Album Review: The Chronicles of Father Robin – The Songs & Tales of Airoea – Book 1

Band: The Chronicles of Father Robin | Album: The Songs & Tales of Airoea – Book 1 | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2023

From: Oslo, Norway | Label: Karisma Records

For fans of: Änglagård, Camel, Yes

Bandcamp

The Chronicles of Father Robin are a band that dates back to the inception of Scandinavia’s modern prog scene. (The Nordic countries also put out some good material in the 1970s, but bands like Kaipa, Friendship Time, and Haikara don’t have much of a direct connection to the modern scene.) Originally formed in 1993, they made plans for a sprawling triple album built around one unifying story thread. Nothing came of it at the time, and the band members went on to be in major acts, like Wobbler, Tusmørke, and Jordsjø, among others. Now, nearly 30 years later, the band has reunited.

The Songs & Chronicles of Airoea – Book 1 is the first part of this planned three-part album arc. Multi-album story arcs are nothing new to me, not that I ever give much mind to lyrics. I am curious to hear just how musically cohesive this project winds up being across subsequent releases. I’m hoping it’ll be something a bit more interesting than just the same album three times over, but only time will tell.

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Odds & Ends: September 4, 2023

Band: Grant the Sun | Album: Voyage | Genre: Post-metal | Bandcamp

I liked this band’s 2019 EP, Sylvain, so when I saw they were putting out a full-length release, I made sure to put it on my docket. The music here is heavy and moody, occasionally with vocals. Guitar lines are both gritty and expansive, and there are a lot of wonderful textural contrasts. I’m not sure there are enough ideas here to warrant a full album, but this would have made a pretty decent long EP if they trimmed off a couple songs. The playing is great, and I’m especially fond of the guitar tones they chose. But post-metal is simply a genre where songs can quite easily start sounding too similar to one another for me.

Score: 73/100

Artist: Bobby Lee | Album: Endless Skyways | Genre: Krautrock, Americana | Bandcamp

This record is full of dreamy, floating guitar lines and airy, otherworldly atmospheres. The influences of acts like Neu! and Hawkwind are evident, but the occasional twang of slide guitar or folky acoustic strum helps keep this album in fairly unique territory. The blend of country, psychedelia, and krautrock is pulled off very well here.

Score: 77/100

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Album Review: Tusmørke – Hestehoven

Band: Tusmørke | Album: Hestehoven | Genre: Progressive rock, Nordic folk rock | Year: 2023

From: Oslo, Norway | Label: Karisma Records

For fans of: Jordsjø, Jethro Tull

Bandcamp

For as long as I’ve been running this site, I have repeatedly praised Scandinavia’s thriving progressive rock scene. In particular, I enjoy when acts put a uniquely Nordic spin on prog, rather than just doing some (admittedly quite good) Anglo-prog. Hailing from Oslo, Tusmørke is a band I was surprised to find I had not yet covered. They’re prolific, with Hestehoven (The Horse’s Hoof) being the band’s twelfth full-length release in eleven years.

On top of that rapid release schedule, they’re distinctive. Other bands might incorporate Scandinavian folk into their music, but it can sometimes be superficial or somewhat sparingly utilized. Tusmørke’s songs sound like they begin life as folk songs before being given a rock rhythm and an abundance of keyboard effects. The band’s music also steers clear of the self-serious dourness that can easily befall this subgenre. Songs are frequently peppy, bouncy, and light-hearted. (I do not speak Norwegian, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the band dabbled in some darker lyrical themes for contrast.) One of their releases from 2017–Bydyra–was even explicitly tagged as children’s music.

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Album Review: Actionfredag – Turist i eget liv

Band: Actionfredag | Album: Turist i eget liv | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2023

From: Oslo, Norway | Label: Hærverk Industrier

For fans of: Beardfish, Shaman Elephant, Jordsjø

Bandcamp

I’ve talked at length about Scandinavia’s 21st Century ascent to being one of modern prog’s hotspots. Even within that small ecosystem, Norway’s scene is especially vibrant, with plenty of creative cross-pollination between acts. Actionfredag (Norwegian for “Action Friday”) is a collaboration between members of several bands, including Tusmørke and Jordsjø, with guest contributions from members of a number of other Norwegian prog acts.

Turist i eget liv (Tourist in My Own Life) is the first album from this band, and it’s a strong outing. But considering the members’ pedigrees, that should hardly come as a surprise.

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Album Review: Lars Fredrik Frøislie – Fire Fortellinger

Artist: Lars Fredrik Frøislie | Album: Fire Fortellinger | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2023

From: Oslo, Norway | Label: Karisma Records

For fans of: Yes, Wobbler

Bandcamp

Lars Fredrik Frøislie is the keyboardist and a backing vocalist of Wobbler, and Fire Fortellinger (Four Stories) is his first solo album. I had a few people reach out, independent of one another, to tell me about this album, and they all had a line to the effect of, “I know you’re not really a fan of Wobbler, but…” I would like to clarify something: I don’t dislike Wobbler. I think they’re over-praised in modern progressive rock discourse, but I don’t think they’re bad. Dwellers of the Deep was a mixed bag of a record, yes; but From Silence to Somewhere, Rites at Dawn, and Hinterland are all pretty solid. They’re not doing anything groundbreakingly original, but they’re putting out good, classic-style, Mellotron-and-organ-powered prog.

