Kevin Hufnagel, the guitar player from Dysrhythmia and Gorguts, is releasing his second solo album in January via his own Nightfloat Recordings imprint. And, really, the phrase “Kevin Hufnagel is releasing an album” should prompt nothing from you but a response of “Where can I pre-order it?” ‘Cause that dude rules.

And the answer to you very appropriate question is: you can pre-order Transparencies, the second solo album Hufnagel, right at this web page, where you can also stream two songs. Everyone who pre-orders Transparencies with receive a digital download a month before the album’s official release date, plus immediate downloads of the aforementioned streaming tracks. Of course, you need to pre-order nothing to watch the above trailer for the album — which was done by Romanian artist Costin Chioreanu using photographs by Hufnagel himself — but after watching the trailer, you should go ahead and pre-order it like I was just telling you too a second ago.

Hufnagel will also be hitting the road later this week for a brief tour in support of Transparencies. You should really go see this fella live… he’s so good fingers, he makes me feel like a total Labonte. Here are dates:

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UPDATE: The Deciblog has confirmed that the Cynic tour mentioned below is, in fact, the previously announced Decibel Hall of Fame Tour (even though Cynic are the only band on the tour to be honored in Decibel’s revered HoF). Cynic will be playing their entire classic album Focus on this trek. Check out a full list of tour dates and a nifty admat over at The Deciblog!

We really like our nerdy prog tours here at the MS Mansion; first it was the Meshuggah + Cynic + Faceless tour in February of 2009 which we dubbed “The Erection Tour” when it was announced, questioned whether it might be the best tour ever, then argued over which band gave the best performance. Then at the end of the year Between the Buried and Me announced they’d do an early 2010 run with Cynic, Devin Townsend Project and Scale the Summit; we immediately dubbed this “The Super-Orgasm Tour” and waxed ecstatic about it so much that we probably made those of you who aren’t into to prog metal (can you imagine such a thing???) sick of reading about it.

Get ready to become sick of us raving in anticipation of two more uber-proggy metal tours on the horizon, ’cause shit’s about to get real, son.

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I will never get tired of streaming new music. I remember when I used to have to go to a listening station (they didn’t even have full booths) at Tower or Sam Goody (SAM FUCKING GOODY!!!) if I wanted to hear new music that wasn’t on the radio, and even then, the pickings were fairly slim, metal-wise. So to be able to listen to shit for free while high in my favorite chair is really just magnificent. Just superb.

And away we go:

• Dysrhythmia’s entire new album, Psychic Maps, is streaming here. This is instrumental prog metal at its finest, boys and girls. You need to show it some love. The album comes out on Relapse this Tuesday, July 7 here in the States, and then July 13 in Europe. And I guess Asia can just suck it. Suck it, Asia.
• Job for a Cowboy’s entire new album, Ruination, is streaming here. It comes out on Metal Blade, also this Tuesday. And I think it’s safe to say that, yes, JFAC are officially no longer deathcore. In case y’all had any doubts.
• Sumeriancore favorites Born of Osiris have yet another song from their forthcoming We Smoke Weed A Higher Place, entitled “Live Like I’m Real,” streaming here. I have a feeling BOO have gone the down same “we got just melodic enough to really piss off a portion of our fan base” path as All Shall Perish. I guess we’ll see come Tuesday.

-AR