Emails from Near and Far: Reviews of Unscarred and Valence

You never know what you’ll find in ol’ inbox.  Recently we received review inquiries from French thrashers Unscarred and New York instrumental prog band Valence.  It took me awhile to get the downloaded tracks into Alternative Control’s Music Review Machine, er, my car’s CD player — but at long last I’ve listened to both bands’… Continue reading Emails from Near and Far: Reviews of Unscarred and Valence

Review of Kali Ma’s The Devil Knows You’re Dead

Instrumental metal powerhouse Kali Ma released their long-awaited second studio album The Devil Knows You’re Dead on March 29th, 2014 to an enthusiastic crowd at Cook’s Cafe.  Their CD went right into my car stereo on the ride back and it hasn’t come out since. “Taking the Crown” is one example of the awesome build-ups… Continue reading Review of Kali Ma’s The Devil Knows You’re Dead

Why Dream Theater is the Best Band in the World (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Coda)

By Peter Progger Ok, so it’s pretty obvious that Dream Theater is the best band of like, the last two millenniums. They’ve been the most talented group since ancient India, that’s pretty clear. Like, if you brought a Dream Theater CD back in time with you to Mozart, Mozart would listen to it and be… Continue reading Why Dream Theater is the Best Band in the World (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Coda)

Baldwin’s Top Choices of 2013 Part 2 – The Everything Else Releases

  Steven Wilson – The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) This is a modern progressive rock masterwork. I’m hard-pressed to find a single flaw in anything that Steven Wilson has done here. These six songs arch, ache, and soar with such melancholic, cinematic power that it almost brought me to tears a… Continue reading Baldwin’s Top Choices of 2013 Part 2 – The Everything Else Releases

A How To on Music Nerdom: Part 1

Hi, everybody! I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Peter Progger, and I sure love progressive rock music. It really is the best music ever, and is clearly better than like, 90 percent of music out there. Not a lot of people realize that fact, and I’m here at Alternative Control to educate people… Continue reading A How To on Music Nerdom: Part 1

Album Review: Dyed in Grey’s The Abandoned Part

  Dyed in Grey’s recently released album The Abandoned Part is a catchy and well-produced debut that will appeal to serious progressive metal fans and casual listeners alike.  Songs like “DeadHead” and “Filth” show the Brooklyn band’s penchant for alternating heavy, intricate prog-death parts with calmer singing and lyrical guitar lines.  Their riffs are pulled… Continue reading Album Review: Dyed in Grey’s The Abandoned Part

My God, They’re Full of Hair! A Review of Replacire’s The Human Burden

I had the pleasant opportunity to witness Replacire at Acoustic Café last March with local favorites No  Remission and Xenosis. I didn’t know what to expect, but Xenosis lead guitarist Mark Lyon seemed very enthusiastic about them, so I decided to give them a chance. It’s a good thing I stuck around to watch them,… Continue reading My God, They’re Full of Hair! A Review of Replacire’s The Human Burden