Band: Jordsjø | Album: Pestkrønikene | Genre: Progressive rock, Heavy psych | Year: 2026
From: Oslo, Norway | Label: Dying Victims Productions
For fans of: Anekdoten, Wobbler, Uriah Heep, Rush
This is far from the first time Jordsjø has been featured on this site. They’re among the most prominent names in the flourishing Norwegian prog scene, and their music is usually pretty solid. Their last release, the split LP Kontraster with Breidablik, featured some of their best work ever.
What I love about Jordsjø’s usual work is the way they integrate classic Anglo-prog elements with ample Nordic folk flavors. Pestkrønikene (Eng.: The Plague Chronicles), then, marks something of a break from their usual style. The music here is much heavier, harder, and fuzzier, drawing from classic heavy psych sounds. It’s certainly different from their usual output, but it’s another strong entry in their discography.
Pestkrønikene opens with its title track. Dramatic stabs of organ and Mellotron eventually lead into a hazy, murky milieu. Flute helps lend some levity; the sharpness cuts through the thickness of everything else quite nicely. Jordsjø doesn’t completely ditch their folk roots here, with a brief interlude in the second half providing some good contrast.
“White Magic” features guest vocals from Jon Henriksen of Norwegian heavy metal band Black Magic. Flavors of 1960s psychedelia are prominent with the dreamy vocals and acoustic backing. Even when crunchier tones come in, they harken back to the late ’60s and early ’70s, as opposed to more modern metal.
“Seven Heads” is based around an askew blues riff, and this is simply not one of the best songs on the album. Jordsjø is a talented band that can play a lot of different music quite well, but blues is a genre that feels somewhat clunky coming from them. They (more briefly) dabbled in the blues on the two preceding songs, and those moments were similarly weak in comparison. At least the second half of this song features some fun and exciting instrumental moments.
The instrumental “Kaosvelde – Vasallens Elegi” (“Chaos Fields – Vasallen’s Elegy”) is more in Jordsjø’s typical wheelhouse. Flute and acoustic guitar are supported by synth and Mellotron, and this functions as a nice interlude. That is followed by another instrumental, “Kaosveldets Endelikt” (“End of the Chaos Fields”), featuring Lars Fredrik Frøislie of Wobbler on organ. This is the heaviest cut on the album, and it’s also the most convincing Jordsjø has been as a metal band (by 1970s standards).
We get another Wobbler guest feature on “The Awakened”, with Andreas Prestmo providing vocals. This song sees Jordsjø bust out their best Rush impression. The guitar chords are distinctly Lifesonian, and the riffs are complex and muscular. Prestmo’s vocals, as usual, are more evocative of Jon Anderson than Geddy Lee, and this combination helps to keep this cut from being simple Rush-aping.
“Spiritual Lament” features drummer Kristian Valbo in a guest appearance, and he makes the most of his time here. Where “The Awakened” felt like a Rush song for its guitar parts, this feels like one for its drumming. Valbo clearly takes a lot of inspiration from Neil Peart, especially in his complex, tom-heavy fills. (There are some quite Rush-y guitar and synth parts on this cut, too.)
Jon Henriksen makes one final appearance on this album’s last song, “Talisman II”. This feels the most like a typical Jordsjø song of any piece on this album. There are plenty of obvious tributes to early ’70s hard rock, but the band’s usual prog-folk stylings are prominent throughout.
Jordsjø’s foray into hard rock is an interesting experiment. It’s not the band’s best album, but I like it. It’s fun to hear a band paying homage to their influences while also bringing their usual character along.
Score: 74/100
The Elite Extremophile 