VENUE: GrieghallenDATE: 03.02.2026ORGANIZER: FKP Scorpio NorgePHOTOGRAPHER: C. Nepper Legendary British hard rockers Uriah Heep surely need no introduction as their classic song material is the stuff that prog-esque dreams are made of. Timeless outputs such as Demons and Wizards and The Magician’s Birthday from 1972 still resonate with fans of old while simultaneously finding new…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://enrapture1.bandcamp.com/ The Norwegian progressive post death metal ensemble Enrapture’s third installment, Drønn²⁰²⁴ EP, independently released last April 5th is, to, again (as I’ve used it before) quote Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho” a curious little dish I was surprisingly presented by our dear chief editor, Andrea, quite a while ago,…
Photo galleries from day 2 at Tons of Rock 2025 can be found here Photos by Andrea Chirulescu & Jonathan Mazin Text by Andrea Chirulescu One new item on the agenda – besides the 4th stage – for this year’s Tons of Rock was the organized Black Metal Bus Sightseeing. Certainly borrowed from Inferno festival,…
Full photo galleries can be found at the link below. Photos: Andrea Chirulescu/Jonathan MazinText: Andrea Chirulescu & Jonathan Mazin Having a big, world class festival in your town is something one kinda gets used to by now and I feel like somehow the days and weeks leading up to it have become more exciting with…
Full gallery by Jonathan Mazin here: Text by Andrea C The second edition of Desertfest Oslo took place 9th and 10th of May 2025 and I am happy to have had a chance to attend. For various reasons I have stepped down a bit from the insane amount of concerts and festivals I used to…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://floodgatemoodsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/disquiet-2024-remaster-2 Although laid to rest many years to go, the murky lo-fi ambient entity known as Vornoff has occasionally made its presence felt in the charcoal-stained underground by means of unearthing various previously songs and recordings from the vault – one of which is the bleak twelve-minute musical odyssey through a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://borknagar.com/ For one of the three major Norwegian black metal institutions, next to Emperor and Enslaved, Borknagar have comparatively only briefly dealt pure genre, from their 1994 inception through the eponymous¹⁹⁹⁴ and, maybe even the now legendary The Olden Domain¹⁹⁹⁷, only to deviate into then unknown and uncharted territory with…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://deceptionnorway.bandcamp.com/ A few reviews back, I had the pleasure to review the latest album from the Norwegian death metal stalwarts Blood Red Throne, Nonagon²⁰²⁴ as well as a chance to give my first 6/6 in a long time. Their new vocalist, Sindre Wathne Johnsen, is the founder of another Norwegian…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://oleteigen.bandcamp.com/album/skjebnev-ven Leave it to Gymnocal Industries (Norway) to release hauntingly evocative records such as this one, which sees the skilled composer Ole Teigen (Superlynx, ex-Den Saakaldte, ex-Dødheimsgard) weaving gentle and reflective piano motifs together to great effect. As with his introspective and somber Aske and Jord LP from 2021, Skjebnevæven is…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/BloodRedThroneOfficial https://bloodredthrone.bandcamp.com/music I’m going to go on the record and say something this review will prove beyond reasonable doubt: if you don’t like Blood Red Throne you don’t like death metal. Blood Red Throne (BRT) is a band whose music I know intimately thanks to their main founder and one…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://invainband.bandcamp.com/ While Nocturnus’ The Key¹⁹⁹⁰ is widely regarded as the first progressive death metal album, it is arguably Death with its third album Spiritual Healing¹⁹⁹⁰ who had paved the way for Edge Of Sanity (whose debut record, Nothing But Death Remains¹⁹⁹¹ was still standard death metal fare) who then helped…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.paradogmata.com/ It’s becoming harder and harder to come up with a clever name as all the Megadeths, Medevils and Cryptopsies and Darkanes have already been taken. Paradogmata, presumably adressing fake dogmata, contradictory dogmata (as we will learn) or dogmata as it were, is an Norwegian progressive melodic heavy death metal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/album/seven-are-they Yes, this is exactly the kind of thing we all need and what the of the mood of this week calls for – a new output containing exclusive material by what is unarguably one of the very best and most sinister-sounding bands out there, namely Deathcult. With its evocative artwork…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/nattmannofficial The Norwegian black metal duo Nattmann e-mailed us a digital copy of their latest release, namely the 4-track EP sporting the evocative moniker Et Jordsmonn Av Døde, and let me start out by saying that I am grateful to these skilled dudes for doing so. This is a convincing and…
