RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://zebulondoom.bandcamp.com/album/come-day-of-reckoning-2 The splendid Norwegian doom metal outfit known as Zebulon unleashed this musically dynamic force of nature just a couple of weeks ago, and there is an exciting and emotive edge as well as heaps of gloom to the 6-track effort, which sports the evocative title Come Day of Reckoning, reflecting its…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://apollonrecords.bandcamp.com/music Originally released twenty-five years ago, what better way to mark the occasion and celebrate its anniversary than having Jacob Holm-Lupo remaster the material and release it on vinyl and digitally via Apollon Records Prog for the first time ever?! Inspired by the likes of Camel and Uriah Heep, this self-titled offering…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://ringvanmbius.bandcamp.com/album/firebrand The legendary Norwegian proggers collectively known as Ring Van Möbius have consistently made remarkable albums of which no two were alike, and that turns out to be the case with Firebrand also, which came out in early October via Apollon Records Prog. The record differs from everything that came before…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://glutton.bandcamp.com/album/skiva-heter-vishnu The musically eclectic and consistently playful Norwegian trio known as Glutton are experts at churning out highly dynamic and oftentimes explosive songs that shift seamlessly between hard-hitting jazz rock, old-school prog, and a wee bit of psychedelia for good measure, and the results are not merely satisfying but also thoroughly intoxicating.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND 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…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://annlaugb.bandcamp.com/album/spring-f-r-sola-st-r-opp Few albums are as compelling, fully formed, and addictive as this one is – let me just say that to begin with. The immensely gifted Annlaug Børsheim’s latest musical effort saw the light of day in early September via the eclectic Apollon Records, and this 9-song gem is undoubtedly one of…
VENUE: Statsraaden Bar & ReceptionDATE: 13.09.2025ORGANIZER: Apollon Records / Statsraaden Bar & ReceptionPHOTOGRAPHER: J. Nepper Following the release of Annlaug Børsheim’s phenomenal Spring Før Sola Står Opp via Apollon Records roughly a week ago, we had the great pleasure and privilege of attending her appearance at the highly appealing little venue known as Statsraaden Bar…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://whispersofgranite.bandcamp.com/album/liquid-stone What a marvelous musical treat Liquid Stone is. Whispers of Granite consists of two immensely skilled individuals, namely Norwegian vocalist and vocal composer Trude Eidtang and German keyboardist and composer Andreas Hack, and this debut offering of theirs is a superb example of how to weave art rock, prog, brooding folk…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://apollonrecords.no/products/lorentzen-leave-nobody-behind-cd Apollon Records were kind enough to hand me a copy of Leave Nobody Behind, which was composed and crafted by the talented Eivind Lorentzen (ex-Gentle Knife, Oldenborre, and Synsbedragerne), and the idea behind the album and lyrics seemed a rather interesting and intriguing one on paper. Floating somewhere between atmospheric prog,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://chriserichsen.bandcamp.com/album/kj-rtegn-manifester I had no idea what to expect from this curiously titled opus by Chris Erichsen of Det Aller Værste! fame, and although Erichsen’s solo output does bear more than a subtle resemblance to the aforementioned band and its take on New Wave and (post) punk, Kjærtegn and Manifester is something else…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://variety-jones.bandcamp.com/album/shell-shocked What a lovely, rabble-rousing debut offering this is! Variety Jones hail from Bergen but sound like they crawled out of the gutter in Los Angeles roughly thirty-eight years ago, which is obviously meant as a compliment. With an emphasis on raw and concise riffs that will make you raise your fist,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://andersbuaas.bandcamp.com/album/trollringen The epic and ambitious trilogy titled The Witches of Finnmark (2017-2019) by the immensely talented Anders Buaas was a captivating musical saga, and I was therefore rather curious as to whether something sporting the intriguing title Trollringen would somehow follow in that same vein or perhaps be more akin to the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://depress1.bandcamp.com/album/harna-u-ie-yje There is no stopping the engaging Andrej Nebb and you cannot keep a true artist down, which is why I am now holding a copy of the latest De Press album between my filthy paws. The 70-year-old Nebb sounds as inspired and determined as ever, and his skilled bring his musical…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://kryptograf.bandcamp.com/album/kryptonomicon One of Bergen’s finest and most prominent exponents of genuinely inspired stoner rock is back with a thrilling new album that is bound to please fans of the band both old and new. We are of course talking about the mighty Kryptograf, i.e. the dynamic and tight quartet who churn out…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.gymnocal.com/blogs/news/patriarchy-suffer-with-me-live-in-london How to even describe the US-based Patriarchy without doing them an injustice? Weaving various musical genres and influences such as post-punk, electro rock, industrial music, harsh ambient, and a demented brand of synth pop together to great effect only gets us halfway there, which is merely another way of saying that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://steinrogersordal.bandcamp.com/album/as-i-try-to-remember-all-i-try-to-forget Released in late November 2024 and compiling his brand-new second album and his debut offering – they are basically twin records, if you will – this sweetly melancholic gem by songwriter Stein Roger Sordal of Green Carnation fame is not only tailor-made for reflective moments in front of the fireplace…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://kornmo1.bandcamp.com/album/v-rjevnd-gnsnatt I am rather fond of this talented act’s previous records and find them engaging and beautifully crafted affairs that balance the epic and the intimate in a splendid manner. Vårjevnsdøgnsnatt is their fourth opus and sees them taking their instrumental symphonic prog to new heights in terms of sheer melodic…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://donner.bandcamp.com/album/the-van-gennep-gap Being rather infatuated with this entity’s debut effort, namely the evocative Hesitant Light from 2021, I had high hopes for White Willow mastermind Jacob Holm-Lupo’s latest creation under the Donner moniker. Now that The Van Gennep Gap is out and I have had the opportunity to properly immerse myself in…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://yobrepus.bandcamp.com/album/a-rhizome-revolution-part-1-2 I was thoroughly taken with A Rhizome Revolution Part 1 when that came out roughly seven months ago as it was an emotionally demanding yet perfectly accessible and rewarding listen that managed to transport the listener elsewhere and leave a lasting impression. The textures and motifs the band so effortlessly…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://electrichigh.bandcamp.com/album/colorful-white-lies Apollon Records were kind enough to hand me a copy of this raw and raunchy debut offering by the Bergen-based hard rockers known as Electric High, and I am eternally grateful to them for that as this groove-laden, catchy, and energetic record ticks a lot of the boxes for me…
