Thursday, September 18, 2014

Some Of The Best Scandinavian Prog Rock Bands

By Kerri Stout


Prog rock still remains a popular form of rock music with many fans the world over. Some of the best bands in this genre are the Scandinavian prog rock bands. Progressive rock started life in the late 60s with the Beatles Sergeant Pepper' and the psychedelic noodling of early Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd went on to dominate the progressive rock scene in the 1970s along with other bands, such as Yes and Genesis.

Beardfish are a progressive rock band from Sweden that are definitely worth checking out. There music can be compared to Genesis or Yes, but brought into the modern era. The band formed in 2001 and have a few different musicians since them. There first album is called Fran En Plats Du Ej Kan Se and was released in 2003 to critical acclaim.

The Flower Kings from Sweden are another fantastic Scandinavian progressive rock band. They were formed in 1994 formed by the renowned guitarist Roine Stolt. The Flower Kings have released 11 albums since their formation. Their music is a blend of jazz, blues and experimental music. They make use of ployrhythms, dynamic changes, heavy bass, lengthy compositions and abstract lyrics.

Magic Pie from Norway have a contemporary sound that is merged with the 1970s. The band has interesting lyrics, strong melodies, sparkling guitar riffs, powerful vocal arrangements, classic 1970s organ sounds and tight bass and drums. Magic Pie's music is both soft and gentle or hard and heavy. They formed in 2005 and have three albums. There next album is due in 2014 so check it out!

The Finnish back, Apocalyptica were formed in Helsinki in 1993 and are very unusual in that they have three cello players and a drummer, instead of the usual guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. The band has three classically trained cellists and the band produce a unique form of progressive heavy metal music. They started life as a Metallica covers band on cellos but soon starting creating their own music.

Another Finnish prog rock band is Spacefolk who create beautiful and exciting music that blends folk music with space rock. They use many instruments, including violin, didgeridoo, cello, mandolin, marimba, sitar and vibraphone, as well as guitar, bass and drums. They formed in 1999 and have created eight albums in their successful career. The band has remained on an independent record label and have achieved cult status among progressive rock fans the world over.

Another Helsinki band is Kingson Wall who are influenced by Hendrix, Floyd and Zeppelin. They employ eastern themes, mysticism and psychedelia and create beautiful spacey rock music. They are a cult favorite with prog rock fans and have released three successful albums, numerous mix albums and a live DVD.

The Swedish group, Moon Safari create a neo-classic instrumental sound blended with complex vocal harmonies, which is a vital aspect of their music. Although most of the band's music uses guitars, bass and drums, some of their most memorable tunes are performed acapella. The band experiments with strange time signatures and many of their tunes are longer than 10 minutes. Moon Safari won the ninth annual Independent Music Awards with the Vox Pop vote for the "In the Countryside" album. The band is one to definitely take a listen to.




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