An All Girl Arsnova reunites for Japan Concert.

[TheLongshot]

Should not they be rather filed under progressive metal, like Rhapsody (of Fire)?

Rhapsody Of Fire is Power Metal.

[Jay.Dee]

Rhapsody Of Fire is Power Metal.

Ah, these music taxonomies...

Anyway, ProgArchives files Italians under "progressive metal" umbrella:

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1268

while Wiki puts both bands into "symphonic power metal" drawer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympho...ic_power_metal

[JKL2000]

Does Rhapsody - the stupid-ass music service that made them change their name even though they existed first - still exist? I hope not.

[TheLongshot]

Does Rhapsody - the stupid-ass music service that made them change their name even though they existed first - still exist? I hope not.

I don't know if that was the reason for the change, but yes, it still exists.

[A. Scherze]

I got into Ars Nova with the early CDs and saw them at the Middle East (the line-up was supposed to be them, Mastermind, and Deus Ex Machina, but DEM dropped out and were replaced by Boud Dean).

I really liked their early work and their live performance was fantastic.

[A. Scherze]

I've gone on record before, and I'll do so again - one of my desert island discs would be Quill's Sursum Corda. Pure ELP rip-off, but I love the hell out of it.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Got out The Goddess of Darkness last night, this for the first time in about 15 years. Only the title itself tells stories here. But yup, they're really good all of a sudden.

Gimme Jim Reeves, daddy'o.

[JKL2000]

I don't know if that was the reason for the change, but yes, it still exists.

It was the reason. I remember it well.

[smcfee]

For those who want to relive the unforgettably good (/bad/awful/sexy/embarrassing/ire-causing/amazing etc.) Arsnova performance from ProgDay 2001, two of the tracks appear on the special limited edition ProgDay 2001 2-CD retrospective. Only 1000 copies were pressed, and of these, only several hundred remain. Act now, to get your copy before they are all sent to a landfill somewhere.

[moecurlythanu]

You never got to see Citadel at ProgFest, eh? Or Episode.

*shudder*

They were so bad it was impossible to enjoy them even on that level. Quill were sort of entertaining in a "guys going through their mid-life crisis by pretending they're an awesome prog band from 1974" sort of way.

Yeah, Citadel was amateur hour at the cheese factory. I didn't make it back for the 2nd Progfest, but I have a hard time believing that Episode's performance was anything like that train wreck. As for Quill, while I'm not a huge fan of the ELP sound, but they were alright, and they weren't some guys having a mid-life crisis, they were an actual 70s band who were presenting their music to a potentially sympathetic audience, most of whom had not heard it. I expect that Greg Walker had a lot to do with cajoling them into reforming for that gig.

I never made any of the ProgFests, but I have heard various reports about how bad a live show Quill put on. Never really asked about Citadel (Cynosure never did much for me). Episode, on the other hand, is a band I really like. "Starlight Tales" is pretty good, but "Into the Epicenter" (cassette only release) was their peak (in my opinion).

Another Episode fan here. ItE was issued on LP as well, not too long after the cassette came out.

[JKL2000]

For those who want to relive the unforgettably good (/bad/awful/sexy/embarrassing/ire-causing/amazing etc.) Arsnova performance from ProgDay 2001, two of the tracks appear on the special limited edition ProgDay 2001 2-CD retrospective. Only 1000 copies were pressed, and of these, only several hundred remain. Act now, to get your copy before they are all sent to a landfill somewhere.

LOL! I never understand why more people don't snap up those CDs. I'm a proud owner of all the ProgDay releases.

[Mister Triscuits]

Another Episode fan here.

And here. But I'm biased 'cause they're friends of mine. I still run into the Tylers and Gary S. at every prog-related show in the Bay Area.

[moecurlythanu]

And here. But I'm biased 'cause they're friends of mine. I still run into the Tylers and Gary S. at every prog-related show in the Bay Area.

I met them at the first Progfest, after having corresponded with them around the time of 'Into The Epicenter.' Good people. Haven't seen them since one of the Nearfests, maybe 2002 or 2004.

