Fates Warning have been a formidable presence in progressive metal for more than 35 years, helping to shape and drive the genre without ever compromising their integrity or losing relevance. They return in 2020 with Long Day Good Night, the most epic and longest album of their storied career.
Fates Warning presents their 13th album with 13 tracks containing some of their most stylistically expansive compositions which will bring something for everyone to enjoy.

Dream Theater have announced Distant Memories, a new live album recorded in London back in February 2020. It’s due for release on November 27th. The album captures the band on tour in support of 2019’s Distance Over Time and the 20th anniversary of Metropolis Part 2 – Scenes From a Memory. The title Distant Memories can refer both to the album’s content and the fact that it seems so very long ago, despite the performances at the Apollo in London taking place right before the pandemic hit.

After two full years, almost to the day, I finally received my first return customer. Puerto Rican prog collective Avandra come back to me with their third full-length record Skylighting. A year and a half feels like forever ago, and I guess thanks to the pandemic that time span probably allowed Avandra the same opportunity to write and record a new album properly as they would have within three years of normal band operation. Therefore, the only consideration left is whether or not they put out something worth my time.

Second studio album of the hungarian sci-fi metal band, Mytra.

Dead Air offers fans a full 88-minute set containing 20 tracks from the bands extensive and illustrious repertoire to date, with inclusions spanning two decades of dark progressive greatness, and essentially also debuting three of the City Burials album tracks in a live setting. The tracklisting itself contains a very literal selection of fan favourites overall, having being voted for exclusively by the bands worldwide fanbase, flawlessly flirting between earlier singles such as metallic anthems My Twin & July, to the stirring emotional grandeur of new song, Lacquer. The recording, mixing & engineering work was orchestrated by David Castillo, notable for his extensive body of work with Katatonia to date, and the performance itself was professionally filmed by Blackbox Video.

Fates Warning have been a formidable presence in progressive metal for more than 35 years, helping to shape and drive the genre without ever compromising their integrity or losing relevance. They return in 2020 with Long Day Good Night, the most epic and longest album of their storied career. "The styles of music we've written distinguish this record from the rest of our catalogue," states vocalist Ray Alder. "There are some songs with electronics and some with a nice ethereal feel, as well as some pretty straightforward grooves, at least for us. And there are also some pretty heavy songs. We tried to give the listener a host of different things to listen to, as opposed to an album where every song sounds the same." As such, the album is something of a rollercoaster ride, moving through various moods and making for perhaps their most vital release to date.

CD/DVD‘Transitus’ is the new studio album of Ayreon. It builds around an entirely new story, not connected to the Ayreon universe although as always it does have some subtle links. The sci-fi theme makes way for a gothic ghost story set (partly) in the 19th century with elements of horror and the supernatural. It’s on a dark thunderous night where our story of Abby and Daniel begins.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will release his new solo album, Tokyo Jukebox 3", in Japan on October 21. According to Billboard, the LP features Marty's cover versions of a wide variety of pop songs, including such contemporary numbers as LiSA's "Gurenge" and OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM's "Shukumei", along with DA PUMP's dance track "U.S.A.", END OF THE WORLD's ballad "Sazanka", and the vocaloid hit "Senbonzakura Feat. Hatsune Miku". Some throwback J-pop hits from the '90s are included on the set as well, such as ZARD's "Makenaide" and EVERY LITTLE THING's "Time Goes By".

Rockshots Records is proud to announce their latest signing of Greece’s Black Fate for the release of the prog power metal band’s new album“Ithaca” due out October 23rd, 2020. With their heartbreaking world-class vocals, catchy hooks, and lyrics, along with crashing guitar riffs, haunting melodies, and furious technical and melodic solos, Black Fate continues to satisfy bands with the release of their 5th studio album. “Ithaca” was mixed and mastered by Steve Lado and follows full-lengths “Between Visions and Lies” (2014) (Ulterium Records), “Deliverance of Soul” (2009) (Asiral Records), “A Piece of Dream” (2002) (Secret Port Records), “Uncover” (2001) (Secret Port Records).

On a strange night in December 2019, Devin Townsend brought his high wire act to The Roundhouse, a converted railway shed in Camden, North London. It was the penultimate show of the tour in support of his latest album, the breath-takingly intricate and ambitious Empath, which itself found the man who made it consciously throwing off the artistic shackles he’d spent the past two decades wrapping around himself.

The second opus from classical metal ensemble LOST SYMPHONY, aptly titled Chapter II, is available. “The times are certainly a little weird and I don’t think ‘Chapter II’ could be any more appropriate,” says LOST SYMPHONY founder Benny Goodman. “There was a lot of time and effort put into making this music so that it takes you somewhere. From start to finish, there is always a light through the darkness.” Primarily composed before, yet eerily perfect for the age of the Pandemic, the eight-track album strains beauty through aural apocalypse. The collective founded by multi-instrumentalist and producer Benny Goodman and comprising his brother Brian (compositions, arrangement), Cory Paza (bass, guitar), Kelly Kereliuk (guitar), Paul Lourenco (drums), and Siobhán Cronin (violin, viola, electric violin) has once again welcomed a revolving cast of virtuosos to join them for the next phase. This installment includes Marty Friedman, David Ellefson, Jeff Loomis, Oli Herbert and many more.

Derek Sherinian and Simon Phillips relive their partnership on an album which shoots on all directions whilst remaining consistent and true to Derek’s style of composing and playing. Unashamedly organic and original, ‘The Phoenix” is a worthy addition to his catalogue, which will solidify his place in the highest echelons of keyboard players…

The Progressive Souls Collective and the debut album, Sonic Birth, is the brainchild of German guitarist Florian Zepf. It's an ambitious and massive recording of modern progressive metal…

Alongside with the band Hillward this outfit surely sets a special trademark when speaking of melodic heavy prog music from Canada's Quebec region. And yes, there are some relations given, as David Lizotte is responsible for the mix and mastering on this occasion, at least that. After leaving five years behind INNER ODYSSEY are getting started as a fivesome yet again. Where guitarist Vincent Leboeuf Gadreau, while also adding the complete lyrics to the fold, officiates as the band's constant, head, during recent years. The new album is made of nine songs. They are thematically dealing with the context of rejection, failure and cyber addiction concerning social media respectively the virtual world in general.

Stemming out of an offer from Roadburn Festival organizer Walter Hoeijmakers, mutual acquaintances, and a shared love of each other’s output, May Our Chambers Be Full is the first recorded document of collaboration between Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou. While their solo material seems on its face to be quite disparate, both groups have spent their respective careers lurking at the outer boundaries of the heavy metal scene, the artists having more in common with DIY punk and its spiritual successor, grunge.