Oklahoma City based powerhouse VANGOUGH may be named after a post-impressionistic artist, come from a conservative bastion of the U.S. and draw inspiration from a variety of exotic musical styles; yet driven by the explosive, cutting edge vision of guitarist and lead vocalist Clay Withrow, the band's incisive and infectious songs and intense energy requires adjectives far beyond words that describe mainstream artists. So here's an opening attempt: committed to drawing listeners into their melodies before totally upending the tea table, they spit fiery madness by drenching your ears with a purple sunrise of melodic cocaine.

Originally formed around Withrow's well-received 2007 solo debut and evolving over two incredible discs, Vangough - whose current killer lineup includes drummer Kyle Haws, keyboardist Corey Mast and bassist Jeren Martin - combines the groovy attitude of southern metal stalwarts and the quirkiness of contemporary art rock with melodies and textures inspired by music from all over the world. Their often times vintage sound harkens back to the forebearers of progressive rock, giving them a slightly retro feel while retaining the freshness of a forward thinking contemporary band.

With their newly completed second album, the grandiose "Kingdom Of Ruin", VANGOUGH have taken their conceptual visions another step ahead. The story of The Rabbit Kingdom is about a man who is stepping through the veil of two realities. One of his human life and the other a land where rabbits rule in an idyllic forest kingdom. Through the course of the story he begins to realize his link to this other world and has to come to the difficult decision if he should stay a human or take his place as the rightful heir to the throne in this faraway kingdom. With the concept split in two halfs; one "metal" and one "rock" oriented, "Kingdom Of Ruin" is sure to become a landmark on the current music scene and a staple for future progressive bands. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.