Last year Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic were creeping up on Porcupine Tree’s immense popularity. This year we’ve seen the return of heavyweights Yes, Peter Gabriel, Van der Graaf Generator, Jon Anderson and Kate Bush, alongside impressive new material from Steven Wilson, Dream Theater, Touchstone and Opeth, bookended by the bumper Pink Floyd reissues EMI/Superball’s Prog Rocks! campaign. But what have been your highlights?

Summer’s End, Fused, Cambridge Rocks and High Voltage once again delivered live thrills as Anathema, Pallas, Mogwai, Radiohead, Nightwish, Primus, Magenta, Mastodon, Symphony X and more gave us cause to raid our proggy piggy banks.

And we’ve not even started on the wealth of newer talent such as Lost In Thought, Von Hertzen Brothers, Phaedra, TesseracT, Wobbler, Cranium Pie, Matt Stevens and Sanguine Hum jostling for our attention.

Ready to ballot? Have a look at the categories listed below, stick your choices on an email with Readers’ Poll in the subject field, and email your entries to: voteprog@futurenet.co.uk.

If snail mail really is your thing, then simply scribble down your entries on the form below and send it to: Readers’ Poll, Classic Rock Presents Prog, 2 Balcombe Street, London, NW1 6NW.

The choice is yours. Get voting…

CATEGORIES

BEST BAND

BEST ALBUM

BEST FEMALE VOCALIST

BEST MALE VOCALIST

BEST GUITARIST

BEST BASSIST

BEST KEYBOARD PLAYER

BEST DRUMMER

BEST REISSUE

BEST DVD

BEST EVENT

NON-EVENT

BEST VENUE

BEST NEW/UNSIGNED BAND

PROG HEARTTHROB 2011

PROG ICON 2011

Words: Malcolm Dome

It’s probably fair to say that Anvil’s stock has never been higher. So it was always inevitable that there would be a compilation of older material Still, at least Monument Of Metal (Sony) has been put together by the band. And it is great to hear all those faves like Metal On Metal. And this does span their career from those early days right up to 2011. It is a fitting reminder that the Canadians were influential on the thrash movement.

Still on the metal scene, My Dying Bride are in finely honed doomesque form with The Barghest Of Whitby (Peaceville). It’s just track, but at over 27 minutes in length, this does fit into the epic compartment. MDB never actually lose your interest, as they spool together some darkly dank riffs and atmospherically progressive claustrophobia.

One of the best of the younger crop of proggie bands, Magenta are at their finest on Chameleon (Tigermoth). Christina Booth’s gently chiming vocals are backed up by the sort of music that’s delicate yet also strident. This really does flow impressively from start to finish.

One assumes Yes have decided to release In The Present Live From Lyon (Frontiers) to underpin the current frontman’s credibility. Not that it’s surely in any doubt. However, the three disc affair (two CDs and one DVD) does prove that onstage vocalist Benoit David has much to commend him. This was filmed and recorded in December 2009, when David was still feeling his way. But he copes admirably.

Israelis Metal Scent have a metal approach that owes a lot to the likes of Judas Priest and Motorhead. And new album Homemade is the first time they’ve recorded only original songs. While there are times when it all comes across as clichéd, the band are capable of getting lost in a cul-de-sac, there are some very strong moments here. All of which suggests this is a band with promise. Further info: www.myspace.com/metalscentband

The reissue of Skin’s self-titled debut 1994 album by Rock Candy once more proves they were genuinely talented, and possessed of world class potential. Given better breaks, Skin could have easily become a major global melodic hard rock force. The strength in depth here deserves to be heard, and praised, again.

Undervalued at the time, Orion The Hunter’s self-titled first album is back on the streets courtesy once more of Rock Candy., Originally put out in 1984, it suffered by comparisons to Boston, as it was the brainchild of Barry Goudreau, guitarist with Tom Scholz’s band. But if it fails to live up to what Boston had achieved, then this is still a formidably epic mix of melody and pomp. So You Ran, a hit single at the time, is still flawless. And vocalist Fan Cosmo, who would later join Boston, is stylish and effortless.

Savatage weren’t at their best on Poets And Madmen (earMUSIC). First put out in 2001, it marked the return on vocals of Jon Oliva, after an absence of eight years. But it now comes across as representing a band struggling to emerge from the shadow of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The latter might have begun as a side project to focus the band’s more epic and operatic aspirations, but now had become a major force. It left Savatage as a shadow of their once mighty selves, and this album throws a spotlight on their confusion as to what direction they should take.

Finally, something of a shock. Korn claimed that The Path Of Totality (Roadrunner) was their journey into dubstep and electronic music. But in actuality, it’s more about progressive metal than anything else. It appears Korn might well have found a way forward.

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.

Williamson’s work has adorned album sleeves by Marillion, Fish, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Europe, to name but a few.

…And Marillion themselves feature on the front cover of the wallet of the new issue too.

There’s an overall arty feel to the latest issue, with Marillion, Muse, Jethro Tull and Curved Air among the bands discussing the ways in which ‘prog art’ has changed over the years.

Of course, such an issue couldn’t be discussed without input from Roger Dean and Storm Thorgerson.

And we unveil the winner of our art competition, the winner of which finds their work adorning the cover of this issue’s free CD.

We also unveil the winners of the 2009 Readers’ Poll, there’s the Critics’ Choice Albums Of the Year – and there are exclusive interviews with Todd Rundgren, Transatlantic, The Pineapple Thief, Big Big Train, Magenta, Karnivool, Ex Libras and Yak, as well as the final ever interview with the late Eric Woolfson of the Alan Parsons Project.

The new issue also carries all the details you’ll need to know about subscribing to Classic Rock Presents Prog.

Issue six of Classic Rock Presents Prog is on sale from Wednesday, January 25.

You can join Editor Jerry Ewing and writer Philip Wilding on TotalRock (www.totalrock.com) tomorrow between 12 noon and 3pm GMT, discussing the magazine and playing three hours of quality progressive rock.

Marillion feature on the front cover of the wallet of the new issue of Prog.

Inside the wallet: feast your eyes on Mark Wilkinson’s exclusive cover.