WEBVTT

00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:05.260
Metalhead Podcast, Metalhead Podcast, Go!

00:00:26.240 --> 00:00:28.020
You must listen.

00:00:29.260 --> 00:00:30.140
You must listen.

00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:32.580
You must listen.

00:00:36.819 --> 00:00:38.740
Now, here is the podcast.

00:00:39.220 --> 00:00:40.540
Let's podcast go.

00:00:40.800 --> 00:00:41.260
All right.

00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:42.920
So this is John.

00:00:43.780 --> 00:00:48.840
And I am in Atlanta, Georgia for this year's Prog Power USA 19.

00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:51.220
Hard to believe.

00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:51.940
19.

00:00:52.180 --> 00:00:53.300
This is my 18th year.

00:00:54.120 --> 00:01:20.200
I've been a gold badge member for 19 years. There's one year I didn't come down. So this is a annual ritual thing that I do. I'm here for the mainly prog. Some of the power, maybe. We'll see. But for anyone who's interested in this type of metal music, hopefully you'll enjoy this. And if you don't and you still listen, great. Thank you. So today is day one.

00:01:23.960 --> 00:01:53.920
the festival because before it used to be a two-day festival on friday saturday and over the years they've added thursday and then a wednesday and now it's a four-day full festival so tonight kicking things off at 4 p.m jay and george would be happy ross the boss they're followed by a band that i don't know if i want to watch them or not because i just i'm not really into them

00:01:53.920 --> 00:02:22.520
And there's some history between me and this band and the podcast at 5.30 tonight. Glory Hammer. We'll see. Maybe I'll give them a little bit of time. Followed at 7 by a band from Sweden called Nocturnal Rights. I have to watch these guys for one reason and one reason only. They were on the same flight as a good friend of mine flying back from Japan into Chicago. He sat one row behind them.

00:02:24.040 --> 00:02:53.140
talking, there were pictures taken, and Facebook messages sent to me saying I have to watch them at Prog Power. Well, of course, I was going to check them out anyway, but now I have even more reason to see them. So they are at 7 tonight, like I said, they're the third band. After them, they will have the 2019 roster announcement video for days 1 and 2, and then followed by that will be the headliner from Australia, Voyager, who I'm looking forward to seeing. I've become a fan of theirs over the years.

00:02:53.540 --> 00:03:23.520
I actually became a fan of theirs after seeing them on the old Wednesday night which used to be in a much smaller venue in the same building with a smaller venue a little more intimate and I liked what I saw and I've become a big fan of theirs since then so it's a short roster only four bands tonight but it's good that they're getting this thing going because we look forward to this every year those of us who come down here all the time I have really not much to say other than I want to see Voyager definitely want to see Nocturnal Rights I'll check out

00:03:23.540 --> 00:03:53.520
Rasta Boss, even though I'm not a big Manowar fan, might watch a little Glory Hammer, but I'm going to need to eat at some point. So maybe they get sacrificed. George probably wouldn't be happy because I'm sure he wants me to see them because I've been going on and on about them. But we'll see how it goes. The one thing I will do is I'll make my predictions now for next year, which seems kind of funny to do because they do the roster announcements on the first and third nights, but they break them up. Tonight's announcements are going to be for days

00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:55.240
I'm just going to do the whole festival

00:03:56.020 --> 00:03:57.320
and say who I think might show up.

00:03:57.720 --> 00:03:59.900
I'll probably get them all wrong. Maybe I'll get one right.

00:03:59.990 --> 00:04:02.220
Who knows? Who cares? It's all for fun.

00:04:02.700 --> 00:04:03.940
I'm going to go ahead and go on the record

00:04:03.950 --> 00:04:05.800
and say maybe Arch Matheus

00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:07.820
will make an appearance next year

00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:09.460
seeing as they have a new album coming out

00:04:09.560 --> 00:04:10.460
and there's no Fates Warning.

00:04:10.990 --> 00:04:13.220
And I do believe they want to do some shows

00:04:13.780 --> 00:04:14.680
for the second album.

00:04:15.510 --> 00:04:16.280
So that'd be kind of cool.

00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:19.100
Let's see.

00:04:19.609 --> 00:04:21.480
I think maybe King Crow might come back

00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:22.880
because they were supposed to play this year.

00:04:22.900 --> 00:04:51.840
and it got canceled. So I'm thinking maybe they're scheduled to come back for their second appearance for next year, which will still be cool because I do like them. And I'm drawing a blank now. I had a whole list of them driving down from Asheville this morning. But those are my two main ones. We'll see if I get that right. Oh, here's one. Maybe Mike Romeo from Symphony X who has a solo album out this year called War of the Worlds Part 1.

00:04:52.920 --> 00:05:20.540
He'll make an appearance seeing as he has now Mount and Symphony X is not really doing anything currently. So those are my three for right now. I may have some more that I talk about when I do the recap after tonight, but we'll see. That's it for now. I will be back discussing what I saw tonight and then talking about day two. Okay, day one in the books for Prog Power USA 2018.

00:05:22.960 --> 00:05:52.880
I got it today started out headed over to the venue to pick up my gold badge ran into a friend that I've seen geez I don't know how many years we've run into him head from Charlotte and hung out with him in line for a little bit and actually the whole time in line and then we went into the venue did a little merch shopping real quick just for a minute or two then headed into the venue and struck out some good seats kind of center stage so we pretty much camped out there for the whole evening

00:05:52.900 --> 00:06:21.700
He stayed a little longer than I did. I'll get to the point where I disappeared. But it was good hanging out with him and seeing him. I know TR and I have seen him a bunch of times and hung out and had some good laughs and enjoyed stuff. And we couldn't be any more opposite in the bands that we like. He's more of the power side. I'm more of the prog side. So it's kind of fun to hear us say what we like and don't like about the shows we see. Kicked off with Ross the Boss. The Manowar set. That was at 4pm. So it was an early set.

