QUEEN PRODUCTIONS/PRESS Freddie Mercury Mr Bad Guy UNIVERSAL ...

The prog giants’ much maligned and misunderstood 1973 concept album reappears in deluxe expanded and enhanced form. Mark Blake braves a deep dive.

What an incredible 2025 it’s been in the world of prog. This year, we’ve taken a different approach to our Critics’ Choice and instead of printing our writers’ Top 20 lists, we’ve pooled them to create a definitive Top 50 with profile pieces on some of the key players. Did your favourite make the cut? We look forward to reading your thoughts on the results.

LESTER COHEN / GETTY Lazarus: The Second Coming ...

This year has seen some huge reissue campaigns, with long-awaited cuts from Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, Mike Oldfield and many more all getting the deluxe treatment. We’ve collated our writers’ favourites to create a list of the Top 20 Best Reissues from 2025. Read on!

The dream river keeps on flowing through metaphysical singer-songwriter’s ninth post-Smog album.