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Orpheus Nine began as a solo project by Jason Kresge, whose onstage persona inspired one fan to dub him “prog’s Phantom of the Opera.” Envisioning eclectic, keyboard-driven music, Jason created pieces that served up piano, organ, and synthesizer as aggressive lead instruments. After a period of experimentation, he teamed up with drummer Daniel Nydick in 2005, and the two spent a few years further developing their style. The result: modern progressive rock with infusions of classical, jazz, metal, and electronica.
By 2011, the duo had expanded to include bassist Tony Renda and guitarist Matt Ullestad. This lineup enjoyed a brief run together before scheduling conflicts forced a temporary hiatus. Daniel’s departure led to the 2012 arrival of drummer Mark DeGregory.
The New Jersey quartet emerged with a “genuine tour de force” (ProgArchives) in 2017’s Transcendental Circus. While its centerpiece is a six-part, nearly-22-minute title track, O9 deftly balances virtuosity with emotion and melody in every one of the album’s “beautifully crafted songs” (PROG). Listeners to this “very impressive debut” (Progression) have cited elements of ELP, King Crimson, Rush, Saga, Styx, Genesis, Frank Zappa, Gentle Giant, Spock’s Beard, The Flower Kings, Yes, Marillion, Kansas, echolyn, Glass Hammer, and Return to Forever — yet any past influence quickly yields to the “fresh and original” (progVisions) sound of a band focused on future possibilities.
Transcendental Circus has earned rave reviews from fans and critics around the world. Dutch Progressive Rock Pages deemed it a “very mature debut that succeeds on most every level,” while New Zealand’s Kev Rowland (author of The Progressive Underground) declared that “symphonic American progressive rock rarely sounds as good as this.” Germany’s Empire Music called Orpheus Nine “one of the most interesting new bands of recent times”; England’s PROG Magazine agreed, ranking them “among the best bands ploughing this ageless furrow.”
Orpheus Nine performed at New Jersey’s ProgStock Festival in both 2018 and 2022, and at the UK’s Fusion 4 Festival in 2023. The group’s next album, Utopian Gothic, Act 1: Pipe Dreams and Guillotines, is expected in 2025.
© 2008- Orpheus Nine
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