Electric Food-Electric Food (1970)

From the ashes of the German band Lucifer's Friends emerged Electric Food, who, with a powerful style of psychedelic hard rock, released several albums in the early 1970s. The band consisted of Peter Hesslein (guitar and vocals), Peter Hecht (keyboards), Hans-Joachim Rietenbach (drums), Dieter Horns (bass), and Georg Mavros (vocals). Their debut album features some excellent covers, beginning with a frenetic rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", followed by the traditional "House of the Rising Sun", popularized by The Animals, and the boogie-rock track "Let's Work Together" by the ever-popular Canned Heat. Among their own compositions, highlights include the psychedelic "The Reason Why", the progressive "Hey Down", the blues-rock "Tavern", the dark heavy-rock "Nosferatu", the galloping "Icerose", and the heavy hard-rock "Twelve Months and Day".

Carlos Santana & Alice Coltrane-Illuminations (1974)

After leaving behind magnificent jazz-rock works like “Abraxas”, “Caravanserai”, “Welcome”, and “Borboletta”, Carlos Santana reaffirmed his passion for John Coltrane by creating a captivating collaboration with composer and string arranger Alice Coltrane (John's widow). Under the spiritual influence of Sri Chinmoy, Santana surrounds himself in this monumental work with a vast array of accomplished musicians, including David Holland (double bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums), as well as regulars in his band Tom Coster, Armando Peraza, and Phil Browne, and session musicians such as saxophonist Jules Broussard and Phil Ford on tabla. The paradisiacal “Angel of Air” evokes atmospheres reminiscent of “Caravanserai”, featuring a sublime Alice Coltrane on the harp. The extensive interplay between Indian tabla and percussion, under Santana's exciting guitar and Jules Broussard's complex saxophone, is present in the brilliant jazz rock "Angel Of Sunlight", while the influences of free jazz and oriental music appear in "Bliss: The Eternal Now" and in "Illuminations".

Gotthard-Lipservice (2005)

Switzerland has given the world of rock a number of great bands that have kept the genre in their country at a high level. Bands like Krokus, Toad, Flame Dream, Coroner, and Gotthard, among many others, have always been highly regarded by rock music fans. Today, it's Gotthard's turn, a band that built a great reputation based on solid hard rock with classic influences and grandiose melodies. Their origins date back to 1992 in the city of Lugano, when bassist Marc Lynn and vocalist Steve Lee joined forces with the intention of founding a band that would satisfy their musical tastes. After recruiting guitarist Leo Leoni, drummer Henna Habegger, and keyboardist Pat Regan, they secured a contract with BMG to record several albums, the first of which was released in mid-1992. From their debut album, they showcased a sound reminiscent of 1970s hard rock with bluesy undertones, and in that vein, they continued with magnificent works such as "Dial Hard" (1994), "G" (1996), "Homerun" (2001), and "Human Zoo" (2003). Two years later, they returned with their best creative work, "Lipservice", in which they perfected their blend of powerful hard rock with evocative melodies, presenting a repertoire of superb compositions like "Nothing Left All", "Stay For The Night", "Cupid's Arrow", "All We Are", "Lift U Up", and "Anytime, Anywhere". However, several years later, their lead singer Steve Lee died in a tragic motorcycle accident in Las Vegas, a devastating event that cast doubt on the band's future. Eventually, after some time, the band recruited a new singer, Nic Maeder, who, despite his undeniable vocal range, lacked the exceptional talent of the late Steve Lee.

Exmagma-Exmagma (1973)

The debut album from the powerful trio Exmagma is one of the most aggressive, distorted, and heavy progressive and experimental jazz-rock records ever recorded. Featuring two talented and experienced young musicians from the German blues scene Thomas Balluff on organ and electric piano, and Andy Goldner on bass, guitars, and saxophone and the fantastic American drummer Fred Braceful, this power trio was one of the foremost expressions of the nascent jazz-influenced krautrock. Their first release is a brilliant example of the experimental avant-garde of psychedelic jazz. From the free jazz leanings of "Interessante Ole" to the joyful soul-rock climax of "Two Times", and including the experimentation in the colossal epic "Trippin With Birds" and the psychedelic movements of "The First Tune". This album showcases everything from Dadaist facets to electrifying soundscapes, often in a surreal way, with dramatic instrumental improvisations of jazz percussion, all under the ingredients of heavy hard rock with a dissonant and furious guitar and an electrifying and spacey organ.

Dream Theater-Metropolis Pt.2: Scenes From A Memory (1999)

In 1999, Dream Theater released their seventh album, "Metropolis Part 2 - Scenes From a Memory", considered by many to be their masterpiece and a landmark of progressive heavy metal. A concept album with a sophisticated narrative, it tells an intriguing story set in 1928, in which a man is tormented after murdering a young girl. In the plot, this man is reincarnated as the girl, reliving his past in his dreams. This entire story is reflected in an ambitious and complex work, where Petrucci's furious guitars clash with Jordan Rudess's grandiose keyboards, Mike Portnoy's pyrotechnic drumming, and John Myung's driving rhythm section, all set against a backdrop of powerful and raw emotion, power, and sensitivity. The wide variety of styles in James LaBrie's voice narrates each chapter of the album, to the point that the listener, drawn in by the story, becomes irrevocably immersed and involved in the narrative. Divided into several acts and nine parts, the first half showcases the band's immense instrumental prowess, while the second half is far more complex, both musically and lyrically. The entire album is as spectacular as it is legendary, displaying breathtaking virtuosity from all members of the group. And however risky and ambitious a work of this magnitude might seem, the quintet executes it flawlessly, maintaining a cohesive sound throughout without a single minute of predictable or disposable elements. As a prime example of the greatness of this work, it features tracks such as "Through Her Eyes", "Overture 1928", "Home", "Beyond This Life" or "Dance of Eternity", undoubtedly the best compositions of progressive metal from the 90s.