VENUE: ForumDATE: 16.11.2023 ORGANIZER: Bergen LivePHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. American rockers Rival Sons were back at the Forum in Bergen on a dark and cold Thursday night – and what a night it was!…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://fatherrobin.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-tales-of-airoea-book-1 Sporting a great moniker and an even greater line-up featuring some of Norway’s most awe-inspiring prog rock musicians from acts such as Wobbler, Tusmørke, and Jordsjø, it goes without saying that this album is something that many of have been looking forward to for some time – me included. High…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://bushmansrevenge.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-better-for-seeing-you What a magnificent piece of work this cleverly written opus by jazz rockers Bushman’s Revenge is. Six beguiling compositions that add something fresh and vital to the genre are what lie in store for you, and there is atmosphere and dynamics in spades throughout not to mention that it is…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://pixieninja.bandcamp.com/album/hypnagogia Fresh, clever, and inventive are words that immediately spring to mind when trying to sum up this highly engaging offering by instrumental prog rockers Pixie Ninja, and there can be no doubt that these Scandinavians are flying the flag of musical innovation high. Darkly atmospheric yet playful and eclectic, the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: http://enslaved.no/ Whereas E²⁰¹⁷ was a sore disappointment after the phenomenal In Times²⁰¹⁵, the former seemingly ending the string of top shelf material from Axioma Ethica Odini²⁰¹⁰ and Riitiir²⁰¹², Utgard²⁰²⁰ was a notable, if a partial return to form. I remarked similarly in my review of the album (5/6) where I…
VENUE: BastionenDATE: 17.06.2023 ORGANIZER: Bergen LivePHOTOGRAPHER: J. Nepper.Photos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. The awesome purveyors of atomic hard rock from California known as Dirty Honey paid the lovely city of Bergen a visit on a hot and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://solstein.bandcamp.com/album/solstein Boasting a stellar lineup consisting of Jacob Holm-Lupo (Donner, White Willow, The Opium Cartel), Keith Carlock (Toto, Steely Dan, Sting), Stian Larsen, Brynjar Dambo (White Willow), and Bill Bressler, it would be fair to say that this exciting new endeavor from the US and Norway does not exactly lack musical…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://sevenimpale.bandcamp.com/album/summit Yes, it has finally arrived! Seven years was a long time to wait for a new musical treat by inventive Norwegian rockers Seven Impale, but how exhilarating it is when it turns out that it was all worth it and that Summit stands tall and proud as a well-written and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.wigwamofficial.com/ I was rather enamored with Wig Wam’s Never Say Die opus from 2021 as it was an utterly confident, enjoyable, and energetic slab of memorable hard rock, and it is pretty frigging awesome to see and hear that their latest output, Out of the Dark, offers more of the same.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://66crusher.bandcamp.com/ Progressive thrashers 66Crusher have returned with their fourth album, and this is one juicy and explosive musical cocktail that appeals to me greatly. “Why is that?” I hear you ask. Well, these talented Norwegians have a firm grasp of how to weave outstanding melodies and muscular, meaty riffs together to…
