RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/ Norwegian art rockers Yobrepus have a knack for crafting richly nuanced songs and albums that are both musically and lyrically absorbing, a prime example being their latest LP entitled A Rhizome Revolution Part 1. Weaving traces and elements of prog, alt. rock, psychedelic folk, and brooding electronica together to stunning…
VENUE: Det Akademiske KvarterDATE: 09.03.2024 ORGANIZER: Propulsion MusicPHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. A concert like no other? You bet! The musically rewarding yet deviant purveyors of dramatic and carnivalesque avantgarde metal (or dark and dynamic…
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!…
VENUE: Stereo DATE: 16.09.2023 ORGANIZER: Stereo/Slaamaskin/Glasgow Kiss PHOTOGRAPHER: 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 cozy and somewhat intimate venue known as Stereo, which is situated in a rather vibrant part of Bergen’s city center, had…
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: 2023BAND URL: https://slaamaskin.bandcamp.com/track/du-2 I friggin’ love these mad Norwegian bastards and their energetic and spirited take on explosive metal, hardcore, and punk rock. With fierce riffs and even fiercer vocals, Slaamaskin mean business and are clearly out there to melt our faces and pummel us to death, and the cool thing is that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://heatwavesbergen.bandcamp.com/album/kappa Released in late June by the ever-reliable Apollon Records and containing some of the coolest vibes and most inviting atmospheres that I have come across lately, this eclectic disc is a strangely beguiling affair that weaves indie pop, psychedelic rock, and jazz-like elements together to great effect. Actually, that description…
The latest slice of lo-fi post-rock and dark ambient drone experimentation from the odd corners of Picture Ann’s strange musical realm is out now and entitled The Gray. With the EP undoubtedly taking a rather dim view of human nature and delving into existential anguish and intense dread, the spirit of Gothic literature and how…
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://strangehorizon.bandcamp.com/album/skur-14 The previous album titled Beyond the Strange Horizon by this fabulous Norwegian outfit impressed this scribe greatly, and their lively, exciting, and organic mixture of heavy metal, stoner rock, and doom metal worked like a wicked charm and had instant appeal to these ears. This upcoming LP of theirs, Skur…
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://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…
VENUE: Apollon PlatebarDATE: 23.02.2023 ORGANIZER: Apollon Platebar/Is It Jazz? Records Being a huge fan of Datadyr’s two outputs on Is it Jazz? Records, it goes without saying that yours truly could not miss out on the ridiculously skilled trio’s mini-concert at the awesome and always attractive Apollon Platebar in the city center yesterday. With…
Earlier this year, a very exciting new venture named Is It Jazz? Records was launched by the gentlemen who are also responsible for running and handling everything in relation to the well-known Norwegian labels Karisma Records and Dark Essence Records. Now, the thing is that jazz is many things to so many people, which is…
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://meltmotif.bandcamp.com/album/a-white-horse-will-take-you-home The intriguing musical entity known as Melt Motif, which consists of members from Norway and Brazil, is something quite extraordinary and weaves electronica, synthwave, industrial rock, and some other elusive ingredient that I cannot quite put my finger on to great effect. While chunks of “A White Horse Will Take…
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: 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: 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…
