#monday 6-8 PM PDT on #FreeformPortland guest DJ Ricardo Wang sits in on Guitar Shop #Radio, covering for DJ Victrola.
#ExpunkimentalMusic #AvantGarage #guitarrock #hesh #noiserock #postpunk #psychedelic #postrock #spacerock #protometal #heavypsych #indierock #freeform
90.3 FM & 98.3 FM on #TerrestrialRadio or #Streaming #worldwide from http://listen.freeformportland.org:8000/stream
#ARCHIVED (#listen anytime): https://whatsthiscalled.net/2026/03/22/23-march-2026-guest-djing-guitar-shop-radio/
Hällas—Sweden’s self-styled administrators of ‘adventure rock’—has suffered a nearly decade-long absence from AMG. Back in 2017, El Cuervo (rightly) awarded Excerpts from a Future Past a 4.0, praising the debut for its transportive aesthetic and cohesive performances. Since this one-off review, Hällas has become a premier neo- proto-metal act, yet they haven’t reached the exceptionality of their entrance. Conundrum (2020) continued in the vein of Excerpts with a synth-heavy slow burn that (why not?) feels less adventurous than the debut.1 Redressing this safeness, Isle of Wisdom (2022) favors tighter, jauntier tunes that bleed into each other.2 On the heels of two very good albums is Panorama, the first to be released on Hällas’s own (aptly named) Äventry Records. This shift seems to signal the kind of confidence arising from a veteran band coming into their own. Accordingly, Panorama experiments more than any previous Hällas album, but experimentation alone does not guarantee Greatness.
Panorama deftly delivers Hällas’s now-familiar take on heavy, psychedelic prog rock. Indeed, these Swedes still sound like Uriah Heep counseling Iron Maiden. Pre-release single “The Emissary” and closer “At the Summit” best encapsulate classic Hällas. On these tracks, Rickard Swahn and Marcus Petersson bounce between wee-da-lee guitarmonies, Ren-faire acoustic plucks, and driving riffage. Nicklas Malmqvist supplies texture via sparkling synthesizers and percussive organ. It is the infectious guitar/key interplays, however, that define Hällas. Towards the end of “At the Summit,” Swahn, Petersson, and Malmqvist unite for delicious harmonized noodling, building drama before a serene denouement. Wrapped in warm, 70s-sounding production fans have come to expect, Panorama supplies some of the strongest Hällas tunes yet.
Panorama’s experimentations, however, make it Hällas’s most singular statement. Its boldest innovation is “Above the Continuum,” a 20-minute, 7-part suite akin to the eponymous openers of Rush’s 2112 and Yes’s Close to the Edge. On this cinematic saga, Hällas brings Gregorian chants, strings, and horns to their brand of synth-rock. Floydian voice-overs materialize Panorama’s somber narrative, in which a hermit laments encroaching dystopia atop his tower. An imperceptible escalation that finally burrowed under my skin after ten or so listens, “Above the Continuum” is an early Song o’ the Year candidate.3 How does one follow such a sprawling epic? With a trotting jam, of course. On “Face of an Angel,” another pre-release single, drummer Kasper Eriksson rides a sleazy Thin Lizzy groove with bassist/vocalist Tommy Alexandersson, who lays down a droningly hooky chorus. Hällas has dropped crowd pleasers before (“Star Rider,” “Carry On”), but “Face of an Angel” is their poppiest ditty yet and the perfect counterbalance to the opening beast. It is “Bestiaus,” though, that truly spotlights Alexandersson’s vocals. His smoky baritone and booming bellow sit center stage on this affecting piano ballad, standing alone in Hällas’s catalogue.
Five scenes spliced into one holistic picture, Panorama is a grand album, which might not register when glancing at the runtime. Like every Hällas record, Panorama clocks in at just under 45 minutes, yet its more limited track count (5, instead of 7–8) renders every song utterly distinct. There is zero filler here, only questionable moments. “Above the Continuum” has abrupt transitions in its opening minutes, but they don’t hinder the track as a whole. Additionally, the immediate fadeout on the punk ending of “The Emissary” always frustrates me. Frustration is surely the intended effect, but Hällas could have stretched the part a few measures and achieved the same. And “Bestiaus” itself feels a little like a moment, striving for songhood but not quite reaching it. Still, it’s an elegant setup for “At the Summit”—an epic but unprotracted finale.
With Panorama, Hällas has delivered (why not?) their most adventurous album, but it’s also their best work to date. Excerpts hinted at excellence—Panorama achieves it. Per its namesake, Panorama provides a virtually seamless showcase of all that Hällas has done while splendidly surveying new terrain. A fun yet serious record, Panorama puts an angelic synth-rock face on a devilish narrative circulatory system. It’s only January, but these Swedes may have already dropped the neo- proto-metal album of 2026 (and a list-topping contender for yours truly).
Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Äventyr Records
Websites: haellas.bandcamp.com | hallasband.com | facebook.com/haellas
Releases Worldwide: January 30th, 2026
Led Zeppelin never called themselves metal… but they gave it the DNA.
Massive riffs, Bonham thunder, epic builds: from proto-metal roots to Metallica echoes. Which Zep track hits you hardest? 🔥🎸
#LedZeppelin #HeavyMetal #ProtoMetal"
#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#BlackSabbath
Complete Studio Albums 1970 - 1978
All Moving Parts (Stand Still)
🎸 Live Stream:
https://nowplaying.themetaldog.net/
LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Black+Sabbath/_/All+Moving+Parts+(Stand+Still)
Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Black-sabbath-all-moving-parts-stand-still-lyrics
Listen on major platforms:
https://song.link/s/5vfTYYKnKms8Q4d3YN49OK
#BlackSabbath #OzzyOsbourne #TonyIommi #GeezerButler #BillWard #HeavyMetal #DoomMetal #Metal70s #BirminghamMetal #ProtoMetal
Brown Acid series just had an unexpected addition in the form of a remix, which I quite liked.
