The 5th solo album from Airbag co-found Bjørn Riis is called “Fimbulvinter”, and will be out on the 11th of April.
Named after the legendary long winter that heralds Ragnarok, a time of both destruction and rebirth. Bjørn Riis’ new album “Fimbulvinter” is a profound and deeply personal work. Drawing from his own experiences with anxiety, Bjørn explores themes of hopelessness, paranoia, and despair, ultimately finding a spark of hope and gratitude in the darkness. “This isn’t an autobiographical album,” Bjørn explains, “but I wanted to share parts of my own journey and address a subject that I feel is both deeply important and still somewhat taboo.”
Musically, “Fimbulvinter” reflects Bjørn’s diverse influences, blending the atmospheric and introspective tones of progressive rock with the energy and swagger of the hard rock bands he grew up with in the early ’80s. Fans of Kiss, Black Sabbath, and classic progressive acts will find much to love in the album’s rich soundscapes. From the driving, anthemic energy of “Gone” – a track made for blasting on the open road – to moments of introspection and monumental heaviness, “Fimbulvinter” is a dynamic journey through darkness and light.
Bjørn takes centre stage on the album, performing all instruments and vocals, while also enlisting contributions from talented collaborators, including Henrik Bergan Fossum (Airbag), Arild Brøter (Pymlico) and Kai Christoffersen on drums. Longtime partner and co-producer Vegard Kleftås Sleipnes also returns, ensuring the album’s production is as impeccable as its compositions.
With “Fimbulvinter”, Bjørn Riis once again demonstrates why he is a cornerstone of the progressive rock scene, delivering music that is as emotionally resonant as it is sonically captivating.
Tracklist: 1. Illhug 2. Gone 3. Panic Attack 4. She 5. Fimbulvinter 6. Fear of Abandonment
“Fimbulvinter” will be available CD, Digipak, Digital and Black Vinyl LP and Coloured Vinyl LP formats, and can now be pre-ordered at:
The Flower Kings are set to release their 17th studio album on May 2nd, 2025, titled LOVE. With “How can you leave us now!?”, the quintet unveils the first track from their upcoming record that is available for pre-order now.
The band will debut the material from LOVE live in Stockholm, May 29th followed by a European tour together with Neal Morse & The Resonance.
When The Flower Kings played their first show on Aug 20th, 1994, they likely had no idea they would go on to make music history worldwide. With 17 studio albums, numerous live albums, and performances at festivals and countless tours across the globe, their legacy is unmatched in the rebirth of progressive rock. They remain titans of melodic prog, brimming with creativity and vitality, placing them firmly in that royal reign that their name suggested 30 years ago.
Their first song “How Can You Leave Us Now!?” can be listened to HERE
The album features the three original members—Roine Stolt, Hasse Fröberg, and Michael Stolt—alongside relative newcomers Mirko DeMaio and Lalle Larsson. Together, they have crafted an album that embodies the essence of progressive rock from the late sixties and early seventies. This era was marked by a departure from the norm of seeking hit singles, embracing creativity with bell-bottoms, Mellotrons, Moogs, phasing, flanging, and epic compositions. The Flower Kings have always had a knack for writing songs that blend pop sensibilities with experimental and jam band influences.
This new album showcases the Swedish royals with newfound confidence, delivering progressive rock second to none. It promises to take listeners on a journey to the hidden corners of their musical world. Fans can expect to hear more of the experimental side and wild guitar and synth solos reminiscent of the band’s early albums. The album, with a runtime of 75 minutes, features 12 tracks ranging from 3 to 12 minutes, designed to be listened to as a whole.
Artwork by Joey Tessier
Track list 1.We Claim The Moon 2.The Elder 3.How Can You Leave Us Now!? 4.World Spinning 5.Burning Both Edges 6.The Rubble 7.Kaiser Razor 8.The Phoenix 9.The Promise 10.Love Is 11.Walls Of Shame 12.Considerations
The Flower Kings line-up: Mirko DeMaio: Drums & Percussion Lalle Larson: Grand Piano, Rhodes Piano, Hammond B3 & Synthesizers Hans Fröberg: Vocals, Guitar Michael Stolt: Bass, Moog Bass, Vocals Roine Stolt: Vocals, Electric & Acoustic 6 & 12 String Guitars, Ukulele
The album will be available in the following versions: Ltd. CD Digipak Ltd. CD Digipak (US version) Standard CD Jewelcase (Japanese Version) Ltd. Gatefold Black 2LP Ltd. Gatefold Neon Orange 2LP– Limited to only 500 copies worldwide Ltd. Gatefold Transp. Light Blue 2LP– Strictly limited to only 300 copies worldwide
Progressive pioneers Haken spent 2024 celebrating their most recent acclaimed studio album, ‘Fauna’, in the most comprehensive way possible, as part of their ‘An Evening With’ run throughout the world. Playing two full sets each night, the band performed ‘Fauna’ in full, before returning to the stage to run through a selection of the best-loved cuts from their catalogue. In a homecoming of sorts for Haken, on September 21st, 2024 the band played London’s legendary O2 Forum, and the document of that special evening is what’s witnessed on ‘Liveforms: An Evening With Haken’ – released May 9th, 2025.