A brand-new digital single sporting the evocative title Sea Journal has just been released and bears all the defining traits and characteristics of Picture Ann, i.e. a desolate atmosphere, melodies that speak of yearning, and a subtle hint of something slightly eerie. Directly inspired by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (1851) and Edgar Allan Poe’s The…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://tusm-rke.bandcamp.com/album/intetnett We would be remiss if we did not mention this charming and quirky children’s album by the Norwegian purveyors of psychedelic prog rock known as Tusmørke. Entitled Intetnett and consisting of 21 tunes and a rather brilliant concept and storyline, this is a hugely entertaining and inventive opus that is…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://mesaverde.bandcamp.com/album/ky The musically shape-shifting Norwegian quartet known as MesaVerde released this adventurous and playful opus of theirs via Apollon Records quite recently, and the result is a remarkable listening experience that weaves prog, indie rock, and strong hints of art rock and psychedelia together to great effect. The thing about KY…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/honeyveinmusic/ The talented Bastian Veland (Dobbeltgjenger, Ossicles) released this solo offering of his via the ever-reliable Apollon Records not that long ago, and what we have here is essentially a wildly eclectic and diverse collection of catchy tunes that harbor elements from experimental rock, quirky pop, electronic music, and something akin…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/WIZRDTHEBAND/ Fancy something different? The musically enticing new act named Wizrd is about to release this spirited and energetic slab of utterly cool and catchy rock music via Karisma Records, and let me start out by saying that you should add it to your list of albums to check out if…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/product-page/rotvelt-human-slakt Human Slakt by the Norwegian outfit named Rotvelt is a real treat, and this analogue-sounding fireball contains energy and spark in spades. The output is primarily punk-influenced but there is something akin to harsh and unpolished indie rock that sneaks into the musical framework too, which basically means that this vigorous…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://adventure1.bandcamp.com/ The follow-up to the first part of the dark Tales of Belle musical narrative has arrived, and as with its predecessor (Part 1 is also from 2022), Part 2 is a riveting journey through brooding prog rock landscapes where the terrible deeds of the loathsome Norwegian serial killer are emphasized…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://omegashift.bandcamp.com/releases Now what we have here is something exciting and potent from the Norwegian underground. Omegashift were kind enough to mail me a digital copy of this 5-track opus of theirs entitled Doctrine of Dust about a week ago, and I have been thoroughly enjoying listening to it ever since. With…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/oledevilandthespiritchasers The title of this sophomore offering by the talented Ole Teigen and his band known as the Spirit Chasers is a most fitting one in that the musical content is gritty as fuck. It crackles with restless energy, agony, heartache, loathing, despair, evil, and generally just all the different things…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://facebook.com/officialwildnite/ Wildnite is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and aspiring hard rock outfits to have come out of Norway for quite some time, and these skilled dudes sure know what it means to write stadium-sized tunes with infectious riffs, sharp hooks, and awesome choruses to them. Their latest effort, which…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://caligonaut.bandcamp.com/album/magnified-as-giants Caligonaut is the brainchild of the wildly skilled guitarist/vocalist Ole Michael Bjørndal whose name you may or may not associate with such stellar outfits and artists as Airbag, Oak, and Bjørn Riis. This epic 4-song LP originally came out in early 2021 but has now been reissued due to popular…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://howlinsun.bandcamp.com/album/howlin-sun What a lovely surprise it was to see that the self-titled opus from 2018 by the Norwegian rockers Howlin’ Sun is available on vinyl and CD again. This re-issue does not bring anything new to the table in terms of bonus tracks or outtakes or anything like that, but…
VENUE: Bergenhus Festning (Plenen)DATE: 03.07.2022 ORGANIZER: Bergen Live The legendary guitarist that is Jeff Beck surely needs no introduction as the man has been a musical pioneer and trailblazer ever since the early sixties, and yours truly was very excited about seeing Beck and his talented cohorts grace the stage at Bergenhus Festning in…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/knekklectric/ This quirky and musically adventurous prog rock gem by the wonderfully cool Norwegian outfit sporting the creative moniker Knekklectric is a most inspired and fascinating listening experience. Why is that? Well, for one thing they are singing in their native language using an Aalesund dialect, which is charming as hell,…
