Also in this issue:

Prog Rocks! – Launching the EMI megacampaign of reissues from Charisma, Harvest, Superball and InsideOut, and featuring Ian Anderson, Steve Hackett, Dave Brock, Ray Shulman, Mark Kelly and Roine Stolt, as they face-off in the first of a three-part roundtable debate

“I learnt loads from King Crimson.” – Steven Wilson on the making of new album Grace For Drowning

“Talent’s got nothing to do with success!” says Peter Gabriel, as he prepares for his back catalogue’s orchestral reworking

“I jumped in the deep end.” – Radiohead’s Philip Selway on making his own music his own way.

“We could write a book about the goings-on in Magenta. It’s like prog school!” How the newly trimmed-back trio got where they are today…

“I love music full stop. I don’t build barriers.” – Bill Nelson on Be-Bop Deluxe and his 20-album release schedule in just one year!

“We never thought this would last!” – Mastodon come of age.

“I’d go for anything with a wizard on!” – Comedian Bill Bailey revels in his prog record hoard.

Plus: Anathema, 3, Pineapple Thief, Arch/Matheos, Don Airey, Steve Hackett, Touchstone, Pain Of Salvation, Muse, TesseracT, Lunatic Soul and a bumper free Prog Rocks! 16-track CD…

Find us in your nearest trustworthy newsagent, or order a copy here.

The as yet untitled record should be out at the end of the year – and it will be on Metal Blade, with whom the band have re-signed.

Says frontman Joey Eppard of the decision to stick with this label: “After looking at several horrific offers from other labels, we decided to continue with Metal Blade because they actually care about our music and truly believe in what we do.

“We were tossing around the idea of releasing the new album one song at a time, each with a video. Basically like episodes. Let us know what you think.”

You can find out more at www.myspace.com/officialbandthree

Words: Malcolm Dome

* As we head further into the Xmas pressie period, let’s start off with the strong suggestion that you go to www.panicroom.org.uk and order the deluxe version of Panic Room’s quite marvellous new album Satellite. The deluxe edition has a bonus EP – classy prog rock heaven. If you wanna wait for the standard edition, it’s out early next year on Voiceprint.

* Still on the prog trail, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band have just put a five-CD box set called Bootleg Archives, Volumes 1-5 (MM Archive). To be honest it’s patchy, but then as the band point out, nothing has been ‘finessed’ in the studio, this is all raw live stuff, recorded over the past 28 years or so. Still, one for diehard fans.

* Far more worthy is the superb reissue of Sonja Kristina’s 1994 album Harmonics Of Love. The Curved Air hostess is in top form, and her version of Motorhead’s I Don’t Believe A Word is a bit tasty – in an acoustic style.

* 3 are from Woodstock. They’re a progressive metal band who’ve strong connections with Coheed And Cambria. What they’ve done on Revisions (Metal Blade) is revisit some of their more obscure, early work and update the songs in questions. It actually works rather well, coming across as somewhere between mid 80s Rush and 1980s intelligent American metallers Zebra.

* Britny Fox were one of those second-level big-hair bands who seem to have become the epitome of everything that was wrong with the genre. Well the double CD reissue of their first two albums Britny Fox and Boys In Heat (Iron Bird) actually helps redress the balance. They’re more than decent sleaze rockers, albeit a little in the shadow of fellow Philadelphia funsters Cinderella. Mind you, the photo of the band on the cover of their self-titled debut…s omeone really should have had a word with them. Looking like escapees from a transvestite themed tribute to Jason King wasn’t even cool back then!

* It’s also the time of year when you occasionally find a record slumped at the back of your collection that you always meant to play, but somehow got overlooked. Two of these have finally taken me for a quick spin. Lions sound like a better version of Velvet Revolver on Let No One Fall (Maybe Records). Seriously, they’ve the groove of the Revolver, but without the baggage that’s held them back. From Austin, Texas they drive a mean rock’n'roll bus – straight over the edge.

* North Carolina’s Between The Buried And Me really shake up the genre barriers on The Great Misdirect (Victory). This is space rock for the grindcore generation, bunny boiler music with a psycho-delic fringe. A real grower.

* Finally, PiL have just had their 1979 album Metal Box (Virgin) reissued. Housed in a metal box, as was the original, it’s surprising how relevant this remains. Post-punk madness, with elements of dub, metal and freeform mentalism. Fabulous listening when the mood grabs ya.

With its usual lavish wallet featuring Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson in classic pose, the issue looks at the relationship between prog rock and folk music, with brand new interviews with Ian Anderson, Renaissance, Roy Harper, Pentangle, Comus and Mostly Autumn. There’s a look at the life and times of John Martyn too.

Elsewhere there’s an exclusive round-table Progressive Nation interview with Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy, Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt and Bigelf’s Damon Fox discussing the state of prog music today, and interviews with Oceansize, Within Temptation, Katatonia, 3, The Devil’s Blood and a seasonal look at Xmas prog tunes.

All this, plus a free 12-track CD featuring the likes of Transatlantic, Nosound, 3, Within Temptation, Big Big Train, Mostly Autumn and many more.

You’ll find all your progressive desires catered for in Classic Rock Presents Prog issue 5, on sale from tomorrow.

Ian Anderson (plus codpiece) on the wallet.

Prog Nation protagonists on the cover inside.