Rabid readers of MEAN DEVIATION: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal rejoice! ProgPower USA XVII rests fully amped and aimed high at the outer regions of consciousness in anticipation of the festival’s September 7 launch. Once again, our planet’s premiere practitioners of progressive rock and power metal will converge on Center Stage Atlanta in Georgia for four nights of mind-expanding music, futuristic medieval mayhem, and all-around cosmic communion.
In addition to the array of live performances, ProgPower also offers autograph sessions with the artists all weekend, plus brace yourself—and/or lace yourself—for what’s become an annual bust-out highlight: Corset Night, which takes place this year on Friday, September 9.
ProgPowerUSA is presently sold out, but even fans without tickets may well want to make the pilgrimage to see what happens—because if prog rock and power metal make one notion clear it’s that absolutely anything is possible. Check these forums for ticket sales, and check out the lineups:
Day 1: Mid-Week Mayhem on Wednesday, September 7
Dragonforce (UK), Spock’s Beard (USA), Stream of Passion (Netherlands), Lord (Australia)
Day 2: Kick-Off on Thursday, September 8
Blind Guardian (Germany), Circus Maximus (Norway), Pyramaze (Denmark), Gloryhammer (Scotland/UK)
Day 3: ProgPowerUSA on Friday, September 9
Fates Warning (USA), Scar Symmetry (Sweden), The Gentle Storm (Netherlands), Freedom Call (Germany), Vanishing Point (Australia), Ascendia (Canada)
Day 4: ProgPowerUSA on Saturday, September 10
Devin Townsend with Anneke van Giersbergen (Canada/Netherlands), Haken (UK), Refuge (Germany), Green Carnation (Norway), Serious Black (Int’l), Savage Messiah (UK)
Mandatory train, plane, or astral projection reading: MEAN DEVIATION: Four Decades of Progressive Metal by Jeff Wagner, 400 pages of progressive glory now marked down to $9.95 for a limited time.
