No matter what stylistic path they take, Green Carnation have never shied away from grand, gloomy statements.
Founded in the early '90s by Emperor's former bassist Tchort, the Norwegians quickly amassed a cult following thanks to one of the most ambitious epics in metal history. Even before going on hiatus during the mid-2000s, the ever-evolving auteurs still flashed a flare for the dramatic by performing their acoustic verses underneath a mountain dam. However, there was one tale - or three, to be exact - that continued to elude them. Until now. With A Dark Poem, Green Carnation have finally finished their masterpiece.
The idea for an album trilogy stems from Green Carnation’s earliest yesteryears, but the first part of A Dark Poem cites various passages from across their illustrious cannon…

The Doobie Brothers' third long-player was the charm, their most substantial and consistent album to date, and one that rode the charts for a year. It was also a study in contrasts, Tom Johnston's harder-edged, bolder rocking numbers balanced by Patrick Simmons' more laid-back country-rock ballad style. The leadoff track, Johnston's "Natural Thing," melded the two, opening with interlocking guitars and showcasing the band's exquisite soaring harmonies around a beautiful melody, all wrapped up in a midtempo beat – the result was somewhere midway between Allman Brothers-style virtuosity and Eagles/Crosby & Nash-type lyricism, which defined this period in the Doobies' history and gave them a well-deserved lock on the top of the charts. Next up was the punchy, catchy "Long Train Runnin'," a piece they'd been playing for years as an instrumental – a reluctant Johnston was persuaded by producer Ted Templeman to write lyrics to it and record the song, and the resulting track became the group's next hit.

Though the band emerged on the fringes of nü-metal, one of metal's more unfortunate pushes into the mainstream, Deftones' steady shift toward a more artful, experimental sound has made them one of the more enduring and influential groups to come out of the '90s. In their continued exploration of the intersection of heaviness and harmony, Koi No Yokan finds the band returning with a warm, dreamy sound that feels more like heavy dream pop or shoegaze than light metal. Always finding new ways to use old tools, the driving sounds on the album feel more like they're meant to envelop the listener than enrage them, with a sonic gulf - created by Chino Moreno's soaring vocals and Stephen Carpenter's shuddering, extended scale riffs - so large and inviting, it feels like the only option is to dive in and explore its depths…

Hearing this album for the first time, it's easy to see why Steeleye Span declined to tour with the Dransfields - with all due respect to Maddy Prior and company, they'd have been shown-up and then some, based on the evidence here. From the crisp playing on acoustic and low-wattage electric guitars, and charismatic yet honest and unaffected lead and harmony singing to the diverse song selection - all part of a defined song cycle - the album was as perfect an example of electric British folk music as it was released in the '70s, and easily a rival for anything this side of Fairport Convention's best work. The voices and the playing strike a perfect balance between the old traditionalist school out of which the Dransfields came and the newer folk-rock school that they'd only begun to embrace a couple of years earlier, and the album itself also gives a nod to the burgeoning progressive folk-rock genre of the era (best embodied by acts such as Gryphon)…

The fourth CD in Zorn’s remarkable series of piano trio recordings exploring classical forms, "Nocturnes" is an absolute delight. Preceded by "Suite for Piano" (2022), "Ballades" (2024), and the "Impromptus" (2025), "Nocturnes" is Zorn’s personal take on the beautiful tradition of night music. Touching on Chopin, Scriabin, Debussy, Berg, and more, the music is a wonderland of subtlety—dreamy, drifting, and utterly compelling. Brian, Jorge, and Ches, three of Zorn’s closest and most trusted collaborators perform with their trademark telepathic interplay, and an uncanny sense of surprise and creativity. With a stunning virtuosity that is always at the service of the music, the trio opens up new doors with each successive recording.

These are from the first and only recordings that brought the entire, legendary, Bell family together into the recording studio. Carey Bell is justly renowned today as the best blues harmonica man around and is of course father of all the other bells here. Not just genetically though, musically too because his style of bard, "50s" blues has been brought down to one more generation. Lurrie Bell is a stunning blues guitarist who would be a star if it was a fair world. Steve Bell is a maturing but definitely inventive blues harp player and Carey’s younger sons, Tyson and James, are a supremely powerful and well oiled rhythm section. The music on this CD defines the best of recent Chicago Blues.

A career in music was inevitable for Robin Taylor Zander. It’s in his heart, his soul — and his very DNA. “RTZ,” whose father is the founding frontman for iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Cheap Trick, steps out with his debut solo album, The Distance. A versatile multi-instrumentalist, Robin is now a full-time member of Cheap Trick, a seamless utility player on guitar, bass, drums, and backing vocals.