Band name referencing a dark mythological figure. Check. Orchestral-like arrangements and songs about knights and dragons. Check. Elaborate stage set in the form of a castle. Check.

Persephone's Dream comes with the full-blown progressive-rock package and has no intention of squeezing into the corner bar on a Saturday night.

"This band moves in geological time," one of the members once said.

That's in part because, according to John Tallent, percussionist and one of the band leaders, Persephone's Dream is committed to every show being a spectacle requiring a daylong setup.

"We're not a bar band," he says. "We're a theatrical performance group."

Back in June, the Pittsburgh-based band released its fourth CD, "Pyre of Dreams," a record that is inspired by the stories of J.R.R. Tolkien, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick and Ian Watson. It also includes a five-song concept piece called "Temple in Time," based on King Arthur mythology and the magic of the Isle of Avalon.

The music is epic and cinematic, harking back to the progressive rock bands of the early '70s, but topped by beautiful female vocals, a rarity in the genre.

It hasn't been easy to maintain. Persephone's previous singer, Karen Nicely, departed after the third record, leaving the band's future in peril. Tallent says they auditioned more than 25 female singers over four and a half years but couldn't find a match, mostly because they came with a blues orientation and Persephone's Dream was looking more for a Kate Bush type.

To record "Pyre of Dreams," they flew in Colleen Gray from San Diego for a month and a half. When they realized they had more songs they wanted to cut, they found Heidi Engel -- or rather, she found them through a Craigslist ad that no one in the band claims to have posted.

"When she showed up and opened her mouth, oh man, we just smiled," Tallent says. "We knew we were home, we had our vocalist, we knew the band was back together."

Engel, who trained with Pittsburgh Opera and also on Broadway, sang on four tracks, including "Aphrodite," showing impressive range and vocal beauty.

She debuted with the band at its release show in May. Sadly, though, it would be the last for bassist John Lally, a veteran Pittsburgh musician and critical piece of the band who died of undisclosed causes at his home in July. This weekend's show will be the first with new bassist Benjamin Bond.

Around the time of Lally's death, Persephone signed to the California-based Prog Rock Records, which is able to distribute the record around the world, building an international following for the band. Tallent says prog is very much alive and points to the active community on the Web and the popularity of the recent Genesis tour.

That was the band that got him into progressive rock, back in 1972. "I saw Genesis when they opened for Lou Reed in the Alpine Ice Chalet in Wilkinsburg," he says. "I was there to see Lou Reed, and I was a rock 'n' roll idiot. I didn't know who Genesis was and I didn't think theater had anything to do with rock 'n' roll. Then, 30 seconds after Genesis started there was so much electricity coursing through me, I was 6 inches out of my chair and I couldn't get back down. I couldn't believe how powerful they were, with the theatrics. I realized I gotta go home and practice. When they were done, I got in the car and drove home and never saw Lou Reed."