Latest articles by Malcolm Dome
“We were broke. We couldn’t even afford food or drink. That’s how bad things were”: how Judas Priest’s Sad Wings Of Destiny finally set them on the path to heavy metal immortality
Judas Priest’s landmark second album Sad Wings Of Destiny was released on this day in 1976
Ten moments of maverick musical genius from Keith Emerson
Emerson, Lake and Palmer legend, composer and synthesiser pioneer Keith Emerson fused the power of rock music with the beauty of classical
“We invented the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal as a joke”: how Chimaira bounced back from the edge of oblivion with Resurrection
Chimaira helped start an entire a scene but never got the same acclaim as some of their peers. They hoped to change that with 2007’s classic Resurrection album
“Why is writing your own material such an obsession for so many people? They should be grateful we don’t write songs. They’d be terrible”: Manfred Mann has no time for his own back catalogue
Bandleader insists he’s not prog and he’s never made a classic album - but he knows what he’s good at, and he still loves doing it
“People don’t realise the depth and diversity on the rest of the material. If you’re a Yes or Genesis devotee, this band should be on your radar”: Kansas’ image problem means even a future member struggled to discover them
Zak Rizvi – a driving force for the band’s two most recent albums – once thought they were a southern rock or country rock band, until he dug deeper than Carry On Wayward Son and Dust In The Wind and found their prog roots
"That song will long outlive us. Can't think of a better calling card to leave behind": The Buckcherry song that'll be the band's epitaph
In 2006 Buckcherry released Crazy Bitch. The song title saw the band accused of misogyny, and the video made it a whole lot worse
“We were spoofing the idea of the concept album, but in a fun way that didn’t totally mock it… It’s only in recent times that I’ve appreciated how complex the music is”: Why Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick needed to be serious - and a send-up
Ian Anderson set out to make “the mother of all concept albums” while incorporating a large measure of Monty Python - but some people laughed at all the wrong places
“Oliver Wakeman scared me to death - he had so much energy coming out of him and I’d had just gone through my first series of cancer operations”: Gordon Giltrap is a loner who loves collaborating
Guitarist shares his love for troubadours, his connection with holiday TV shows, and admits that just because he’s spiritual, it doesn’t mean he’s a good person
“We were inspired by the Brits at the start, then the British media forced us to become a different type of band. Made and broken in the UK, you could say”: The prog credentials of Styx
Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw believe that despite the big hits, the band always had something more substantial at heart
“I’ve been thinking of taking drum lessons… What I won’t do is put together a new band”: What Nick Mason said before he put together a new band
With Pink Floyd recently wound down, their drummer considered his future – and at the time it didn’t include his Saucerful of Secrets project
“When I listen to Sheik Yerbouti and Joe’s Garage, it reminds me of what a giant he was." Frank Zappa's incredibly busy and industrious 1979
Terry Bozzio and Adrian Belew look back on the year Frank Zappa created Baby Snakes, Sheik Yerbouti, Joe's Garage and more
“The hallmarks of Pink Floyd during the Obscured By Clouds era, with some deftly disturbing guitar plunges… A uniquely gifted and unfathomable band”: Thee Hypnotics’ Come Down Heavy remains hard to define
Their 1990 studio debut was full of prog promise - but one member’s reputed refusal to deal with his drug addiction limited their rise
“Not a simple or easy album… it’s almost as if they want you to run away screaming. Regardless, it’s a towering avant-garde work”: The prog power of The Pop Group’s Y
Some dismissed their debut record as nothing more than a mess, but it’s actually a towering avant-garde achievement
"I'll be honest here – I think they blew us off stage every single night": what happened when AC/DC went on tour with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
In 1976 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow embarked on the Rising tour of Europe with a young band from Australia in tow: Ronnie James Dio was watching them very closely
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper is about hope, rather than the finality of death. It’s a song about wishful thinking”: how Blue Oyster Cult’s Agents Of Fortune album became their passport to immortality
Blue Öyster Cult‘s career was stuck in cruise control until their breakthrough album Agents Of Fortune and its haunting lead single elevated them to stardom
“You don’t need big orchestras and lots of notes to make things come alive. Just three notes will do, if they’re the right ones”: How to horrify, by movie soundtrack specialist Claudio Simonetti
Goblin maestro picks key compositions that amplified classic scary movies
"It's the ultimate Nektar feelgood track, because everyone – onstage and in the crowd – loves it so much”: the late Roye Albrighton’s six favourite songs to play
Live performance was an essential part of enjoying his own band’s work
"We have one rule: you can have body punches and choke-holds and throw bottles at each other, but we never crack each other in the face": What happens when bands fight
The 40 bitterest bust-ups in rock history: From fisticuffs to wars of words to litigation and beyond, rock'n'roll’s divorce courts are packed with ire and animosity:
“A chance to work with him would be incredible. But in a way I do… he always raises the bar a bit higher”: Why Peter Gabriel is Kip Winger’s prog hero
Pin-up turned classical composer deeply inspired by a catalogue that shows “the difference between musicians who are entertainers versus musicians who are true artists”
"It remains a touchstone of art-rock genius, a true masterpiece": Why you should definitely own The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu's 1978 esoteric art rock masterpiece The Modern Dance cleared the ground for much of the more adventurous music that's been recorded since
“The most wonderful ideas can come from people you might call amateurs… they haven’t been playing long enough to get bogged down in the rules”: King Crimson ex David Cross loves jamming with students
Violinist and keyboardist finds great joy in his work as a university lecturer
“Take the album out of the Kiss context, and you have a remarkably coherent work”: Why Music From The Elder is a prog metal masterpiece
Disregarded and overlooked, the band’s 1981 release is a brave and satisfying entry into a different genre
“Natural ability counts for nothing… One of the problems progressive music has had is it never encouraged everyone to have a try”: Peter Gabriel’s guide to success
He doesn’t believe in luck, elitism or standing still, but he does believe anyone can do what he does
"Christmas is overlaid onto the winter solstice, and that nods towards our pagan past.” Why Christmas is prog's favourite time of the year...
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat… And out roll the usual suspects trying to crack the festive Top 40. Still, it isn’t all about Slade, The Snowman and Sir Cliff. Prog rockers seem to enjoy Christmas more than most...