To coincide with this announcement, the band have launched a video clip of their performance of ‘Beneath the White Rainbow’ which you can watch now here:
The band comments of the release: “The Evening With Haken tour across North America and Europe was without a doubt one of our favourite tours we’ve done, showcasing 3 hours of music from our entire discography, including our latest record ‘Fauna’ performed in full which was an absolute blast! Conducting an ‘evening with’ format is something that we’ve seen tried and tested by some of our favourite artists, and it felt like an important band bucket list item to tick off at this stage in our career, to celebrate all we’ve achieved in the last 15 years. When discussions arose as to which show we might document on film, it was a no-brainer for us that our homecoming show in London, at the legendary 02 Kentish Town Forum, should be the one. And the home crowd did not disappoint, on what turned out to be such an electric atmosphere, we just so happened to capture one of our best performances from the entire tour for our fans to relive again and again.”
Filmed by Paul Green Productions (Devin Townsend, Steve Hackett) & mixed by Jens Bogren (Between The Buried and Me, Ihsahn), the 3CD+Blu-ray release comprises all the music played on that evening, in both stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound, as well as bonus behind the scenes interviews with each band member. The Gatefold 2LP edition features the entirety of the ‘Fauna’ album performed that night. Both formats featuring iconic artwork from Dan Goldsworthy, whose work also graces the cover of ‘Fauna’.
The full setlist is as follows:
Set 1: The Last Lullaby Taurus Nightingale The Alphabet Of Me Sempiternal Beings Beneath The White Rainbow Island In The Clouds Lovebite Elephants Never Forget Eyes of Ebony Crystallised
Set 2: Puzzle Box Earthrise Cockroach King Nil By Mouth 1985 The Strain Strainwreck Canary Yellow Drowning In the Flood Visions
The band will be performing on Cruise To The Edge 2025, before heading to Latin America for a run of shows. Following this the band will continue work on a brand-new studio album
4th-9th April – Cruise To The Edge 2025, Miami, USA 25th April – Club Peppers, San José, Costa Rica 27th April – Sale Puebla, Mexico City, Mexico 29th April – El Teatro Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina 30th April – Live Era, Montevideo, Uruguay 2nd May – Teatro Cariola, Santiago, Chile 4th May – Bankers Open Air, São Paulo, Brazil
HAKEN are:Ross Jennings Richard Henshall Charlie Griffiths Pete Jones Conner Green Ray Hearne
Dim Gray are a Norwegian band known for their cinematic, atmospheric sound that fuses rock, folk, and chamber pop. Following acclaimed debut, Flown, and the expansive, evocative soundscapes of second album, Firmament, Dim Gray release their third studio album, Shards, on 28 February 2025 on Grim Day Records. Shards will be available as a CD, black and limited edition coloured vinyl, Bandcamp download, and to stream. Two singles, ‘Peril’ and ‘Feathers’, each won Prog magazine’s track of the week following their respective releases.
The Shards album itself has been described by Prog magazine as “captivating”. Hailed by Guitarist as, “Superbly performed material that stays with you”, Dim Gray’s sound merges folk influences with a forward-thinking aesthetic, evoking a blend of Radiohead’s experimental edge and Fleet Foxes’ pastoral warmth. A wide and ever-changing palette of sounds and ideas is rooted in the constants of aching vocals and echoing guitar melodies. The quintet explores themes of nature, isolation, and self-reflection through richly layered instrumentation and vivid storytelling.
You can watch the video for the latest single “Myopia”:
Formed by Håkon Høiberg (guitars, vocals), Tom Ian Klungland (drums), Oskar Holldorff (vocals, keys) and former member Robin Kirknes (bass), the band added new members Kristian Kvaksrud (bass) and Milad Amouzegar (guitar, keys) in 2023. The band have established a strong live presence, as per their recent live EP, and have thrilled audiences while supporting renowned acts like Marillion and Big Big Train.
Oskar adds, “Seven of the songs on Shards are about change, upheaval, severance; something shattering to pieces. Although most of these songs are sad or dramatic, some have a tinge of hopefulness to them, as sometimes the pieces of something shattered can be rearranged in different and better ways. These seven songs are bookended by two songs that deal with the opposite; a constant stasis, an unending struggle of two opposing kinds that are reflections of our personalities.”
