TEE "The Earth Explorer"

TEE is a five piece flute front progressive rock band from Tokyo, Japan. Their so-called 'European' sound is unique considering their far-east origin. The imaginative tunes with complex ensembles and rhythms will definitely catch the attention of prog lovers all over the world. Their sound will remind you bands like Camel, King Crimson, Asia Minor or even Frank Zappa on some parts. The band was formed in 2004 when... more

Kevin BARTLETT

You may not know his name but you have definitely heard his music more than once or twice in your life. Maybe on HBO, or on MTV, or on VH1, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel. Doesn't ring the bell? How about American Idol Rewind, or Dr. 90210? We had interviewed Kevin Bartlett a couple of years ago when his second solo album GLOW IN THE DARK was released. Bartlett has been quiet since that time but but he has been secretly brewing new projects. A few months ago he had put a new song...more

Peter Hammill, founding member of Van Der Graaf Generator, released his 28th solo album " nearly 3 months ago. He recently got back home from a short tour covering North America, Canada and Italy. In the 70's when bands like...more

FRIGHT PIG Barque At The Lune *** REVERSAL OF GRAVITY Scuba Gear ***

NIGHTWISH & PARADISE LOST / LIVE IN CHICAGO HOUSE OF BLUES, IL

Nightwish is:

Featuring their new vocalist/front woman Annette Olzon (from Sweden), the Finnish metal band Nightwish took to the stage at the House of Blues in Chicago on Friday night, October 27th, 2007 in ferocious support of their latest release, Dark Passion Play. The crowd was more than eager for Nightwish’s original blend of symphonic bombast, metal crunch and ethereal beauty.

The entire crowd took constant pleasure in the band throughout the whole show. Nightwish delivered spot-on renditions of songs past and present from their catalogue. More than half of the set was selected from their latest cd, however, they dug deeply for a few gems from their past such as Wishmaster and songs from Oceanborn and Century Child. Under the guidance of keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, the band delivered each song as a surgical strike-sounding as close to their cd versions as humanly possible. Normally, this would be a detriment, but a band like Nightwish pulls this off with no problem, as they have much territory to cover with their powerful, multi-instrumental arrangements.

Although Nightwish is not as hardcore progressive as many might like, this show proved that they bring a symphonic quality to their sound that is decisively bolder than what most of their peers are doing. Holopainen is an accomplished keyboardist. Although not a flashy player he is an active and necessary part of the rhythm section-a responsibility he held down with excellence. Watching him on stage is even more entertaining knowing that he composes virtually all of the band’s material by himself. He performs like a proud father watching his children (the songs) shine on stage at the hands of his talented band mates.

Also worth mention are the skills of drummer Jukka Nevalainen and vocalist Annette Olzon. Nevalainen is an exceptional and spot-on metal drummer, who makes his duty seem effortless. Olzon comes off as a classically trained vocalist of high caliber who knows how to carry her own and present herself in front of a metal crowd. The combined talents, showmanship and humility of Nightwish made for an excellent show.

U.K. doom metal band Paradise Lost opened the evening. Frankly, I was looking forward to a great set by this band that has a musical history spanning back into the 1980’s. Their recordings over the years have consistently showed Paradise Lost as an artsy (dare I use the term progressive?), dark, doom metal band. But what the crowd saw that night was 5 musicians who looked like they were playing for 5 different bands and who each wanted to be in a different place. I assumed that the musical pedigree of Paradise Lost would have raised them to a higher standard in the performance, but it was not to be. Paradise Lost are a band to listen to on cd alone.

Nightwish's website: www.nightwish.com

Paradise Lost's website (myspace): www.myspace.com/paradiselostuk

NELSON LEE