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Progstravaganza 13 Compilation Available Now

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 20th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

If you’ve got a minute to type in your email to get a free download from Bandcamp, then the new Progstravaganza 13 compilation has 76 tracks with your name on ’em. Progstravaganza 13 follows on the heels of the Progstravaganza I-IX comp-of-the-comps released in June and features the likes of Heavy Temple, Sleestak, and Temple of the Smoke… among 73 others. These things are always huge, and while you know not everything is going to be up everybody’s alley, it’s a great way to discover new bands.

Announcement and stream follow:

Progstravaganza 13 has been unleashed, highlights progressive music in all its glory.

The Progstravaganza compilation series has as its sole purpose to discover new bands. Since its inception in 2010, Prog Sphere has made it its goal to make each compilation special. Every part in the series comes with specially designed artwork. They are all available via Bandcamp in different audio formats.

Progstravaganza 13 sampler brings 76 bands from all around the world, proving that progressive music in 2013 is alive and kicking. The compilation itself is accompanied with the officialProgstravaganza website where all the artists-participants have profiles. The website also brings interviews with the bands, as well as the reviews of their releases. Chris van der Linden(Linden Artwork) provided once again design for the art cover and PDF booklet which contains bands photos and links, as well as the editor’s note.

Progstravaganza 13 brings 76 bands from all around the world for your listening pleasure.

Along with Progstravaganza 13 going on, Prog Sphere is allowing submissions for the upcoming, fourteenth edition. Prog Sphere invites bands from all around the world to take part and reach out to a wide audience by promoting the sampler. The compilations are actively promoted by continuous radio streams on more than 50 radio stations around the world. Bands and musicians interested in being a part of the upcoming compilation can get in touch with Prog Sphere by sending an email to info@prog-sphere.com or through the contact form at THIS LOCATION.

Progstravaganza 13 is available from THIS LOCATION. For all the news and updates concerning the sampler visit its official website HERE.

Various Artists, Progstravaganza 13 (2013)

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Temple of the Smoke, …Against Human Race: Not Nearly as Mad as it Reads

Posted in Reviews on November 15th, 2011 by JJ Koczan

Checking in from Serbia, the Belgrade double-guitar outfit Temple of the Smoke make their debut on R.A.I.G. in the form of …Against Human Race, an album that immediately sets about defying expectations. From the black and white inked artwork – courtesy of Nikola Vitkovi? – reminiscent of Scott Stearns’ manic style, to the album’s title itself, Temple of the Smoke set a course for abrasive, misanthropic sludge and then wind up somewhere else completely, blending almost entirely instrumental space rock, dub and the occasional stretch of heavy riffing to result in a widely-varied 57 minutes. Extensive use of synth ties the diversity together, and since all but one of the eight tracks are over five and a half minutes long, the material has plenty of time to flesh out, layers beginning to pile on immediately with opener “Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.” Guitarists Janko Stojanovi? and Dušan Žica both also handle synth, and …Against Human Race puts them to work adding swirls and swells that seem to come in and out of the spaciest parts, making the whole album more complex and enriching the surprise of what it turns out to be. Temple of the Smoke riff heavy for most of the first cut, but as “Unnatural Regression” – the previously-alluded-to shortest cut at 4:39 – takes hold from a cold stop, drummer Dragan Mirkovi? introduces a drastic turn into bouncing reggae-influenced dub and right away the bearings are lost.

…Against Human Race, for all the vitriol the title seems to convey, isn’t actually that angry. As Marko Ili?’s smooth basslines underscore the laser sounds and easy-flowing soundscaped synth-itude of “Unnatural Regression,” the vibe is anything but hateful. There’s a peaceful aspect to what Temple of the Smoke are doing, and not even necessarily zoned or stoned out, just contented. That some of the songs are drawn together one into the next adds to the overall flow of …Against Human Race and helps ease the transition into and out of the differing sides of Temple of the Smoke’s sound. “Naked Sun” stretches nearly to 11 minutes and is the longest single track, but led into from the end of “Unnatural Regression” as it is, the shift is hardly noticeable. For about the first two minutes, the psychedelics have the floor, but gradually, Ili? comes in on bass and the song’s build begins to develop, eventually cycling through twice before the track is over. Ambition being a key factor throughout …Against Human Race, the progressive elements of “Naked Sun” aren’t such a surprise in the context of the whole album, but the almost-synthless flat-out stoner rock groove of “Deadly Sins” are yet another unexpected turn, cutting from Temple of the Smoke’s most complex offering to their simplest. The jammed-out feel of the preceding cut is maintained, but executed with a Sleep-style riff at the fore until the last minute, when frantic guitar soloing and overdriven bass speed the song to its finish.

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