The German progressive rock band Saris was formed in 1981 in the city of Bochum. Led by guitarist and keyboardist Derk Akkermann, the group is known for fusing the classic style of 1970s progressive rock with modern elements of hard rock and AOR. The original lineup toured Germany extensively and released the single “Out of Your Night” in 1983. After a period of inactivity due to musical disagreements, Akkermann reformed the band in 1992 with new members to record their debut album, Dead End Street (1993). The band faced multiple lineup changes and briefly split in 2000. They returned in 2006, leading to the critically acclaimed album Curse of Time (2009). However, tragedy struck shortly after its release when drummer Achim Schmidt passed away suddenly. Akkermann decided to continue Saris as a studio-focused project, establishing a stable core with vocalists Anja Günther and Henrik Wager. Their sound evolved toward epic symphonic arrangements and neo-prog. Their most recent album, Project: Off World (May 2026), addresses contemporary themes such as politics, technology, and religion, and features renowned musicians like Marek Arnold and Jimmy Keegan. To form Saris today, the line-up is: Derk Akkermann – Guitars, Keyboards; Henrik Wager – Lead & Backing Vocals; Lutz Günther – Bass; Jimmy Keegan – Drums & Percussion; Marek Arnold – Saxophone; and Martin Schnella – Guitars.

Garcia & Radford is a progressive rock collaboration formed by American lyricist Alex S. Garcia and Canadian multi-instrumentalist Justin Radford. The project focuses on creating rock music with a strong influence from 1970s prog and proto-metal. The project began as a long-distance creative partnership between Garcia and Radford that spanned 15 years. Their goal was to merge storytelling with complex musical arrangements. A concept album for a rock musical, a incredible Rock Opera, “In Odin’s Name” is a humanistic retelling of several Old Norse sagas, following the tales of Odin, king of the Aesir. The story details events such as the Aesir-Vanir War, and the rebuilding of Asgard by the Jotnar. All fantastical elements and magic have been removed, leaving a very human story about greed, ambition, subterfuge, and sorrow. Written in 2011 by Alex S. Garcia and Justin Radford via long distance online collaboration. After 15 years of writing, work-shopping, and recording, they are proud to finally release this epic! In addition to the guests representing the characters of the epic journey, and the musicians responsible for the project, the duo assembled a veritable cast of musicians, including Greg Allen – Viola, Jamie Hamel – Viola, Lauren Hatch – Piano, Molly Lehrkind – Cello, Brett McConnell – Bass Guitar, Justin Radford – Drums, Synth, Piano, Kyle Smith – Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Andrew Ellis Valdini – Hammond Organ, Margaret Gibson Wehr – Violin, and Em Whiteseth – Violin.

Filo comes from Montpellier, France, He is a multidisciplinary artist who makes music, drawings, paintings, photography and writes books. After a long period of pop, folk, blues, he now offers progressive rock style. He is known for designing his own album covers and producing his music independently, which is primarily distributed through platforms like Bandcamp and Spotify. “Feet on the Ground, Head on the Moon” is a double concept album exploring the themes of ecology, environmental preservation, the beauty of nature, and how humanity pollutes and destroys it. It remains progressive rock, but with more art-rock and progressive folk elements, including acoustic instruments, cello, classical guitar, flute, and bamboo clarinet. The lyrics are very important, not only because they convey a universal message, but also because the writing has evolved, becoming more concise and poetic. Many songs on previous Filo albums touched on this subject, but now it was time to develop it further. Filo’s music is a clear homage to 70s art-rock and progressive icons like Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Yes. Released on February 20, 2026, “Feet on the Ground, Head on the Moon”, It is an extensive work containing 16 tracks with a total runtime of approximately 1 hour and 36 minutes. You must listen to this great album.