Tracklisting:
Attakulla
Defiance
Myopia
Murals
Feathers
Mooneater
Peril
Little One
Shards From A Broken Crown
Shards is available as a CD, black and limited edition coloured vinyl, Bandcamp download, and to stream here: https://linktr.ee/dimgraymusic
DIM GRAY Oskar Holldorff-Vocals, Keyboards Håkon Høiberg-Guitars, Vocals Kristian Kvaksrud-Bass Milad Amouzegar-Guitar, Keys, Santour Tom Ian R. Klungland-Drums, Vocals
The Days Between Stations music video collaboration with Durga McBroom is called “Being.”
The group’s manager and video producer Erik Nielsen created the video from concept to final editing. “He’s produced all of our music videos,” guitarist Sepand Samzadeh says. “This is our third video shoot with Erik, he has a minimalist approach to matching visuals to the music. He has a great sense of style, creativity, strong leadership qualities, and extensive knowledge of technology.” Erik and his Supposable Productions have worked with the classic rock and prog community for a variety of video productions—such as streaming the ProgStock Festival, video production for Las Vegas’ hit show “Raiding the Rock Vault,” and music videos for many artists—notably Dave Kerzner, Asia Featuring John Payne and hard rock band “Last in Line” on Frontiers Records.
Through the years prog greats including Yes’s Billy Sherwood, Peter Banks, and Rick Wakeman, plus XTC’s Colin Moulding have collaborated with Days Between Stations. Then there’s Durga McBroom, known for her phenomenal musical and theatrical background, including singing for Pink Floyd from 1987-1994, acting and dancing as the character “Heels” in the movie “Flashdance,” and hitting number 1 on the Billboard dance charts and on Top of the Pops with the song “(Can You) Feel the Passion.” Now along with her sister Lorelei, she’s in the Australian Pink Floyd Show and recent starring role in the satire movie, “Sammy-Gate.”
Billy Sherwood produced Durga with keyboardist Oscar Fuentes Bills and Sepand for a song and music video “Witness the End of the World” on the album “Giants,” released in 2020 and voted track of the week by Prog magazine readers.
When it came time to find a singer for “Being,” the only song with lyrics on “Perpetual Motion Machines,” the band knew Durga was a perfect fit. The “Being” music video
makes use of colors, light, and people!
Erik wanted to first showcase Durga’s amazing stage presence and present the band in a stylized performance setting, “and use some simple visual effects to suggest different aspects of the concept of ‘Being.’” Oscar based the song’s lyrics around the general concept of existence and trying to interject what artist Jean-Paul Bourdier’s art “inspired us to do, and we let the music speak for itself.” (“Perpetual Motion Machines” initially was intended to be a film soundtrack for a documentary on the artist.)
“Seeds,” the first video ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kmLDoapIkg ) in “Perpetual Motion Machines” won track of the week by Prog UK readers. ProgRock.com cites “Being” as one of the best epic songs of 2024. MusikReviews.de praises everyone’s work, citing Durga closing “the all-round emotionally cinematic and moving album with a quiet song that gives the entire album an unusual (vocal) twist.” Echoes and Dust praises Durga for her “angelic, soulful voice” and makes comparisons throughout the review to a range of classic treats including music by Alan Parsons and David Bowie!
The band sees Durga as a force like a Jedi! Sepand says, “She has so much experience and talent and her confidence just glides in with her energy. She is a true professional.” One of Sepand’s fondest memories is playing, and when she started singing, “It feels like thunder struck my back. I looked over to Oscar and we telepathically spoke with each other… the message was if we died that day, we were grateful for this moment, we experienced brilliance at its best.”
Likewise, Durga loves collaborating, which allows her to “add my brand of art to that of others, thereby creating something totally new and different. I would urge people to find other artists to collaborate with. You learn a lot, and it can push you out of your comfort zone.” Durga feels much respect for Oscar’s lyric writing, “I learned how to make his vision come alive by making it personal.”
Sepand relates, “When you are surrounded by so much love, talent and creativity everyone elevates you to your new best.
Formed 20 years ago in Los Angeles, Sepand and Oscar named the band after Steve Erickson’s novel “Days Between Stations.” The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord inspired the band to work on their music after he used some of Sepand and Oscar’s musical experiments as the basis for “Saturday” on The Pineapple Thief’s “12 Stories Down” album. The duo continued to work with a range of musicians on what became their first release, “Days Between Stations,” in 2007. Their 2012 recording “In Extremis” was produced by Yes’ Billy Sherwood. In 2020 they released “Giants.”
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
