Latest articles by Tommy Udo
1977 was the supposedly the year punk killed prog. The truth is very different
Exploding the myth that progressive rock’s ‘dinosaurs’ were finished off by punk
A fight, a show then a drink with the always progressive John Martyn
All the evidence you need to be convinced the hard-living singer-songwriter was as progressive as they come
How underground metal legends Celtic Frost returned from the dead with the Monotheist album
The story of the second coming of Celtic Frost
How Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme rose above the chaos to make Lullabies To Paralyze
The chaos, confusion and righteous vision of Queens Of The Stone Age and Josh Homme
Meddle marked the point where Pink Floyd as we know them really began
Their 1971 album marked the move from experimental live band to studio-based architects, paving the way for a decade of dominance
How Tool pushed back the boundaries of metal and prog with 10,000 Days
Mystery, secrecy and Arsenal FC – the world of prog metal heavyweights Tool is like no other
How members of Emperor and Amen smashed together black metal and punk rock in forgotten supergroup Scum
The story of early 2000s underground supergroup Scum, who burnt brightly for one album then vanished
Why every home should own the debut album by Cactus
Cactus's first album sounds like they went into the studio, amped up, cranked up, and nailed the lot down one take
The dark and twisted history of Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails
How Trent Reznor turned Nine Inch Nails from one-man studio project into one of rock’s most iconic bands
The mystery and mythology of Magma founder Christian Vander
55 years on, the difficult and driven creator of the zeuhl genre is still developing the theme he introduced to the world in 1969 – no matter how difficult it becomes
“He didn’t like to be reminded of the past… he went to his sister’s to watch a documentary about him and Pink Floyd, but left, complaining it was too loud”: Syd Barrett was more than just another mad genius
The psychedelic visionary just wasn’t interested in his own legacy after abandoning the music industry in 1972 – but he never stopped creating
The genius of Talk Talk's Spirit Of Eden
It was impossible to play live and it sold poorly when released, but Talk Talk's fourth studio album, 1988's Spirit Of Eden is rightly hailed as a masterpiece
The Frank Zappa albums you should definitely own
From the glorious to the impenetrable, Frank Zappa's best albums needs to be negotiated carefully – but it’s worth it
Slipknot: "He was throwing punches, you can hear that on the record"
It was 1999. In terms of changing the face of metal, Slipknot’s self-titled album was as important as the likes of Sabbath or Priest. So how did they manage to make one of the most pissed-off
"My hands were covered in blood": the violence and pain behind Slipknot's debut album
After Slipknot unleashed their debut album on an unsuspecting world on June 29, 1999, metal would never be the same again
How Pink Floyd made Meddle
The making of Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle saw the emergence of the band that would rule the remainder of the decade
John Martyn: a portrait by Tommy Udo
Folk? Rock? Blues? Jazz? John Martyn was a mixture of all four and certainly one of the most progressive artists of his generation...
The jazz rock albums you should definitely own
Jazz rock can be a minefield for the uninitiated, but persevere and tread carefully and it can blow your mind rather than your cool. These are the albums you need
The 40 best albums of 1969, the year rock got real
1969 heralded the end of the 60s and the birth of real rock. Here we look at some of the gilt-edged albums from a pivotal year in rock history
Marilyn Manson: the story of Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)
In 2000, Marilyn Manson had gone from America’s favourite bogeyman to scapegoat for the Columbine tragedy. What emerged was Holy Wood - his darkest and greatest album
Tool’s 10,000 Days: inside prog-metal’s most enigmatic album
It's 2006, and Tool are about to release 10,000 Days. We join them in a North London pun to talk about one of the landmark albums of the decade
NIN’s The Downward Spiral: Trent Reznor’s journey into the heart of darkness
in 1994, Nine Inch Nails made their masterpiece in the shape of The Downward Spiral. Here, we take a look back at how the iconic album came to life
Did Punk Kill Prog?
The history books will tell you that prog died the day the Pistols uttered the F-word on TV. The truth, however, is substantially different...
