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A considerable time after the release of Thunderstruck, the first live album by British prog band Landmarq, the second live album has been released. The music on Aftershock contains tracks from the same live recording sessions from 2000 and early 2001. It has been released because it says to bare proof of Landmarq with Tracy Hitchings instead of Damian Wilson, being able to play music from the older albums as well.

Four years have passed since the third album Faded Leaves (2002) by the Greek progressive outfit La Tulipe Noir saw the light of day. Guitarist Kontakis left the band after thirteen years, right after the release of Faded Leaves. His successor Pertsidines had other obligations before he could join the band. Even more important, drummer Nick Kassavetis had some nasty health problems that required half a day of surgery and a long recovery, so this hiatus was forced upon the band.

Serge Keravel is a French-Canadian multi-instrumentalist, born from a French father and an Italian mother. Influenced by artists like Keith Jarett and Joni Mitchell and admiring artists like Peter Gabriel and Björk he began to explore music at a young age. Must is his third effort consisting of relaxing, instrumental music. By using electronics for effects, percussion and drum sounds a musician like Keravel gets the opportunity to do everything himself.

The Finnish band Kaliban presents on The Tempest Of Thoughts eight heavy metal tracks on the same label as Embraze, another heavy metal band from that country. Their music is in the vein of classic heavy metal with lots of familiar chords. The main composer, guitarist and grunt-voice is Henri Peltola.

Notes From The Past (2002) was already an impressive album, but as far as I'm concerned the Swedish masters of progressive symphonic music hit the big one with their new, seventh studio album Keyholder. The album contains a delicate balance between classic symphonic rock (Fields, Yes) and the contemporary progressive music as played by The Flower Kings orTransatlantic with some influences of Jazz and fusion.

Fanatic is the fifth studio album by Jadis in the fifteen years of the group's existance. Fanatic is the successor to Understand (2000) and after a period of changes in line-up Jadis are back to the front with both IQ-members Martin Orford (keyboards, vocals) and John Jowitt (bass) in their midst. Together with drummer Steve Christey they show on their new album. This is definitively a great line-up! The album features nine tracks ranging from four to just over eight minutes.

The successor to the rather experimental album Floating World by the duo Jade Warrior, consisting of Tony Duhig and Jon Field, was Waves. With guest performances by David Duhig, Graham Morgan (drums), Maggie Thomas (alto recorder), Suzi (vocals) and no one less than Steve Winwood (Moog, piano solos), this album contains only two tracks but these are divided in many parts, representing many musical styles.

Jade Warrior was founded in the late sixties. The band made three albums and Floating World is their fourth one. In 1974 they were reduced to a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists Jon Field (main instrument flute) and Tony Duhig (main instrument guitar). Both musicians have roots in jazz and African music. Together with some psychedelic, pop and rock elements, these two came up with a very strange mixture of musical styles.

Ixion is a project by the Dutch musician Jankees Braam. He has a job as a computer programmer, but in his spare time he is the sound engineer for the Dutch bands S.O.T.E., Knight Area and Ulysses, among others, and he is a multi-instrumentalist. He plays the bass, bass pedals, guitars and keyboards. Garden Of Eden is his third album.

Frequency by is the ninth studio album in 23 years of IQ. It isn't a prolific production, but fortunately the quality of the albums, especially of this new one, compensates for this more than enough. Although drummer Paul Cook as well as keyboardist Martin Orford left the band in the new millennium, their substitutes are doing a terrific job. During the live shows, Cook is replacing Andy Edwards adequately.