The 5-track EP entitled We Mourned You, which is the latest output by the weird post-rockers and formless noise-makers known as Picture Ann, is a musical exploration of disillusion consisting of thick and dense soundscapes that create an oppressive and claustrophobic feel. Inspired by the idea of the Byronic hero, the majority of compositions are…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/Adventureprog/ Symphonic prog rockers Adventure recently released this ambitious concept record revolving around the infamous Norwegian serial killer dubbed Belle Gunness (born Brynhild Paulsdatter Størset back in 1859) who emigrated to the US in the 1880s only to disappear from view in the beginning of the 1900s. In short, the woman…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: Datadyr – Startside | Facebook The Norwegian trio known as Datadyr is a musically enticing one, and this dynamic group shows impeccable skill here with respect to delivering powerful tunes that are rooted in jazz but where prog, blues, and traces of Americana are expertly woven into the mix. What amazes…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/SleepyardOfficial/ The musically intriguing ensemble known as Sleepyard is something out of the ordinary as evidenced by this mesmerizing new output of theirs named “Head Values”. Solemn piano notes, ambient textures, field recordings, vintage-sounding synthesizers, ethereal vocals, flutes, pedal steel guitars, and percussion are some of the key ingredients here, and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/Softffog/ The recently launched Norwegian label named Is It Jazz? Records is off to a flying start with this deftly executed 4-track LP by prog rockers Soft Ffog who also hail from Norway. Well, jazz prog rockers, I suppose. For those of you out there who crave thunderous riffs, fret not…
The ever-unreliable musical entity that is Picture Ann has unfortunately burdened us all with yet another output, namely the digital single entitled ‘A Lonely Moorland’, which was conceived and captured for posterity in early 2022. Inspired by the desolate and windswept moors of Jutland on a cold day in fall, the trance-inducing track is meant…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: The Tronosonic Experience Oh man, this 6-track sequel to “The Shadow Vol. I” is just as playful, unpredictable, and immersive as its predecessor was, and this Norwegian jazz prog/avantgarde rock outfit simply rules beyond belief. Their spirited take on all things forward-thinking is inspired, and these gentlemen sure know how to…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: Beyond The Strange Horizon | Strange Horizon (bandcamp.com) Yes, this is just what the good doctor ordered; a thoroughly convincing and energetic stoner rock/doom metal opus that pays tribute to the days of yore when fuzzy riffs ruled the roost and records were heavy as fuck while simultaneously looking to the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: Svartisen | Kornmo (bandcamp.com) What a lovely surprise this one was! The Norwegian symphonic prog rockers Kornmo originally released this melodically gorgeous and evocative opus of theirs back in 2017, but as far as I know the idea of re-mixing and re-mastering the record was something that had been lingering in…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/tronosonic/ How on earth this one snuck right by me back in March is beyond me, but the most important thing is that I recently got my hands on this psychedelic-looking digipak by the Norwegian jazz/prog/avant-garde noisemakers The Tronosonic Experience. Let me tell you right here and now that “The Shadow…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://majorparkinson.bandcamp.com/album/a-night-at-the-library How does one even begin to describe or portray Major Parkinson’s brand and style of music? Honestly, I have no idea. Progressive in nature and forward-thinking but endowed with the sensibilities of singer/songwriter music, the band’s outputs have been nothing short of dramatic, theatrical, and riveting. Recorded during the pandemic,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://larsenthecoloureddreams.bandcamp.com/releases Spearheaded by Kjell B. Larsen from renowned prog rockers Ruphus and backed by a talented cast of musicians, this brand-new Norwegian outfit using the psychedelic moniker Larsen and the Coloured Dreams has released a rather pleasant and occasionally soothing record in the shape of “Bucket List” The musical blueprint is…