Check it out here (not out on every platform as of yet): https://album.link/BrownAcidTheEssentialMix
If you want to know more specifics, I wrote a bit more about this all here: https://shrikefin.substack.com/p/take-the-brown-acid-umm-listen-i
#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#BlackSabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
🎸 Live Stream:
https://nowplaying.themetaldog.net/
YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Black%20Sabbath+Black%20Sabbath+Black%20Sabbath
LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Black+Sabbath/_/Black+Sabbath
Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Black-sabbath-black-sabbath-lyrics
#BlackSabbath #OzzyOsbourne #TonyIommi #GeezerButler #BillWard #HeavyMetal #DoomMetal #Metal70s #BirminghamMetal #ProtoMetal
#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#JudasPriest
Rocka Rolla
Dying to Meet You
🎸 Live Stream:
https://nowplaying.themetaldog.net/
YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Judas%20Priest+Rocka%20Rolla+Dying%20to%20Meet%20You
LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Judas+Priest/_/Dying+to+Meet+You
Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Judas-priest-dying-to-meet-you-lyrics
Listen on major platforms:
https://song.link/s/7vQYquPXayWHn2tOaEyvI1
#JudasPriest #RobHalford #KKDowning #IanHill #JohnHinch #HeavyMetal #ProtoMetal #Metal70s #BirminghamMetal #UKMetal
Being a non-native Bostonian in Beantown allows me to exercise a dispassionate objectivity towards the city’s musical culture. I vicariously experience the pride of housing The Pixies but don’t feel the shame of inhabiting Aerosmith Land.1 And yet, I’m always curious about local artists who can obliterate this objectivity, making me feel proud of Boston. Bygone, a heavy metal/hard rock sextet, may be able to liberate my revolutionary heart from its Tory shackles. Despite being Boston-based, Bygone have just dropped their debut album on Svart Records, an independent label based in Finland. Svart’s solid track record, coupled with that pulpy sci-fi cover, gives me more than a feeling that Bygone will deliver.
As per their name, Bygone is not really interested in revolution. These Bostonians serve a heavier-than-usual hard rock that had its heyday in the 1970s. But as the band itself so enticingly puts it, Bygone ’feels not so much of the historical past as it does the never-quite-was.’2 To this end, guitarists Noah Stormbringer and Chris Corry lay down driving riffs that feel like a chuggier Deep Purple (“Lightspeed Nights,” “City Living”). The powerful mid-range of vocalist James Kirn fronts a Uriah Heep with more heft than David Byron or John Lawton (“Shadow Rising,” “Take Me Home”). All the while, bassist Cecelia Hale and drummer Connor Donegan hover like a steadier UFO (“Fire in You Fire in Me”). With production wetter than the Charles River, Bygone sounds like the 70s proto-metal record that never was, but now is.
Bygone packs a tasty psychedelic flavor, largely stemming from its synths. Keyboardist Renato is a key fixture of Bygone, sonically fulfilling the spacey atmosphere suggested by the album cover. His tones span the cosmos, sounding like the stars, the interstellar spaceships traveling to them, and everything in between. “Lightspeed Nights” perfectly exemplifies Renato’s dual role in Bygone. Sometimes, he provides atmospheric background for the sparkling guitars; other times, he’s front and center, swirling like Saturnian rings around the band. But Bygone’s highlights, far and away, come from Renato’s interplays with guitarists Stormbringer and Corry. The bridge of “Shadow Rising,” for example, amplifies its time signature change with some nifty call-and-response triplets. Similarly, but more expansively, “Take Me Home” builds a progressive guitar/keyboard conversation into its DNA. On account of its psychedelic synths, Bygone becomes an album that pairs well with some Green Monster.
Bygone doesn’t go by without flaws. As mentioned, Kirn is a powerful vocalist, harboring a flexible mid-range that can satisfyingly hit higher notes. His verses and choruses, however, often need stronger hooks to differentiate themselves from the infectious guitar and keyboard melodies (“Lightspeed Nights”). Bygone also has some pacing issues. Despite being a fairly consistent 43 minutes, it lacks show-stopping highs (though “Take Me Home” comes close). Some midpoint lag (“Into the Gleam,” “The Last Horses of Avalon”) makes the album feel longer than it is. “City Living,” however, picks things back up before the closer. “Fire in You Fire in Me” stands as the most unique track on Bygone, with gentler, warmer tones recalling Procol Harum. Bygone would do well to make way for more variety of this kind.
Bygone is a good (though not wicked good) debut from a promising band. These Bostonians demonstrate keen awareness of what makes modern retro rock/metal work. Tone is tantamount but not totalizing; you need riffs, and Bygone holds plenty. Fans of the band’s 70s influences and other such contemporaries dealing in musical antiques will love the galactically vintage tones on display here. With a bit more songwriting variety and vocal hooks, Bygone should make Boston (and its iconoclastic transplants) more than proud.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Svart Records
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: December 12th, 2025
Wucan – Irons in the Fire
from the album Axioms
Ricardo Wang
Maikmusik
Angry Metal Guy
SlaveToMusic
🤘 The Metal Dog 🤘
Jukka 'Shrike' Kolehmainen
Leo