Phil Weller

Phil Weller

You can usually find this Prog scribe writing about the heavier side of the genre, chatting to bands for features and news pieces or introducing you to exciting new bands that deserve your attention. Elsewhere, Phil can be found on stage with progressive metallers Prognosis or behind a camera teaching filmmaking skills to young people. 

Latest articles by Phil Weller

The Pineapple Thief - It Leads To This
“Grooves that are musically optimistic, but lyrically pessimistic… touches of nuance, beauty and snarl make their turmoil worth it”: The Pineapple Thief’s It Leads To This

By Phil Weller Published

Modern prog mainstays return with a sombre yet impressive album that cements the advances they’ve made since Gavin Harrison joined the band

Albums
Pallas - The Messenger
“Having suffered something of an identity crisis, minor blemishes don’t stop it being their best album in decades”: Pallas’ The Messenger

By Phil Weller Published

The return of singer Alan Reed – who rebuffed a previous invitation – is an indicator of its quality

Albums
IO Earth
“I took my in-ear monitors out and the whole theatre was deathly silent. It was a proper goosebumps moment”: How IO Earth learned to shut up and trust their audience

By Phil Weller Published

The return of vocalist Linda Odinsen revitalised co-leaders Dave Cureton and Adam Gough, and latest symphonic prog album Sanctuary is the result

Albums
Mavon Safia
Meet the Mavon Safia, the Finnish proggers uniting talent and taste through guitar-driven instrumentals

By Phil Weller Published

Sponsored

Genre-hopping guitarist Markus Venehsalo has introduced himself to the prog world with a vivid and varied record that chooses accessibility over virtuosity.

Biographies
Everything Everything - Re-Animator
“Signature absurdities, from a local criminal to sentient grease, neglect all pop sensibilities”: The prog nature of Everything Everything’s Re-Animator

By Phil Weller Published

Manchester band’s 2020 album demonstrated they’d never really lived inside the indie rock community

Albums
Tesseract - War Of Being
“That sense of struggle permeates every moment”: TesseracT’s War Of Being

By Phil Weller Published

Their heaviest album to date sees vocalist Daniel Tompkins revealing a new secret weapon

Albums
Martin Miller
He’s a YouTube sensation who’s made an album inspired by Toto, Michael Jackson and 80s Genesis. “Now I get to find out whether I’ve gotten away with it or not,” says Martin Miller

By Phil Weller Published

Meet the much-loved YouTube guitarist who’s given in to his prog temptations

Interviews
Animals As Leaders
Animals As Leaders and the story of Parrhesia

By Phil Weller Published

"We do fit relatively neatly into the progressive metal genre," agrees guitarist Tosin Abasi as we discuss Animals As Leaders' latest album Parrhesia

Albums
Voivod
"The Wake was so well received because we went down a prog rock path with that album, so with the new album we continued down that path.” Voivod and the making of Synchro Anarchy

By Phil Weller Published

Canadian prog metal pioneers Voivod released their fifteenth studio album Synchro Anarchy in 2022. This is the story...

Albums
Prog Must
Five new prog acts you must hear this month

By Jerry Ewing, Phil Weller, Francesca Tyer, Matt Mills, Cheri Faulkner Published

Check out Polyphia, Exist Immortal, D_Drive, Hekla and Ghost Toast, five great new up and coming prog artists

Bands & Artists
Ihsahn
How Ihsahn ended up covering A-ha and Portishead on his Pharos EP

By Phil Weller Published

On Pharos, the follow-up to Ihahn's Telemark EP, the Norwegian prog metaller displayed a softer experimental side

Bands & Artists
Muse
Muse - Will of The People: "hardly short on flamboyant outlandishness"

By Phil Weller Published

Not yet rated

Matt Bellamy and co edge towards the strange on album nine

Albums
Between The Buried And Me
Between The Buried And Me and the making of Colors II

By Phil Weller Published

In 2021 the North Carolina prog metallers Between The Buried And Me decided to record the follow-up to their 2007 album Colors

Albums
Protest The Hero
How Protest The Hero got their groove back with Palimpsest

By Phil Weller Published

Canadian prog metallers Protest The Hero tackled vocal torment to release the splendid Palimpsest

Albums
Radiohead
“They are always adventurous and challenging. And like Yes and Genesis, they still have great songs at the heart of it.” It's Radiohead's proggiest moments

By Phil Weller Published

From grungy indie to avant-garde rock, Radiohead have always been restlessly creative. Here's their proggiest tracks

Tracks & Singles
The Tangent
The Tangent reveal new "mega prog" album Songs From The Hard Shoulder

By Natasha Scharf Published

The Tangent mark their 20th anniversary with their 12th studio album - listen to a single edit of lead track The Changes

Albums
Charlie Griffiths from Haken on a beach
Haken's Charlie Griffiths announces Tiktaalika – "the world’s first palaeontology-based progressive metal album!"

By Natasha Scharf Published

Listen to Charlie Griffiths' new single Arctic Cemetery, featuring Between The Buried And Me singer Tommy Rogers

Albums
Voyager
Voyager's technicolour A Voyage Through Time live stream review

By Phil Weller Published

Australian electro-proggers Voyager celebrate 20 years with a fan picked set list covering their vibrant and varied back catalogue

Bands & Artists
Haken
"We never thought we would be releasing Virus during a pandemic!" Haken revisit the Cockroach King on their boldest album yet

By Phil Weller Published

The Cockroach King made them, now they’re breaking him. Prog catches up with Haken to learn all about their ambitious album, Virus, which concludes the prog metal titans’ definitive decade

Albums
Karnivool
Karnivool's live stream of Sound Awake reviewed

By Phil Weller Published

Australian progressive rock band Karnivool celebrate a decade of Sound Awake in style

Bands & Artists
Ihshan
Ihsahn - Telemark & Pharos live premiere review

By Phil Weller Published

Norwegian prog metaller Ihsahn premieres his recent Telemark and Pharos EPs in last night's live stream

Bands & Artists
a press shot of prospekt
Introducing Prospekt: "We have the right twists and turns at the right times"

By Phil Weller Published

Oxford prog metallers Prospekt are reborn and reshaped with new line-up and second album

Interviews
A press shot of Orsome Welles
Limelight: Orsome Welles introduce their metallic prog from Australia

By Phil Weller Published

Metallic and melodic prog making waves from Down Under

Bands & Artists
A press shot of a formal horse
A Formal Horse: "We’re all smelly, longhaired rockers at heart"

By Phil Weller Published

Three singers and three EPs in and Southampton’s quirky four-piece A Formal Horse have found the perfect blend of ingredients for their hard rock meets nerdy prog cocktail

Bands & Artists
Marillion press shot
Bands tell us what to expect from this year's Be Prog! My Friend festival

By Phil Weller Published

British festivals, with an ever-looming fear of rain, can be a drag. Luckily the sun-kissed city of Barcelona offers Be Prog! My Friend, a unique and stunning prog festival

Music Festivals
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