00:06:22.900 --> 00:06:28.540
I'm not a big Manowar fan, but the band sounded great. I did not realize Mike LaPond from Symphony

00:06:28.640 --> 00:06:34.700
X was playing bass for him, but it was a nice little surprise to see him up there just crushing it.

00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:40.420
And I thought they they sounded good. The songs were fine. I'm just never got into Manowar.

00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:50.140
But I believe all the songs were from Ross the Boss's time with Manowar and in two new songs from his album that's out.

00:06:50.660 --> 00:07:20.520
So they played a solid set for about an hour. Got a good reception. And it was probably a good way to get the day started. The next band that followed is a band you've heard me mention numerous times on the podcast. Glory Hammer. What can I say? Glory Hammer is just not my thing. I've watched about three songs. Listened to them sing about hammers from space. Watched a weird looking character come on stage.

00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:49.520
with a mask and a big hammer and some hammer fights and I checked out after three songs. That was enough. I'm not doing it anymore today. Just not my thing. I'm just not into dudes dressing up like Final Fantasy characters and doing gang singing and stuff like that. They got a great reception. They sounded good. It's just not my style of music. So I tried. Didn't last. Went outside. Had a piece of pizza that I did not like.

00:07:50.680 --> 00:08:18.920
And I decided, well, I do want to see Nocturnal Rights. I got to go back in. Because I wanted to get my seat back. And lucky, fortunate for me, I was able to get my seat. And so that worked out. And going back real quick to Ross the Boss, I forgot to mention that our friend Lance and Julie, who listened to the podcast, Lance hung out with us too during Ross the Boss. So that was cool to hang out with him. I didn't get to see them the rest of the night, but I'm sure I'll see them a lot this weekend.

00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:48.840
But I bring Lance up for a reason. Because I'll mention him when I go over the bands that were selected for next year's Wednesday and Thursday. So back to the evening. So I went in and watched about three more songs from Glory Hammer. Again, just didn't change my mind. Sounded good. They can play. Not my thing. So Nocturnal Rites come up. And I had asked George if I should check them out. And he said I should. Early, I guess they were a death metal. Now they're strictly.

00:08:49.920 --> 00:09:18.880
And again, I'm just not a power guy. I try. I can't get into all the gang singing. They sounded great, though. They put out a hell of a performance. They looked like they were having a great time on stage. And I watched the whole set because they flew back from Japan with my good friend, Kurt. They were flying into Chicago, and I guess Kurt ended up talking with them, took pictures with them, and I ended up running into them on the street. And I stopped them, and I said, you guys are in Arctona, right?

00:09:19.060 --> 00:09:48.980
and they said, "Hey, you were just on a plane with my friend, Kurt, who took pictures." And they knew immediately who I was talking about. They said, "Yeah, we were supposed to look for you to see if you'd stop us or anything." So it was kind of cool how that worked out. Two days before or a day before, I'm getting a message from a friend of mine who's on a plane over the Pacific Ocean saying that he's talking with nocturnal rights. They played a good set for about an hour and I'd say

00:09:49.000 --> 00:10:17.880
20 minutes. They were supposed to play an hour and a half. They played about an hour and 20. Fans loved them. My friend Ed thought they were great. So it worked out. So they then did the roster announcement for next year, which I'll save for after the final band. Or after I talk about the last band here and then day two. So the final band was Voyager from Australia, who I'm a big fan of. I did not become a big fan of them until a few years ago when I saw them in 2015.

00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:45.960
When they came and played two sets, they did the Wednesday show. And then they actually played on Friday night. And they were great. I know Voyager's not for everyone. They are kind of a progressive with some, I don't want to say pop tendencies, but they do have some more poppy type vocals. They do things a little differently. I don't know what it is about Australian bands.

00:10:49.020 --> 00:11:18.980
but they all seem to have their own little different flair. And I wouldn't say eclectic or eccentric ways about them but they're all just slightly different than bands from their genre around the world which makes them so unique and makes them so good. I think that's why I enjoy so many Australian bands. They cranked it out. Their set was great. They covered I think their last five albums with the majority of the songs coming from the last three. But they did play a few songs from I Am The Revolution which is the album

00:11:19.020 --> 00:11:46.300
I like the most. It was just a good set. A little quirky at times. They're running around having a good time. They do kind of a medley jam session where they'll just play all kinds of different songs. And I think this year they did some snippets from Cowboys from Hell. What else? Oh, they always do the Ghostbusters thing because the singer or keyboardist plays a keytar and it was kind of fun.

00:11:46.320 --> 00:12:15.680
They then brought all these people up on stage in this little medley and played Big Bottom by Spinal Tap and all these people on stage were just up there swinging their ass around. It was kind of funny. It was very cool because they were all Voyager fans because they all had Voyager shirts on and it was the crew was out there. And then they ripped into Toto's Africa, which it's kind of been a long-standing running meme this year. This song, for whatever reasons, keeps showing up in the Prog Power Facebook posts.

