PANZERPAPPA – Landsbysladder

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://panzerpappa.bandcamp.com/album/landsbysladder

It has been a long time since I last sat with a new record by the lovely Norwegian proggers known as Panzerpappa between my hands, but I can honestly that this time around has been the most exciting and stimulating one yet.

Landsbysladder, which roughly translates to village gossip, sees the seasoned veterans deliver a dazzling blend of jazz rock and prog where great arrangements and even greater melodies merge to stunning effect. The musicianship is nothing short of breathtaking, and what these chaps excel at is to balance grooves and hooks with complexity and unexpected twists. There is an inherent flow and cohesion to each of these seven relatively long and highly dynamic excursions into the weird, quirky, and delightful world of Panzerpappa, and the stories and essays outlined in the booklet add further depth and meaning to an album that is already overflowing with interesting textures and originality. Whether you are into Gentle Giant, Camel, and Soft Machine or just adventurous and exploratory music in general, this glorious piece of work is worth your time. Panzerpappa have rarely sounded as energetic and enthusiastic as they do here.