No dusty throwbacks, Mandoki Soulmates push prog into a very here-and-now wide-open throttle with two sweeping new albums.

These bands can all rock as hard as any other band from any other place, which shows that maybe the importance of location isn’t such a big deal anymore.

Jü is a band with plenty of potency with the intelligence of knowing when and where to apply it. ‘Summa’ builds on that solid start with Kjetil Møster to take their game up even higher.

What happens when the Hungarian thrash-jazz trio JÜ meets the Norwegian sax firebrand Kjetil Møster? Fury, foreboding and fireworks.

Here’s a review of ‘Bridges of Souls,’ a tasteful fusion excursion from Hungarian drum ace Ferenc Nemeth and Hugarian guitar ace Attila Laszlo.