[Shadow]

Yes, but what prog dudes really want to know:

Will Keiko be performing in leather thong and fishnets?

With the snap open crotch.

[Garden Dreamer]

The 3-piece Japanese band that also made the rounds in the 90s -- but had the chops -- was Gerard. I wonder whatever happened to them?

I'm a huge Gerard fan. They were still making albums up through the 2000's and their drummer wound up defecting to Ars Nova at one point (!) (??) Their new drummer was not as manic and their last album was kind of soft, not as frantic. Everything I've heard from Ars Nova did absolutely nothing for me. I love the turbocharged assault of Gerard, they are everything Ars Nova isn't.

[Rand Kelly]

If Arsnova released it,I bought it. I have 2 dvds/2cds that I purchased directly from their website a few years ago,which I think are now long oop. I saw and met them @ Progfest '95 and they were awesome in my world. I don't care what anyone else here thinks..to each his own. Again,I placed the info in here for those that like them. I do hope they film this upcoming reunion.

[JKL2000]

I'm a huge Gerard fan. They were still making albums up through the 2000's and their drummer wound up defecting to Ars Nova at one point (!) (??) Their new drummer was not as manic and their last album was kind of soft, not as frantic. Everything I've heard from Ars Nova did absolutely nothing for me. I love the turbocharged assault of Gerard, they are everything Ars Nova isn't.

Especially penises.

[dropforge]

I'm a huge Gerard fan. They were still making albums up through the 2000's and their drummer wound up defecting to Ars Nova at one point* (!) (??) Their new drummer was not as manic and their last album was kind of soft, not as frantic. Everything I've heard from Ars Nova did absolutely nothing for me. I love the turbocharged assault of Gerard, they are everything Ars Nova isn't.

*Yes, Masuhiro Goto. Gerard's last fully instrumental album was in 2004, but they've put out two more since: Ring of Eternity (2010) and Visionary Dream (2011). I haven't heard 'em, but per the reviews they seem consistent with their previous output.

I'm surprised to hear you don't like Ars Nova at all. I figured albums like Transi and Book of the Dead would be in your wheelhouse.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Have to say that I like Gerard better than (the rather awful) Ars Nova, but I'm really not that much of a fan of them either. Or of Social Tension or those other pseudo-ELP/UK type of nippon units like Midas and so on. Mr. Sirius were good, but if I'd want a keyboards-heavy Jap progressive band I'd much rather take something like Pochakaite Malko, Le Silo, Opabinia or Koenjihyakkei.

Wouldn't mind seeing Gerard in concert, though.

[Proglodite]

I never understood why Mr Sirius seems to be so highly regarded - what I'd heard seemed very mediocre. Marge Litch, Providence and Pageant were a little more my style, though I can certainly see how they'd have their detractors. --peter

[trurl]

Providence were killer. Did they ever do anything after Night Of Choko-Muro??

[Scrotum Scissor]

Providence were killer. Did they ever do anything after Night Of Choko-Muro??

No, and that one is (IMO) way less interesting than Old Myth. Of course, the "femi-vox vs. hard-hitting band" concept became something of an inflation with "symphonic" rock groups in Japan.

[dropforge]

Providence were killer. Did they ever do anything after Night Of Choko-Muro??

They were, and not that I know of, unfortunately.

[trurl]

No, and that one is (IMO) way less interesting than Old Myth. Of course, the "femi-vox vs. hard-hitting band" concept became something of an inflation with "symphonic" rock groups in Japan.

I never have been able to track down Old Myth. That's the cassette of demos, right?

[Scrotum Scissor]

I never have been able to track down Old Myth. That's the cassette of demos, right?

They were demos alright, but it was distributed here in the west as a CD-R, IIRC. There was another demo cassette even before that one, marred by very bad sound, I believe. But Old Myth showed a lot of promise for 1990, although I personally feel that most of the 80s Jap "symph" phenomenon has aged terribly and frankly pales next to all the magnificently original and quirky progressive music coming out of Japan since then.