You’re mad if you thought I was going to stay away from my favorite genre of music. We could spend all day trying to align on a consistent definition for what is considered “progressive” rock and metal: I’m of the mind that it’s more than just keyboard prominence and time signature changes. It should also be more than simply aping the sounds of classic ’70s bands – it’s a progression of the form, and that can take many, many avenues.
Now, I’m not saying that the dozen selections below don’t have a LOT of influences from the progenitors of the form, nor do they all express the experimental directions that go beyond the norm – some of these just simply rock. You’re probably familiar with a few of these, but I bet there’s also at least one or two that are going to be new to you, and if you’re craving a little adventure in your music and you don’t require everything to be in dropped tuning with death growls, check out the incredible music below, all of which provided me with hours of pleasure in 2025.
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It’s a close one if we’re talking about which album reigned supreme this year in the progressive rock space, but I’m going to hand it to Dominic Sanderson and his incredible Blazing Revelations. Rather than simply aping the music of today or hitting on the same touchpoints as every other retro outfit (Genesis, Yes, and Crimson flourishes DO flirt about, no worries) Sanderson reaches into deeper pockets, pulling out a lot of Van Der Graaf Generator, Jethro Tull (NOT because of the flute), and more modern signatures like Andy Tillison and The Tangent. Check out the first two tracks “From The Weeping Cradle” and “Faithless Folly” to see just how thick and juicy Sanderson and his band make make this kind of music. (covered here for Consuming the Tangible)
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If there was a close second to Sanderson, it was Brass Camel and their sophomore album, cheekily titled Camel (yes, their debut was called Brass). I’m still struggling to find a copy of this on vinyl for a reasonable price, but in the meantime tracks like the heavy swagger of “Zealot” and and the Zappa-inspired sound that adorns “Pick of the Litter” will do just fine blasting digitally from my speakers. The Vancouver band veers between more straightforward, boogie laced rock – a tenant of the debut – and the more progressive leanings of Camel. I dare you to not bounce about listening to this.
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Portsmouth, UK’s Robin Armstrong has been creating conceptual progressive rock as Cosmograf for almost 20 years, and The Orphan Epoch stands as one of his best. A lush and orchestral framework is still strong enough for Armstrong to rock out when he needs to on “Division Warning” and some great soloing on “Empty Box” but the majority of tracks are heavy without being metal. There’s a line of Pink Floyd that runs through the music, but it’s not what you would immediately identity as “Floydian” if that makes sense. The Orphan Epoch is an album to sink into, a beautiful Bandcamp discovery.
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Did you think I wasn’t going to include Dream Theater in a list of the best prog of the year? You’re crazy, sir. The return of Mike Portnoy to the fold injects a massive shot in the arm to Parasomnia and its overall sound – the drums sound gargantuan, and this is probably the heaviest the band has sounded in forever. I love the opening overture “In The Arms of Morpheus” and both singles “Night Terror” and “A Broken Man” sold me instantly (their 40th anniversary tour wasn’t too shabby, either“). But lately I keep coming back to James LaBrie and his sublime track “Bend The Clock” – it’s one of the band’s best tracks in forever, and will stick with you as they return to goofy fretboard pyrotechnics in the silly/awesome “The Shadow Man Incident.” Still, a great return to form.