00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:44.780
as a meme. It's very funny. Other than that, the set was great. They were supposed to play an hour and a half. They ended up playing like 20 songs and close to an hour and 50 minutes. I think Total was the show. So it was really enjoyable. Great stage presence. They were running around. I don't know how I couldn't be doing that. My neck would be just shot today. So anyway, day one in the books. Voyager was my band of the day. Everyone played great. Just the first three bands were not my style. Still checked them out and it was fun.

00:12:45.980 --> 00:13:11.000
Today, Day 2, I'll run through the list real quick. Opening is Seller Darling from Switzerland, followed by Oceans of Slumber from the U.S. who are replacing King Crow. Dora comes on after them, and I have to apologize for the life of me. I cannot remember who she's replacing. That was the last minute back out. And I just can't think of the band right now, so I apologize for that.

00:13:11.100 --> 00:13:40.800
And it's finished by Angra at 9pm tonight. And they are paying a fan-picked set. It'll be interesting to see Angra because I think there's only one original member in the band now. Even though I know the bass player has been around since I think 2000. But it's another new singer. I believe his name is Fabio. I can't remember the band he's from again. I don't know. Rap City Labyrinth. I don't know which one it is. So I'll check them out. We'll see.

00:13:41.100 --> 00:14:11.000
I mean, Oceans of Slumber is probably the one I'm more interested in just because I think their last two albums are pretty good. I'll definitely want to see Doro because I don't know much about her. I know George is a super fan. And she's kind of one of the queens of metal, so I'll definitely be interested. So another okay day overall. It'll be more just to have fun and hang out. So now, real quick, the list for next year's Day Ones and Twos. I'll run through.

00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:15.540
them real quick I'm always too much time the first band on day one is iron mask power metal

00:14:15.880 --> 00:14:21.860
don't know anything about them figures huh second band is secret sphere from France actually iron

00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.200
mask I don't know where they're from to be honest with you maybe Belgium I said France I think

00:14:25.400 --> 00:14:30.340
that's wrong secret spheres from France my friend Ed had mentioned he was hoped they would come

00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:36.719
they're coming they're listed as like a power prog band I heard a lot of power in that uh that snippet

00:14:36.760 --> 00:15:06.700
during the announcement. We'll see. Third band, which I'm excited about, is Insomnium. I've never seen them. I know they've come to the States a few times, but it'd be kind of cool to see them. That's definitely the band I'm looking forward to on day one. And then closing out is a band that I saw a while back. Don't know much about them. I know they've been around forever. A band from Denmark called Pretty Maids. Eh, not my thing. Again, they went over real well in the announcement, and they went over really well when they played the last

00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:08.720
I know they don't come to the States often so

00:15:09.540 --> 00:15:11.220
that should be interesting to see them again

00:15:12.920 --> 00:15:13.420
day two

00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:17.020
opening is a band called Tomorrow's Eve

00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:19.020
from Germany which I was very surprised

00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:20.880
to see I know they have a new album

00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:23.080
out this year for the first time in 10 years but I've been

00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:24.560
a fan of these guys since 2000

00:15:25.180 --> 00:15:26.900
when their debut came out called The Unexpected

00:15:27.040 --> 00:15:28.440
well they are straight on prog metal

00:15:29.839 --> 00:15:30.920
I think they're good

00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:32.800
some people may or may not but

00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.000
I think that's a solid pick and I was

00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:36.059
very happy to see that

00:15:36.660 --> 00:16:06.020
The second band is Mayan, who is an offshoot of After Forever, who is an offshoot of Epica. People were pretty excited about this. I'm pretty much done with the symphonic metal stuff. I've been for a while, although I do like the first After Forever album a lot. And the first two albums of Epica are okay. But after that, it's the same stuff for me over and over again. I'll probably check them out, though, because I'm sure everything will be done.

00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:36.040
I don't know. We'll see. Third band is a band that everyone's going crazy for on the forum right now. This band from Japan. I hope I pronounce this right. Galna Reese. I guess they're making their debut in the States or something. I mean I'm wrong about that but it seemed like they were kind of a power symphonic metal band. I read they have some prog in them. I didn't hear any when I saw the clip on the video screen. I don't know. We'll see. Maybe I'll check them out just because they're from

00:16:36.080 --> 00:17:05.860
I don't recall any bands from Japan playing here before. I could be wrong about that. Final band is Evergrey. They're the headline for day two. I was not wowed by this. I liked the first five Evergrey albums. I have not particularly cared for the last five Evergrey albums. I know they're one of the house bands here. I know that Glenn loves them and that's cool. And this is day one and two are the other two promoters, Nathan and Melon. So I get them bringing them in. I'll watch them.

00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:36.040
I hope they do something special just because I've seen them enough times. I was hoping for something a little different but you know it's one of the bands that have kind of built this festival so good for them. So that's it for day one and two for next year. So in talking in between sets you know stuff like that I mentioned Lance earlier he had mentioned we were talking about what bands we'd want to see come for next year and he

00:17:36.080 --> 00:18:05.040
They brought up a band I completely forgot to mention and that was Conception. And they're a prog metal band from Norway. And I would be just jazzed up if they came because they just recently got back together with their singer Roy Kahn. Who if you're a Kameloff fan you'd know who that is. This would be great. I saw Conception years ago and they played the fest and they had reunited for that and they were amazing. So I'm kind of hoping that Lance who claims that his friend had told him about Conception.

00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:11.300
I'll give him credit for mentioning it to me because I completely forgot it.

00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:22.040
I forgot to throw out Eson just because he had a new album out and I know Glenn sometimes likes to have that one band that is kind of outside the box for the festival.

00:18:22.860 --> 00:18:23.720
So maybe we'll get that.

