CD Review: New Progressive Rock Releases From Ben Craven And Darryl Way

Ben Craven is one of Australia's top progressive-rock singer/songwriters. He recently released his latest album "Last Chance To Hear" in March. The new ten-song release begins with the hard rock groove of "Last Chance To Hear, Part 1" as all the instrumentation comes together perfectly to lift things off. The grand appeal of "Critical Mass, Part 1 & 2" showcases Craven's knack for expanding beyond the boundaries of prog-rock as the song's full orchestration takes you on a sonic adventure. The eight-minute epic "Spy In The Sky, Part 3" is helped along by the great William Shatner on vocals. Ben Craven digs in with his seventies rock influences on the quick-paced "Revenge Of Dr. Komodo," before finishing with the gentle piano-ballad "Mortal Remains." To find out more about Ben Craven and his latest release "Last Chance To Hear," please visit bencraven.com.

Curved Air co-founder Darryl Way recently released his latest album "Myths, Legends And Tales" on April 1st. It features ten songs, mixing together an early progressive rock sound with symphonic rock movements in order to showcase his broad range of songwriting. Beginning with "Apollo (Racing Against The Sun)," Darryl brings back that classic Curved Air sound with this atmospheric piece. He continues with the orchestral rock of "Orpheus And The Underworld" as his instrumentals tell the perfect tale of good vs. evil. He injects a youthful energy into the dark tones of "Dove Of Peace," before gliding through space and time during "Strange Goings On." He softens his sound for the emotional ballad of "The Ice Man," then lays down a country rhythm for "Helter Skelter," before closing with the nine-minute prog-rock epic "Prometheus Chained." To find out more about Darryl Way and his latest release "Myths, Legends And Tales," please visit darrylway.com.