MAGIC PIE – King for a Day

Magic Pie is a Norwegian progressive rock act that has been around for nearly 15 years now. Despite the fact that guitarist/vocalist Kim Stenberg and the rest of Magic Pie ensemble have released three full-length albums and gained a bit of a name for themselves among lovers of prog rock, I have never actually sat down and listened to any of their albums. Luckily that is no longer the case, and I must say that this brand new 6-track album entitled «King for a Day» is an excellent musical journey to embark on whenever I am in the mood for atmospheric, dynamic, emotionally intense, and somewhat epic prog rock. The album has quite a few heavy rock undertones to it, which only adds to its diversity and depth. The melodies range from being downright sad to uplifting and further on to strangely otherworldly. The vocals are filled with energy and a refreshing sense of enthusiasm, and the harmonies work quite well I must say. The songs are quite long, but they cover a lot of musical terrain and are like musical journeys in and of themselves. The title track is nearly 28 minutes long, for crying out loud! How is that for epic and progressive? Fans of bands such as Yes, Camel, Deep Purple, ELP, and Kansas ought to check this excellent album by Magic Pie out. Recommended for sure.