Archival Concert By CLIMAX BLUES BAND To Be Out

February 21, 2025

From 1973’s "FM / Live" onwards, every new CLIMAX BLUES BAND‘s concert recordings – not that there were too many contemporary releases – provided their fanbase with an impressive illustration of the British ensemble’s arresting blend of delicious roughness and radio-friendliness. Almost all of those albums ignored the collective’s late ’70s output – apart from “Live At The BBC: Rock Goes To College 1978” CD/DVD set, only “Live Rare & Raw” ventured close to the end of the decade – which is why the forthcoming appearance of a disc titled “Live At The Paris Theater: London, England – November 11, 1979” feels so alluring.

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Dutch Veterans SOLUTION Go For All-Encompassing Box Set

February 19, 2025

From the late ’60s onwards, there’s been no deficit of psychedelic and progressive rock ensembles in Netherlands, yet only one of those could boast having a couple of platters issued through Elton John’s label, both produced by the legendary Gus Dudgeon, and another one featuring, as guest vocalist and co-producer, the great Jim Capaldi who went to cover two cuts from that album on his own record. The band in question if, of course, SOLUTION – mostly known by their first releases – the group’s eponymous debut from 1971 and 1972’s "Divergence" – who may have ceased to exist in 1983 but remain unforgotten. Which is why a massive box set they put out on April 12th should seem extremely interesting.

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LEAF HOUND Release Their Third Studio Longplay

February 18, 2025

While influence of many a cult classic gets reassessed over the years, usually perceived to be diminishing, the shadow of LEAF HOUND‘s self-titled 1970 album, more commonly known under the “Growers Of Mushroom” legend, remains long. One of the first stoner-rock ensembles, their blend of proto-metal and psychedelia is still stunning, and the collective, who broke up soon after that platter was out, returned to the fray in 2004, fronted by singer Peter French, have been raring to compete with their own past for years. The veterans’ second offering, “Unleashed” from 2007 almost nailed their intent, with 2014’s “Live In Japan” cementing the band’s status, the just-released “Once Bitten” might be the best proof of their vitality.

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Krautrock Legends JANUS Craft A Fresh Cut Of “Gravedigger”

February 17, 2025

Just like NEKTAR, this German-based ensemble comprised Englishmen who played heavy prog and aligned themselves with Krautrock, yet JANUS issued but a single album back in the ’70s, titled “Gravedigger” and considered a cult classic. Not that the band were too happy about what they recorded, always stating it didn’t fully reflect the original vision, and the thought of reinventing the platter had been lurking in the collective’s mind ever since they returned to action in 1989, a quarter-century after the group’s break-up, to serve up a few more entries into their discography. Eventually, the veterans got to it in 2024, with the result called “Gravedigger: Hybrid” slated to appear on February 28th.

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MEKONS Measure The Scares Of Our Times

February 15, 2025

Whether you add “THE” in front of their name or not and whether you consider them a British or American band, MEKONS don’t really care; what the veteran punks are concerned with is providing an incendiary commentary on what’s going on around us. At it for nigh on five decades now, they used to issue new records in an almost rapid-fire fashion, the longest gap between two releases not exceeding four years, so a fan could be right to feel frightened when 2024 didn’t see a follow-up to 2020’s “Exquisite” they put out solely vid Bandcamp in a digital way. Fortunately, everything’s fine with the ensemble, and their next offering will see the light of day on April 4th.

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