Detailed Reviews [Kev Rowland - 2023 - "The Progressive Underground Vol. 5"]

Prolusion. Writer and reviewer Kev Rowland will be a familiar name for anyone who read the progressor website and a few other websites that cover the progressive rock scene, and increasingly a well known name also for people with less of a close relation to the progressive rock scene due to his series of books featuring music reviews. Among artists and labels he has been known as a capacity for more than 30 years, one of the true veterans among reviewers of progressive rock. In the fall of 2023 he released his fifth book of compiled progressive rock reviews.

Analysis. That Kev have covered a lot of ground in the progressive rock music scene is a matter that certainly comes to light when going through all the reviews in this book. Even if this volume cover many releases of a fairly recent date, this volume collecting reviews written in the years 2014-2018, there are some albums that have been reviewed in this tome that are difficult to impossible to obtain these days. At least without having a bit of a degree in the use of the Google search engine. Possibly combined with a bit of a knowledge about how to use the website archive.org. Thus we have reviews of artists that are obscure and unknown in this book, as well as a score of lesser known and some very well known artists here. All of which are treated in the same manner by Kev as a writer. His honest opinions and his taste for music shines through, but he does take care to describe the music in a manner that revolve around more issues than merely personal taste too. As any good reviewer obviously should. Colouring his writings with thoughts, observations and impressions along the way. As with the previous entries in this series of books, this isn't the kind of book I suspect all that many will sit down with and read from start to finish. There are a few interviews and live reviews that probably will be read with interest by many, but as far as the reviews go I suspect many will use those as a little bit of a tool. Fancy discovering some music new to you? Start leafing through the book, attach your eyes on key words or album cover art that strikes you as interesting - and then hit iTunes, Spotify, YouTube or whatever service you prefer using and look up the artist to have a listen to their music. For the sake of transparency, I will obviously have to mention that I am a colleague of Kev at the progressor website, and that we have nurtured a friendship for many years that has gone beyond the shared love and passion for music.

Conclusion. What started out with the idea of releasing one volume of collected reviews has turned into a series of books for Kev Rowland, and for the music enthusiast in general and those with a passion for progressive rock in particular this is a book that will be a guide to many discoveries. While most people know about their Threshold, I suspect that not quite as many know their way around Lynn Stokes & Sol Surfers for instance. Both of which are covered in this book, alongside scores of other artists. If you love progressive rock, enjoy reading well informed reviews or just want an easy to use guide to artists and albums of the genre, this book alongside the previous four volumes merits a check and a read.

Progmessor: July 2024
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