Montreal Progressive Music Festival - 2008

Montreal Progressive Music Festival - KNIGHT AREA, RIVERSIDE, UNIVERS ZERO Confirmed

BW&BK has received the following:

Distribution Fusion 3 is proud to announce the participation of three of its distributed bands to the second Montreal Progressive Music Festival that will be held this weekend at Salle Pierre Mercure. Details below.

Saturday September 13th, 5:45 PM - Dutch modern symphonic rock group KNIGHT AREA released their first album, The Sun Also Rises, in 2004. This album featured old and new material from the band members, some dating back to the 1980s, and quickly made a splash in the progressive rock community leading to an appearance at NEARfest 2005. As promising as the first album was, 2007's Under a New Sign takes the group to the next level, with an approach and quality very comparable to British group (and past FMPM headliners) IQ. These days with many modern/neo progressive groups changing to heavier or pop styles, Knight Area unapologetically shows a mastery of the conventions of symphonic rock, and will delight their growing fanbase in Montreal this coming September.

Sunday September 14th, 6 PM - Poland’s RIVERSIDE has made a name for themselves over the past five years with the “Reality Dream” trilogy of releases. From 2003’s Out of Myself (on the Laser’s Edge label), 2005’s Second Life Syndrome and 2007’s Rapid Eye Movement (both on the InsideOut label), they have developed a growing following with a melodically attractive, sometimes heavy, sometimes psychedelic sound. Crunchy guitars, atmospheric keyboard passages and Mariusz Duda’s powerful vocals have combined to make Riverside one of the most popular groups straddling the line between progressive rock and progressive metal. The music on these albums has been compared to groups as diverse as Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Pink Floyd and Pain of Salvation,
but one also hears similarities to the Polish neo-progressive school of Collage, Satellite, Quidam, and others. Riverside performed for the first time in North America at NEARFest 2006, and they have played a number of art rock festivals in Europe. After supporting Dream Theater on European dates earlier this year, they are now touring in support of Rapid Eye Movement. FMPM 2008 will be Riverside’s first ever performance in Canada.

Sunday September 14th, 9 PM - Belgian chamber rock group and original ROCK IN OPPOSITION member UNIVERS ZERO will headline the Sunday portion of FMPM 2008. Formed in the mid-1970s by drummer and leader Daniel Denis, Univers Zero has undergone several transformations during its existence, from dark acoustic chamber music inspired by Béla Bartók and H.P. Lovecraft, to a more electronic sound with use of synthesizers in the 1980s, and finally a more melodic, refined chamber-rock for the new Millennium. The ten CD releases that catalogue these three periods are acclaimed by followers of new music and Univers Zero have influenced countless other groups being practically the blueprint for chamber-rock. After avoiding live performance for decades, the modern incarnation of Univers Zero embraced it, with powerful appearances at festivals inEurope and a headlining performance at NEARFest 2004. Their first ever live album was released on Cuneiform Records in 2006, and their first album 1313 is to be reissued by Cuneiform in mid-2008. The current line-up of Univers Zero features Daniel Denis (drums), Michel Berckmans (woodwinds), Pierre Chevalier (keyboards), Martin Lauwers (violin), Dimitri Evers (bass), and Kurt Budé (clarinet, sax). Univers Zero is currently working on a new studio album.