00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:29.820
So I wanted to mention those last two band picks just in case they do get announced.

00:18:30.080 --> 00:18:31.700
For all I know, I won't get one right this year.

00:18:32.340 --> 00:18:32.580
Who knows?

00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:34.340
I'll take one and I'll be happy.

00:18:34.420 --> 00:19:03.000
So that's it for day one in the books. Gonna meander around and get ready for day two and we'll have more for you later. Okay this is an addendum to day one coverage. I screwed up. I should have said two things instead of the two that I originally said. The first is Darren Voyager's medley said they did not do Ghostbusters. I believe it was Beverly Hills Cop on the keytar. I should have gotten that. I enjoyed that.

00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:34.380
As I said, they played songs from their last five albums. They only have six albums. So they played songs from five of their six albums. That's a little more correct. That's it. Okay. Day two of Proc Power USA is in the books. We are halfway through. Hard to believe it's going so fast. So here's my recap from last night. Early on in the day, met up with podcast friends, Julie and Lance, and headed over to the Porter Beer Bar, which is, uh,

00:19:34.440 --> 00:20:04.400
a very famous beer bar here in Atlanta and it's got wide recognition around the country as a great beer bar. Went over for a few beers and food to kind of prime up to get started and then we headed over to the we actually headed back to our hotels and then headed to the venue where we met up with a friend of mine named Ed and staked out a claim in the venue and we ended up staying there for pretty much the whole time. Kicking off the day's events was a band called Cellar Darling. They're from

00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:34.400
And if I can pronounce this right, I believe three of the members from the band were in the Lubity. Am I saying that right? Probably not. They were in that band for a while. They left and formed their own band, as far as I know. So they kicked off today, and I had listened to their album prior to coming down to Prog Power. George had told me to check them out because he liked the former band a little bit, I guess. And he thought the

00:20:34.420 --> 00:21:04.400
album from Cellar Darling was good. So I listened and I was like, that's okay. It's not bad. But seeing them live, I was pretty much blown away by the fact that it just sounded so much better. The heavier use of guitars, the drums were more kind of a pounding sound. And it mixed really well with the kind of folky thing that they do. And I actually liked it so much that I got it from my seat halfway through the set to get their CD because I didn't want to get it.

00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:33.700
to go out there later and find it wasn't there. And lo and behold there was a bunch of people standing in line buying merch for them. So I got one and went back in and watched the rest of the show. So I think I missed like basically half of one song and half of another. It was a great set. They sounded great. The venue inside was not full but the reception they got was pretty incredible. And they got a standing ovation after they were done. All across. It wasn't just you know a few people here and there that liked them. It was a lot of people.

00:21:34.060 --> 00:22:00.340
Gave them a really good reception afterwards. So good for them. It was a great way to kick off the day. And probably of all the bands yesterday, they were my favorite and it was the first one. And it was the one I was just like, ah, you know, we'll see how it goes. So I'm glad that I got to enjoy a band that I wasn't thinking I would enjoy as much during the day. So that was a great start. They were followed by Oceans of Slumber, who were replacing King Crow.

00:22:04.080 --> 00:22:34.040
and make it a good replacement for my perspective. And they put on a good set. A little more... What's the best word? It was a little more... Not... It was heavy. It was atmospheric. But there wasn't much interaction with the crowd like there was with Cellar Darling. So it was... They came out. They played. They left. I think the only time we heard any words, any talking was at the very end. They thanked us for...

00:22:34.060 --> 00:23:04.020
the reception they got. So it was good. They're a solid band. I like them. Seemed like a lot of people were there to see them. And it was all right. You know, I was hoping for something slightly different. I don't know what I was looking for, but the band played great. Maybe it was just a little too kind of, wasn't that there wasn't a lot of action or a lot of energy. It just was very kind of methodical the way they went to.

00:23:04.080 --> 00:23:10.040
about it and very kind of ethereal points. That makes sense. So, but a solid performance and I enjoyed it.

00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:34.020
They were followed up by Doro, who, as I said yesterday, I still can't remember who she's replaced last night, but she put on a great show. I don't know much about her in terms of her music. I haven't really listened much to Warlock or anything like that. I'm sure right now George is shaming me, but it was, it was solid. I enjoyed it. A lot of energy. I swear I've seen half of her band plays.

00:23:34.060 --> 00:24:03.640
for other bands of Prog Power in the past. But she was just... she made me feel old. And she's older than me. Meaning she was just running around like crazy and having a great time and headbanging and trying to get the crowd into it. And everyone was enjoying her show. And it was a lot of fun to watch her on stage. So it was a good set. I enjoyed it. The final band was Angra from Brazil. If you're not familiar with them, they're pretty well known.

00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:14.260
in the power metal world. I liked their early stuff. The first half of their

00:24:14.520 --> 00:24:32.900
catalog I liked a lot. The second half I'm like, eh, it's okay. It's nothing special. And there's only one original member in the band now too. So it was a little strange to see them. Each time I've seen them at Prog Power, they're less original members. And I get it. It happens with bands.

00:24:32.940 --> 00:25:02.660
But they put on a good performance. It was a fan-picked set, but what I didn't realize is it was a half-fan-picked set, and the other half was the new album, Omni, that they played all the way through. I stayed as long as I could. I think I got in probably 13 of their 17 or 18 songs they played, and at that point, my back was just killing me because I had been sitting for the whole time, and the venue seats are not that great. So I saw most of their show, and it was good. It was pretty well-performed.

