a wild thing of beauty.

Review: Pink Floyd's Roger Waters recorded The Lockdown Sessions at home during the COVID lockdowns between 2020 and 2021. Of course, intrigue was bound to spark up as to what Waters would be doing in this time, so we're not surprised supply has matched demand. What ensues is a mixture of exclusive live originals (mastered for this EP of course), and a handful of new versions of old Floyd classics. The 2022 version of 'Comfortably Numb' falls into the latter category, appearing on the B-side. Meanwhile, brand new cuts like 'Mother' and 'Two Suns In The Sunset' appear on the A, acting as Waters' new reflections on a world driven mad; the songs were first streamed live to fans during the incipient, isolated phase of Zoom-calling and make-do music performances from inside musicians' homes.

Review: Originally released in 2003 as the companion piece to the preceding year's equally acclaimed Deliverance, the seventh full-length from renowned Swedish progressive death metal auteurs, Opeth, would mark their first unashamed wade into the waters of retro prog-rock, whilst opting to eschew essentially all metallic machinations. Embracing primary songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt's lush clean vocals, while sonically delving into delicate atmospherics elevated by the prominent use of a mellotron, Damnation has grown in the two decades since its initial release to become a much lauded fan favourite, with many being able to appreciate the sharp turn the group took while noting the reflective balance contrasted against its much more macabre sister album. From the opening notes of essential cut 'Windowpane' onwards, you're pulled into a frosted world of depressive romanticism where the only way out is through. Celebrating its 20 year anniversary with a long overdue reissue, this is a work designed to be spun and absorbed in all its haunting majesty.

Review: This historic 1972 performance film marked a definitive evolution of Pink Floyd's artistic vision, and is possibly the moment they first truly escaped the more ephemeral pop of the Syd Barrett era and started to become the prog giants that would go on to dominate the 70s both culturally and commercially. The haunting imagery of Pompeii combined with an expertly remixed sound design by Steven Wilson turns this film from a mere document of the past into a multi-sensory experience. Meticulously remastered, each note of 'On The Run' and 'Us and Them' hang with crystalline clarity in the surround mix and the shifts between searing intensity and quiet reflectionifrom the thunderous opening of 'Echoes' to the fragility of 'Mademoiselle Nobs' - are rendered in remarkable detail. It's a profound exploration of Pink Floyd's creative process, capturing the band at a pivotal moment as they craft the sonic landscapes that would later define The Dark Side of the Moon. This release ensures that the film's timeless allure is as potent today as it was over fifty years ago, inviting a new generation to experience the alchemy between image, sound and performance.

Region code: B

Review: Released in 1969, Pink Floyd's Ummagumma is a double album that showcases the band's experimental edge. The first disc features live recordings from concerts in Birmingham and Manchester that highlight the group's dynamic stage presence with extended versions of tracks like 'Astronomy Domine' and 'Careful with That Axe, Eugene.' The second disc consists of solo compositions by each band member, revealing their individual creativity and eclectic styles. This album captures Pink Floyd's transition from their early psychedelic sound to a more avant-garde and progressive approach, making it a significant milestone in their illustrious career.

Review: Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this iconic release - arguably one of if not THE msot famopus rock album of all time - gets an anniversary edition remastering, bringing its revolutionary sound into sharp focus while maintaining the spirit of its original recording. The remaster captures the depth and complexity of the band's vision, from the eerie pulses of 'Speak To Me' that lead into the tranquil yet ominous 'Breathe (In The Air),' to the iconic synth-driven chaos of 'On the Run.' The haunting 'Time' sounds even more immersive, its ticking clocks and swelling synths fully realised in this updated mix. And then there's the unparalleled vocal energy of 'The Great Gig in the Sky,' which now resonates with even greater emotional intensity. On the second side, 'Money' continues to provide that inescapable groove, its jazzy bassline never failing to captivate. 'Us and Them' brings with it a sense of melancholy and philosophical reflection, while 'Any Colour You Like' serves as an entrancing bridge before the chilling introspection of 'Brain Damage' leads into the album's climactic conclusion, 'Eclipse.' For both long-time fans and newcomers, this remaster offers an opportunity to hear the album as it was always meant to be heard, with every nuance and every note given the space it deserves.

Review: More than half a century after its original release, Pink Floyd At Pompeii: MCMLXXII has returned to cinemas. Shot in 1971 at the haunting amphitheatre ruins of Pompeii, the film captured the band in their pre-DSOTM phase, during which time they were moving away from their originally overt psychedelia and space rock ventures and packing their work with a denser thematic and political verve. The DVD edition represents live versions of 'Echoes' and 'A Saucerful of Secrets', among other ashen, ruinous greats, in newly restored clarity - and that's not to mention its accompanying, behind-the-scenes studio footage of an early DSOTM studio session. This is a full 90-minute cut scanned in 4K from rediscovered 35mm negatives, with Steven Wilson providing a lush new audio mix in Dolby Atmos and 5.1.

Region code: 2