So, I went into Fire Fortellinger less skeptical than many people probably expected me to be. This guy’s the keyboard player for a very keyboard-forward band, so I knew about what to expect. And sure enough, this album is pretty decent, classic-style prog.

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Album Review: Seven Impale – Summit

Band: Seven Impale | Album: Summit | Genre: Progressive rock | Year: 2023

From: Bergen, Norway | Label: Karisma Records

For fans of: Van der Graaf Generator, Beardfish, Leprous’s good stuff, King Crimson

Bandcamp

Seven Impale is a Norwegian sextet that plays a fairly dark, heavy, jazz-inspired version of progressive rock. In many ways, they bear a lot of similarity to Van der Graaf Generator, albeit with more maximal arrangements. It’s been seven years since their last release, so when they announced this, I was very excited to hear what they had been working on.

City of the Sun, their 2014 debut, is a stellar record and one of my favorite albums from that year. 2016’s Contrapasso, though, never quite landed with me. It isn’t bad, by any means, but it just lacked that certain something that would have allowed it to click. I think a lot of it had to do with the sheer length of that release. At 67 minutes, that’s a lot of jazzy, sax-forward prog to listen to, and it became a bit exhausting. Compare that to their debut, which clocks in at 45 minutes. Summit, their new release, sees them staying in their usual vein, but consists of just four songs. So I went into this hopeful I’d like it.

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Odds & Ends: April 3, 2023

Band: Enslaved | Album: Heimdal | Genre: Progressive metal | Bandcamp

If nothing else, Enslaved is a very consistent band. They’ve got a sound they stick to pretty well, and they release albums reasonably often. However, this can also lead to a number of their albums bleeding together into a vague mush of proggy, blackish metal. Heimdal is certainly better than Utgard, but it still doesn’t do much to stand out in their discography. Maybe it’ll grow on me; Enslaved’s best albums have always taken a few listens to sink in. But as it stands, after a couple listens, this is a perfectly fine–though inessential–release.

Score: 74/100

Band: Fistfights with Wolves | Album: The Sheep That Eats The Wolf | Genre: RIO, Zeuhl, Progressive rock | Bandcamp

This short release has some good ideas on it, but the problem is there aren’t quite enough of them to justify the 28-minute runtime. This band is clearly heavily influenced by Magma, especially in their vocal arrangements, but they feel like a bit of a one-trick pony. None of the songs stood out that much, and the 12-part mini-suite “RMFP” is scattershot and unfocused. The opening “Skeletons” is pretty good, so maybe this should have just been a single with one other tightened-up song.

Score: 61/100

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Top 50 Prog Albums of 2022, Part 2: 25-1

Welcome back to The Elite Extremophile’s Topg 50 Prog Albums of 2022. In case you missed it, Part 1 can be found here.

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Odds & Ends: December 26, 2022

Band: Delvoid | Album: Swarmlife | Genre: Post-rock | Bandcamp

This Norwegian quartet plays a melodic variety of post-metal and post-rock with strong alt-rock influences. Tool is an obvious comparison, but there are also flashes of Isis and even Soundgarden. They do a good job at balancing harsh and clean passages, and I appreciate the subtle touches of jazz they incorporate. Some songs (and the album as a whole) run a little long. This is nothing groundbreaking, but it’s solid and enjoyable.

Score: 75/100

Band: The Dunning-Kruger Effect | Album: Psychik Adventures in Stereo | Genre: Krautrock | Bandcamp

This Irish duo plays music very strongly influenced by early electro-kraut acts like Tangerine Dream and early Kraftwerk. Loops and insistent rhythms help push the songs forward, and the unfolding synth textures give the listener something to focus on. There’s nothing particularly innovative here, but if you’re looking for some spacey music to have on in the background, this is a pretty decent choice.

Score: 71/100

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Odds & Ends: December 7, 2022

Band: Audio’m | Album: Godzilla | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

This album consists of just one 43-minute, kaiju-sized song. Though it doesn’t have the city-destroying fury of kaiju-themed thrashers Oxygen Destroyer, this French septet’s newest release is quite strong. The music is often swirling and otherworldly, with the band’s two keyboardists weaving together complementary moldies and textures. Hints of jazz and Baroque music are sprinkled throughout this release, and that diversity of influences keeps this opus interesting.

Score: 77/100

Band: The Bronze Horsemen | Album: IV | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

This is some solid, enjoyable progressive rock. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but rather than detracting, it adds a homespun charm to it. This allure is especially evident when considering the combination of certain folk and bluegrass elements. This band roots its sound in the 1970s, with particularly strong Camel flavors. While it’s not groundbreaking, there’s a lot of heart and creativity here, and it’s definitely worth your time.

Score: 79/100

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