00:25:02.940 --> 00:25:32.780
They got a great reception. But I just didn't feel married to watching the whole thing. So I gave myself a break and came back. But I'm glad I got to see most of their set. Because the other two times I only saw part of their sets. So nice show. Nice day. It was good. It was a solid day. But like I said for me, Seller Darling kind of won it. And they were the first band. And they were the least I knew about of all the bands. So good day. So today, day three, which is now. These are all of the main promoter.

00:25:32.980 --> 00:26:02.040
These are all his picks that he made. The first two days were done by Milton and Nathan who have come on in the last few years to handle the Wednesday Thursday days. Starting off today, it's early, we kick off around two. It's a band called Manimal from Sweden. They're a metal, just I guess a heavy metal band. Don't know anything about them. Not sure if I'll watch much of them. We'll see. From what I heard, I was like, yeah, it's all right. Following them is Persephone from Andorra.

00:26:02.940 --> 00:26:32.900
I will definitely watch their set I like them I don't know what I think about them overall I think they're they're pretty good band but you know I want to see if they can do what they do on album live so I'm looking forward to that following them is a band called bloodbound from Sweden I guess they're a power metal band don't know much about them again listen to a little bit of them before the festival started and yeah wasn't my thing so we'll see if I watch them or if I decide to get some food at that point they are followed by a labyrinth from Italy

00:26:34.040 --> 00:27:02.900
I may watch them just because I've heard so much about them. We'll see. I'll probably catch a good portion of their set. They are followed by Redemption from the U.S. I'm a little lukewarm on Redemption. Prog Metal Band. I like all their stuff. I have everything, but the last few albums is kind of the same album for me. I know it's probably heresy to some people here, especially seeing as now the main guy from

00:27:02.920 --> 00:27:32.080
Evergray is now their singer Tom is singing for them. Tom Unglund I think is his name. And it's no longer Ray from Fate's Warning. So I do want to see how he sounds and I do want to see how they perform. I'm assuming that that will be packed to you know every seat will be taken for that because he is the guy Tom from Evergray is he's one of the house bands basically. He's always here almost every year it seems like he just comes just to come and hang out with everybody.

00:27:32.240 --> 00:28:02.040
And I think that's actually pretty cool considering he's coming from Sweden. So I'll probably check that out. But I do want to be there for the end of their set because they will do the roster announcement for 2019 days three and four. And then following them will be Sons of Apollo who actually replaced James Labrie from Dream Theater, which I was fine seeing him. But I actually wasn't stressed or pissed or upset that he wasn't coming. And it was Sons of Apollo who I don't really care about either.

00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:32.220
But I'm a big Derek Sherinian fan. And so while he won't be playing any of his solo material, Planet X stuff, I'm still, I want to watch him play. And it's, you know, an all-star band with Mike Portnoy and, oh, what is it, Bumblefoot on guitar. He'll have like 47 necks, you know, and he'll play one the whole time, but he'll always have his double neck in hand. It's Billy Sheenan on bass, who's always cool to see. And I can't even feel the life of me. I'm going to get killed for not

00:28:32.280 --> 00:28:35.100
I'm remembering the singer's name right now. Jeff DeSoto.

00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:38.500
So, it'll be cool. I'll enjoy it.

00:28:38.580 --> 00:28:42.120
I don't know how long I'll last for it, but I definitely want to make sure I see most of their set.

00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:48.240
As far as I know, they're playing their whole album in just a few tracks, Dream Theater or something like that.

00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:51.480
But that'll be day three. We'll report back on that.

00:28:52.020 --> 00:28:53.380
And we'll see how it goes.

00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:57.800
All right, day three of Prog Power USA is in the books.

00:28:58.260 --> 00:29:00.420
Hard to believe this festival's just flying by.

00:29:01.260 --> 00:29:29.980
But another day, a bunch of bands seen, another good day. Let's just kick right into it. Day started off with Manimal from Sweden. Didn't know anything about them, just that they were pretty much just a metal band. I don't think they were any power progressive to any extent from listening to them when I was prepping for the festival. But I wanted to get there to see Persephone that followed them, so I wanted to get a seat. And I was glad I did because I thought they were pretty good.

00:29:58.520 --> 00:30:00.520
They just went nonstop for their hour.

00:30:01.260 --> 00:30:30.500
just cranked out a ton of music. I still don't know what I think about them. I like them. And there's days that I really enjoy them. And days I'm like, eh. And it's funny. I had this conversation with our friend Julie and Lance. We were talking and she said the same thing about them. There's days she loves them and days that she needs to take a break. And I feel the same way. But I was really glad to see them. They played without their bassist. Who I didn't hear why he couldn't make it. So two guitars, no bass on stage.

00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:59.940
And it still sounded great. They are hell of musicians. And I think they probably, for me, will steal the most intense show of the Fest. Unless something crazy happens today, which I don't see happening. But anyway, I'm glad I got to finally see them. The next band is the first band I have not seen at this year's Fest, and that was Bloodbound. I had to take a break. And I came back to my hotel and was going to probably crash for a little bit because I knew it was going to be a long evening.

00:31:00.020 --> 00:31:28.120
And I looked at the weather and said it was going to rain at 6 o'clock. So I bolted back up to the venue. Didn't rain, fortunately. And ended up catching all of Labyrinth's set, which I had no intentions of watching. Ended up being alright. Not my thing overall, but I'm glad I got to see them. I know a lot of people liked them. And it put on a good show. They were into it. The fans were into it. Just not my type of music. But nevertheless, fun to watch.