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Speaking of a return to form, there’s not getting around Roine Stolt and The Flower Kings dropped a dud with the sedate, sleepy Look At You Now. Thankfully, the simply-titled Love is fixes everything wrong with that album without ultimately changing their sound or current direction. Gone are the more rocking moments that defined their earlier sound, but Stolt has some incredible leads that lift every track up, and the band really sounds cohesive and acting was a unit as opposed to hired hands for Stolt’s vision. His brother Michael, now the permanent bass player for a departing Jonas Reingold, even takes lead vocals on closing track “Considerations.” Really solid record that shows the band working their own distinct sound and themes into something that rises into a (hopefully) fruitful future. (covered here for Consuming the Tangible)
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It’s getting harder and harder to mourn the lack of a new Wobbler album when their keyboardist Lars Fredrik Frøislie is consistently putting out such great solo records (not to mention collaborating with other artists like The Chronicles of Father Robin). Gamle Mester is the first of three releases Frøislie put out this year, and it’s an improvement in every way from his debut Fire Fortellinger. Vocally he’s improved considerably, and songs like the epic “Jakten På Det Kalydonske Villsvin” show why the Norwegians currently have a bit of a stranglehold on the modern prog scene. (covered here for Consuming the Tangible)
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Well hello there, Magic Pie! An album rockin’ enough for me to have reviewed here on Nine Circles! When people talk about some of the best guitar players out there, they really need to include Kim Stenberg. His playing is insane on Maestro, the band’s first album in six years, channeling the renaissance of bands like Deep Purple in their modern era. That means lots of great organ and guitar work, but since these are Norwegians, things are never going to be as simple as straight homage. “Name It To Tame It” continues to be a slippery devil of a tune, and they give DT a run for their money on “Someone Else’s Wannabe”. (covered here for Nine Circles)
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Just in case you were worried the good ol’ U.S.A. was being left out of the prog innovation, Moon Letters is here to remind you Seattle can churn out more than just grunge. Third album This Dark Earth spans the entire spectrum when it comes to blending genres; “Energy of the Heart” seamlessly moves from heavy metal to funk to pomp and pageantry before returning to modern prog. And that’s just in the first three and a half minutes of the tune. Moon Letters were another great discovery for me this year, and I immediately scooped up their entire discography based on songs like “Silver Dream” with its torch vibe and the powerhouse riffing on “In the Catacombs.” (covered here for Consuming the Tangible)
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How can we be talking about prog and not have an Italian band represent?! Nuova Era might have a (slightly) unintentional hilarious cover with 20.000 Leghe lotto i mari (pretty sure you can translate that one yourselves), but the music itself? Phenomenal. I spent a good amount of time buried in the Rock Progressivo Italiano scene and the guys in Nuova Era nail the scene’s heyday while bringing it to the 21st century with plenty of heavy guitars. You get the 36-minute title track followed by the 16-minute “Nautilus” and while there’s some vocals (all in Italian, sung impeccably) this is largely an instrumental showcase, with tons of solos and extended riff jams. Everything I love in music, in other words…
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Is it stretching to say Heather & Hearth, the newest slab of rock from Spain’s Kyle McNeill, aka Phantom Spell, is progressive rock? You can definitely make the argument this belongs more in a traditional, NWOBHM-influenced hard rock c category. What you can’t argue is how good “The Autumn Citadel” is, and how strong McNeill’s sense of song craft is. Dude has a great voice, too, and can use it to great effect across a variety of moods, from the boogie Rainbow-flavored “Evil Hand” to the slower, more majestic “A Distant Shore.” But if you want to know why I return again and again to Heather & Hearth, look no further than the closing title track. Chef’s kiss. (covered here for Consuming the Tangible)
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One glance as the massive live discography of Denver, Colorado’s Squeaky Feet and you have the ammo to argue whether this also truly belongs in the “prog” bucket. But while the close to 200 live releases echoes Phish and other jam bands, the first minute of Overview Effect presents a very different band, one who has no problem with concise songwriting and fantastic, heavy guitar riffs. “Irish Goodbye” recalls early Dream Theater, late ’80s hair metal, and modern heavy rock not too far removed from the stoner scene. Fantastic vocals, dynamic twin guitar attacks, and more twists and solos than any of the past Star Wars films, this is one of my favorite rock albums of 2025, genre be damned.
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You’re telling me there are TWO progressive rock albums that came out in 2025 and have as their theme and title references to the Overview Effect?! Not sure if that rhetorical question is incredulous over the fact that there were two albums, or that there were ONLY two albums…Anyway, this one is from Steven Wilson…you know, the guy who produced Opeth, fronted Porcupine Tree, remixed every classic 70s progressive rock album on Earth and nobody likes now because he dared to try different genres instead of remaking The Raven That Refused To Sing over and over again? Yeah, well he went back to prog on The Overview and I love it, even though (and actually because) it’s not a retread of Raven…and more an embracing of everything in his career. (covered here for Consuming the Tangible)
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Okay, that’s it for the tangential stuff (though Dan and I are prepping for our annual non-metal podcast as we speak) – next week we get into the meat of it with my Honorable Mentions post before diving into the full (and exhausting) Top 25 ranked. Maybe I’ll do something different this year, we’ll see.
As always, keep it heavy…keep it safe.
– Chris