Sons of Ra

Sons of Ra is a band from the state of Illinois, U.S. and their sound is "jazz fusion, heavier progressive music," which is to say that it is an exploratory perspective for people who are open to hearing a band take the music in directions that many have not heard done this way. Progressive metal is part of their sound, but there are other things going on, as you'll hear. Below are a couple of videos of the band performing and the official information from Facebook.

Sons of Ra formed in Chicago in 2000 as a collaborative experimental instrumental musical project. The identity and lineup of the band morphed considerably during the 2000s playing around the midwest, experimenting with mixing electronic music with straight ahead and hard bop influences. The band went on a brief hiatus and returned in 2014 as a trio. The current line up embraces their roots in jazz fusion, heavier progressive music with a bend for experimentation in their newest compositions, drawing from Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, avant-garde composition inspired by Glenn Branca, and post metal/math acts such as Russian Circles and Don Caballero, occasionally incorporating extreme metal references from bands such as Cynic, Blotted Science and Behold... the Arctopus.

Sons of Ra currently performs around the midwest. Their latest release, "Anthropology" came out in December 2016. The band is currently working on their first full-length to be released in 2019. Press

“...that’s where the brilliance of this fusion is evident: neither bending too far from metal or ditching the avant-garde inclinations of jazz, the band’s compositions are unafraid of throwing both elements into the pot in equal measure, and somehow these dudes are able to play the insanity that this approach creates.” - Chicago Doom Confederacy “The expansive closer “Persona Non Grata” is probably my favorite track. It’s just under 10 minutes and has a good flow to it. Plus I think it showcases what Sons of Ra are all about. They are a tight band who know their strengths. So if you like heavy prog with one foot firmly in the jazz fusion arena, “Anthropology” is definitely worth checking out. - Progressive Music Planet

"Anthropology’s greatest strength is without a doubt the band’s ability to capture the moment and transfer the immediacy of the recording process. The EP is made of five songs, with the center-pieces being “Interpidation” and “Persona Non Grata” ProgSphere

Sons of Ra AntiFragile - in studio

Sons of Ra at Reggies Music Joint - Dec 29th, 2018

facebook.com/sonsofrachicago/