00:31:30.100 --> 00:31:59.440
The following band was Redemption. I've maybe mentioned before, maybe not, that I'm a little iffy on their more recent stuff. Everything just kind of sounds the same to me. I appreciate how good they are. They should be in my wheelhouse because they're a progmental band. I'm taking a break from them a little bit. I wanted to see them because the main guy from Ever Great Tom was now their lead vocalist. Ray from Fate's Morning is No Long.

00:31:59.600 --> 00:32:29.440
their lead vocalist. So I wanted to see how they sounded with him. And I thought they were good. You could see the difference between vocal styles. I think Tom was kind of nervous. He even said he was up on stage. He's a mainstay at Prog Power. He's part of the Prog Power family. He's always here. He actually comes years when Evergray's not even playing. He'll just show up and hang out. So I wanted to give him that due just because he's part of this family here. And lo and behold, as they were doing their songs, they were putting up,

00:32:30.740 --> 00:32:59.560
They put an image up of the band with Ray as the vocalist with the other band members and I'm thinking I think he's going to come out because it just that seems very odd that you have a new vocalist and you're showing a picture of the old vocalist up there and literally as I'm thinking that and no one's picking up on this by the way everyone's just kind of looking around and saying why is this picture there he just runs out on stage and sings a song with them which I thought was very cool the whole venue erupted because he's a mainstay also and he's a

00:32:59.600 --> 00:33:29.560
He's a fan favorite. My friend Babs was sitting in front of me and she was enjoying it quite a bit. She likes Ray. Just put it that way. And he just sounded amazing. And it was kind of special because as far as I know he's moved to Spain. So he came all the way over. So I'm assuming he came over to do other stuff here back in the States. But that was very cool. And I thought that's really nice. Now I'm actually enjoying this set more because there's something special. Well then two songs later

00:33:29.580 --> 00:33:59.540
Mike Van Dyke, the main guy behind Redemption, announces that one of the guitarists from the first album was there and out walks Chris Poland. And if you guys know your old metal history, Chris Poland was the guitarist for Megadeth in the early years. So he came out and they played a song and then he wouldn't let Chris Poland leave. Of course, I'm sure they planned this. And they played Peace Cells by Megadeth. And I was just like, this is fucking awesome. Chris Poland is out on stage. Who would have thought? So they ended up being a really fun set to watch.

00:33:59.620 --> 00:34:28.340
And so I ended up enjoying them. And it made it more fun to put it all in perspective. So after that they did the roster announcement for day three and four for next year which I'll get to at the end. And then it was closed by Sons of Apollo which is the super super group of prog metal featuring Mike Portnoy and Derek Schroening both formerly of Dream Theater, Billy Sheen on bass, Bumblefoot on guitar,

00:34:29.580 --> 00:34:58.100
and Ron Thaw, I think is his name, and then Jeff Scott Soto. Yeah, I think that's it. Yeah, JASS, as he goes by as their vocalist, and they played in this super long set for only having one album. I think I left after two and a half hours. I just couldn't take it. I made it to the encore, and that's it. I'm done checking out because the seats are so uncomfortable in the venue this year. I don't know why. And I was already there for God knows how many hours are yesterday.

00:34:59.580 --> 00:35:29.540
Very good show. Played a couple Dream Theater covers. Played their whole album as far as I know. They did a bunch of solo stuff. They played a Queen cover. It was fun. I'm still not big on the band overall. I just think it sounds okay. I'm a huge Derek Sheridan fan. That's one of the main reasons I wanted to see them. I haven't seen him live for going back to when he toured with Planet X. They played the old Jacks in Springfield, Virginia. That's going back like 15, 16.

00:35:30.019 --> 00:35:56.200
I hadn't seen him since then. So I definitely wanted to see him live. Fun show though. They did a nice job. Fans were really into it. But at this point as we're closing in at one o'clock in the morning, me being an old man, I was like, all right, I'm going back to the hotel. So it was good. I enjoyed it. A nice, nice way to cap the evening. Today, day four, I'm going to run through these real quick and tell you I'm going to see who I'm not because I'm not watching everybody today.

00:35:58.740 --> 00:36:28.500
That I can tell you. It's going to start off with Triosphere from Norway. I don't know much about them. I probably will watch them because I want to get up to the venue to see what band merch is there. But I'll check them out. They're going to be followed by Eclipse from Sweden. Again, don't know much about them. We'll see how I feel if I want to just kind of wander around, talk to some friends and stuff. They will then be followed by Soen. I think that's how you say their name from Sweden. Definitely want to see them because of Morten Lopez, formerly of Opeth.

00:36:30.039 --> 00:36:33.860
I don't know if I'll watch the whole set but I do want to see it

00:36:35.479 --> 00:36:43.260
the next band who I really want to see bad is Vior from the Netherlands and that's what Annika Van

00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:48.280
Giersberg and formerly of the Gathering I definitely want to see them I really enjoyed their album a lot I

00:36:48.380 --> 00:36:52.100
don't know if I would have it as high as I had it last year because I was really big on it last year but I've kind of

00:36:53.020 --> 00:36:58.139
cooled a little bit on it still like it still enjoy it but I do want to see her live because she's my favorite

00:36:58.140 --> 00:37:28.080
and I just enjoy every time she's been there. She's been there with Devin. Actually, she's only been there twice, but I've seen her three times there, three different shows. She played three shows the time she came. So all the three times I saw her there was great. And every time I've seen her with The Gathering, she was great. So I'm looking forward to that. They are followed by Aelstorm. And I have no idea what I'm going to do during this set because I'm going to feel like I need to put a patch over my eye and have a peg leg and drink beers and sing songs.

