GJENFERD – Gjenferd

This stunning and ridiculously well-written not to mention infectiously catchy debut effort by the Norwegian outfit named Gjenferd is one of the best things that has happened to me this year. By Odin, this is so fucking awesome and inspired that I lack words, and that rarely happens, mind you.

Superbly arranged, perfectly produced, and absolutely flawless in terms of how they make every millisecond count and infuse each fiber of their richly textured material with vitality and unfiltered emotion, this self-titled album is simply so fully formed and thrilling that it defies description. But wait, I have yet to tell you what this remarkable quartet sounds like, so stick around, okay? Imagine a cross between Black Sabbath around the time of Vol.4 and Deep Purple anno 1970 when they unleashed In Rock, but you need a bit of early Uriah Heep and tiny doses of Cream, The Yardbirds, and arguably even Pentagram and Jimi Hendrix in there as well, and that will take you roughly halfway there. If that does not sound fabulous and enticing to your ears then there is just no hope for you. I could throw all manner of positive adjectives and compliments such as focused, raw, powerful, organic-sounding, and all-out vigorous in there too, but let us merely conclude and agree that Gjenferd has released nothing less than a genuine masterpiece that neither loses its momentum nor outstays its welcome at any point in time. I love these guys and this marvelous record of theirs. Now if you will excuse me, I simply must hit the repeat button again for the 18^th time.