00:37:29.380 --> 00:37:58.080
Or I could just sit there and watch them and then come back to the hotel room. So we'll see. I don't know. I'm not. I know people love them. They're just big on them. I'm assuming it will just be. You won't be able to move in there because I think a lot of people have fun. Then the headline is I think her name is Tarja. She's formerly the singer formerly of Nightwish. I'm probably not going to watch her. I know she's the final headline but not a big fan of Nightwish and I'm not a big fan of her operatic singing. So it's nothing personal. It's just not my thing.

00:37:58.820 --> 00:38:27.380
So I don't think I'll make it to her. So that's it for day four. Now, real quick, because I'm breathing heavier. No, I'm just kidding. This is the announcement that was made last night. Pretty interesting. I didn't get one pick for four days. None. I am terrible and I suck. All my friends here at the fest got picks, except me. It's okay.

00:38:28.160 --> 00:38:57.940
because there's some damn good bands coming. Real quick, Friday. Opening. Windrose from Italy. Don't know them. It's the first time I ever heard of them. So I'll check them out later. Second band from Germany, Sub Signal. This kind of caught me by surprise because I didn't think they would be heavy enough to play here at the Fest. But that's an interesting pick. You know, that's for the prog rock, prog metal fans. I'll definitely check them out. But not sure what I think about them. I never really got into them.

00:38:58.140 --> 00:39:27.460
So, but I'll check them out. Next band. Says here from Finland, but they're from the Fjord Islands. It's okay. Barren Earth. I know George and Will will really be excited about hearing that, but I am, and I'm going to enjoy that. And that's all that matters, is that I'll enjoy it. Following them. Surprise, I didn't see this coming. Psychotic Waltz. Very cool. I am a big fan of the first two albums.

00:39:27.620 --> 00:39:31.880
They're one of the main godfathers of prog metal from the

00:39:32.880 --> 00:39:34.300
early 90s, but they're definitely

00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:36.360
in that second tier group behind

00:39:37.140 --> 00:39:39.040
the Fates Warnings, Queens Rikes, and

00:39:39.600 --> 00:39:41.200
Dream Theater bands

00:39:41.960 --> 00:39:44.860
and the Crimson Glories, stuff like that. They're right behind that group, so

00:39:45.140 --> 00:39:46.220
that'll be fun to see.

00:39:48.060 --> 00:39:48.640
Following them

00:39:49.420 --> 00:39:51.200
is Orden Ogin

00:39:51.980 --> 00:39:53.160
that guy says how you say their name

00:39:53.340 --> 00:39:55.260
from Germany. I think I saw them once

00:39:55.440 --> 00:39:56.760
before. I think TR and I saw them once.

00:39:57.300 --> 00:40:26.160
If I remember correctly, they were fun to watch. They're a power metal band. Not my thing, but they put on a good show, so maybe I'll watch them. Who knows? And then they're followed by, and this is no surprise to me, Place One Crazy, Prog Metal Band from Sweden, Seventh Wonder. I've never got these guys. I've tried so hard to like them. I don't dislike them. I just don't. I'm not into them. I'll probably watch them a little bit since they're the headliner. We'll see. Let's go to Saturday.

00:40:26.800 --> 00:40:56.760
where I made the loudest screams in the venue only because I was shocked to see there's a doom band. They're not really per se traditional, you know, or current doom, the more traditional doom, I should say. Sorcerer from Sweden is making their U.S. debut after a gazillion years. I was really jazzed to hear about this. I'm going to be pretty psyched to see them. That's going to be a lot of fun. Their last two albums are, well, they're only two albums minus all those demos and concerts.

00:40:56.800 --> 00:41:25.380
the compilations from years ago. I love both albums. So it's going to be a lot of fun. Then an original band from the first Prog Power a gazillion years ago is making a return to the 20th. Jagpanzer from USA. I was like, wow, that is a shock. Very cool. I'm not a Jagpanzer fan, but I'll watch them definitely just because it's one of the original bands, 10 bands or whatever they had back in 2001.

00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:56.780
They're followed by Caligula's Horse from Australia. I've tried to like these guys and get into them. I can't. I don't know why. Maybe I need to give them more time. But I thought it was a really cool pick. The venue just went nuts for them. So I'll definitely check that out. I think they'll probably be a fun band to watch live. They're followed by Poets of the Fall. Don't know anything about them. Seem like everyone was really excited about them. So I'll see what they're like. I'm guessing it's probably not my style given

00:42:00.720 --> 00:42:26.300
The fifth band for Saturday, which, about time. It's been a while. Threshold. I'm a fan of these guys. Although I haven't been a super fan of the last three releases, like some people, I do like their whole catalog, so I'll definitely want to see them. They're one of my bands that I was really big on back in the 2000s, early, what, four or five years, just explosion of prog metal bands.

00:42:26.800 --> 00:42:55.800
They were definitely one of my favorites. And then a band that the place went apeshit for. And it's a heavyweight band in terms of the people in it. Give us your ice, Earth. Give us your blind guardian. Demons and wizards are going to be making their appearance. I'll probably watch it just because of who they are. Probably not going to be into it. I have to fear for my life for dragons flying around, but it'll be fun. So that's a wrap up for day three.

00:42:58.060 --> 00:43:03.260
I'll do your day four at some point but we're winding down.

00:43:04.620 --> 00:43:26.279
Okay day four Prague Power USA 19 is in the books. We are done. It is over and another great year it was. Let me recap the day real quick and then I'll give you my thoughts on the whole festival and that'll be it for this year. Kicked off the day with the band Triosphere. Today I wasn't really

00:43:26.500 --> 00:43:55.640
that interested in a lot of bands. But I figured out with the hell I'm here, I might as well check them out. And they were pretty good, actually. They were... I believe they were a three-piece, but they had four people on stage. They were, I think, were just, for the most part, just a metal band. They weren't a lot of power. There wasn't a lot of prog to them. Just straight-ahead metal. And they put out a good opening set, and I was fine with that, and I enjoyed it. And it was a good way to kick the day off. I didn't watch the whole set. I think I missed a couple songs at the end just to get up and walk around a little.

00:43:57.020 --> 00:44:24.200
A Long Week, you know, you're sitting in those chairs forever, you've got to get up and move. I'm an old man, so that's how it works. But I did come back for the second band, Eclipse from Sweden. They were not my thing. Reminded me a lot of late 80s, just hard rock. They weren't really glam metal or anything like that, but they just were not my thing. So they were very excited to be there, and they performed just fine. It just wasn't my thing.

00:44:26.280 --> 00:44:30.680
with their songs then I headed out and I can't remember what I did to be honest with you

00:44:33.180 --> 00:44:38.360
but then came up someone who I have listened to a little bit haven't really gotten into much but I

00:44:38.470 --> 00:44:56.260
wanted to see them because their drummer Martin Lopez is the former drummer from Opeth and got good seats for that and watched their set and I thought they were actually pretty cool there were some nice moments in there they have they have a touch of tool to them I guess not a super tool fan

00:44:56.260 --> 00:45:26.220
But it still sounded good. And it was great to see Martin on stage again. The last time I think I saw him in the States was 14 years ago. So he put on a great performance just like the rest of the band. As a matter of fact, I ran into him afterwards and talked to him for a few minutes. So that was kind of cool too. They were followed up by the band Vior, which if you guys have heard me talk about them before, that's Annika Van Giersberg, in Formative of the Gathering. It's her band, which is kind of a metallized version.

00:45:26.260 --> 00:45:55.760
of The Gathering Storm, which she played in two years ago, I guess. Not this year, not last year. The year before that, yeah, when Fate's Warning played. And then that's also the same year that Devin Townsend played. So it was very much the band I wanted to see for the whole festival, and I enjoyed the show a lot. I actually like the album. I know some people don't. They think it's kind of mailed in. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion about it.

00:45:55.800 --> 00:46:25.520
I thought they sounded great. A lot of energy. She's my favorite singer so that was all I was caring about. They did play some gathering songs. They played some stuff that she did when she guested on an Arian album. I believe she did a Devin Townsend song. So it was cool. I enjoyed it a lot. They may factor into my final bands of the weekend. So after that I was pretty much, you know, I didn't have to stay anymore if I didn't want to.

00:46:25.560 --> 00:46:53.300
because I wasn't interested in the next two bands to be honest with you. Nothing personal. Just wasn't my thing. But I decided I wanted to see L. Storm because I kept hearing about him. And I'll be honest, definitely not my thing. I'm not into pirate metal or R metal or whatever you want to call it. Shiver Me Timbers metal. It was okay. Whatever. I know people really like that. They had a gigantic duck on stage though. So that was kind of entertaining.

00:46:59.240 --> 00:47:23.620
It was a huge duck too, by the way. And I think at some point it finally hit the ground and it just got stomped on and killed. I think I made it through five songs. That's when I tapped out. I grabbed the rope and I said, that's it, I'm done. And I left because I did not stay for the one headline. I only missed two bands the whole festival. One of them was the headline. That was Tarja or whatever her name is, formerly of Nightwish.

00:47:25.560 --> 00:47:53.640
I'm a big fan of the operatic singing. I haven't even actually listened to any of her solo work. And I'm not even a Nightwish fan. There's nothing personal. At that point, I had watched 18 out of 19 bands. And for the most, I'd watched almost a whole sets of each band, which is a first for me at the festival. So I decided to check out at that point. But it was a good day. Got to hang out with my friends Lance and Julie, who are friends of the podcast. They listen all the time.

00:47:54.300 --> 00:48:23.200
I had to hang out with my friend Ed again. It was cool. Oh, and Babs got to see her and her friends. It was good. Overall, as a festival, I thought it was much better than I expected. I actually watched more than I thought I would. I walked away with a few favorites. I'm not going to put them in any order, just because I think that's a little too hard for me this year. I don't know why. It just is.

00:48:24.300 --> 00:48:54.280
The Three Bands I Walked Out With Liking The Most were Voyager from Wednesday Night, Cellar Darling from Thursday, and Viore. Those were my three. And that's probably the order, actually, too, from three to one. So, great festival, like I said. Everything was good in terms of the venue, as usual. Glenn and his wife, Jen, put on a great

00:48:54.300 --> 00:49:24.240
Festival, the staff, and all the crew are great. So another good year. Really happy. So real quick, for next year, let's see. Who am I going to want to see next year? Definitely Insomnium. Insomnium, excuse me. Tomorrow's Eve, Barren Earth. I know Will and George will be clamoring to come down for that one. Psychotic Waltz, Sorcerer, of course, and Threshold. Those are my bands for next year.

00:49:24.320 --> 00:49:38.640
I'll talk about them obviously next year. For anyone who listened, thanks a lot. I appreciate it. All four or five of you. Just kidding. Probably two or three. Anyway, that's it for Prague Power 19 for 2018.

00:49:54.300 --> 00:50:06.260
I shall burn up a world that drives me to be doomed