ARABS IN ASPIC – The Magic of Sin (Remixed and Remastered 2023)

RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-of-sin The sixth LP by the magnificent and eclectic prog rockers Arabs in Aspic originally came out in 2017 and contained lyrics and song titles in Norwegian, but this reworked, remixed, and remastered version of Syndenes Magi has undergone quite the change and now features words in English, hence the title…

ARABS IN ASPIC – Pictures in a Dream (2023 Remix and Remaster)

RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/pictures-in-a-dream This remixed, re-edited, and remastered 2023 edition of the otherworldly and all-enveloping Pictures in a Dream by the Trondheim-based prog rockers Arabs in Aspic is a proper musical treat and treasure trove. If you want warm and fuzzy guitars, 70s-flavored riffs worth dying for, and vocals that speak to the…

HEXVESSEL – Polar Veil

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://www.hexvessel.com/ Hexvessel is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and musically adventurous entities that I have had the great pleasure of listening to since the debut offering entitled Dawnbringer from 2011. There is an enigmatic aura to every single output of theirs, and with the gifted Mathew “Kvohst” McNerney in charge…

LURK – Aegis

RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lurkdoom.bandcamp.com/ The Finnish psychedelic doom and death rock and metallers have an interesting genre trajectory, active since 2008. Their debut Lurk²⁰¹² (on Totalrust/Svart Records) was more of a hardcorish straightforward death/doom affair with just a bit of sludge, but the Crowbar-ic and Ulcerate-d Kaldera²⁰¹⁴ (on Doomentia Records) already swayed more…

HEATWAVES – Kappa

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…

ENSLAVED – Heimdal

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…

20 YEARS OF KARISMA RECORDS FESTIVAL – 03.06.2023 – BERGEN, NORWAY

VENUE: KvarteretDATE: 03.06.2023 ORGANIZER: Karisma Records Photo by J.N. The wonderful people at Karisma Records invited yours truly to attend their one-day festival at Kvarteret in Bergen in celebration of the label’s twentieth anniversary, and I am forever grateful to them for doing so as this superbly arranged event turned out to be heaps of…

SEVEN IMPALE – Summit

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…

THE ZOMBIES – Different Game

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://thezombiesmusic.bandcamp.com/ Legendary psychedelic rockers The Zombies surely need no introduction as the British outfit is something akin to a musical institution in some respects. Even after all these years Rod Argent and his skilled bandmates are still a fabulous thing to witness live on stage and a most impressive and well-oiled…

ENUFF Z’NUFF – Finer Than Sin

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.enuffznuff.com/ Their 17th studio album sees Chip Z’Nuff and his skilled bandmates in fine form as they deliver a well-crafted slab of power pop, which essentially means that all the group’s trademarks with respect to melody lines and atmospheres and so on are firmly in place throughout and that the mixture…

TUSMØRKE – Intetnett

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…

PICTURE ANN RELEASES THE “IN ITS OWN UNBEARABLE LONELINESS” SINGLE

The last output of the year by moody experimental rockers Picture Ann is out now. Entitled In Its Unbearable Loneliness and containing two fairly dynamic instrumental tunes, these compositions revolve around the notion of understanding the experience of loneliness and how being alone differs vastly from being lonely. Or are they in reality the sound…

MESAVERDE – KY

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…

JORDSJØ – Jord Sessions

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://jordsjo.bandcamp.com/album/jord-sessions This remixed, expanded, and slightly reworked version of Jord by the Norwegian prog rockers Jordsjø is a nice addition to the outfit’s already impressive discography and a must-have for those who cherish folk-inspired prog rock with an original twist to it. The aura of surrealism and mystery that pervades much…

FLYNG CIRCUS – Seasons 25

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://fastball-music.bandcamp.com/album/seasons-25 Seasons 25 by the awesome German prog rockers Flying Circus is something quite special and noteworthy. It is a 2-disc set containing a remastered version of the album Seasons from 1997 and, more importantly in this case, an entirely reworked and re-recorded edition of said LP by the current line-up…

HOWLIN’ SUN – HOWLIN’ SUN (RE-ISSUE)

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…

SLEEPYARD – Head Values

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…

PICTURE ANN CONJURES UP A VISION OF A LONELY MOORLAND

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…

MAJOR PARKINSON – A NIGHT AT THE LIBRARY

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,…

LORDS OF FORM – Flying Chromium Society

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://lordsofform.bandcamp.com/album/flying-chromium-society What we have here is an incredibly diverse and musically eclectic space rock opus that conjures up a uniquely surreal atmosphere. Masterminded by the talented Niall Hone (ex-Hawkwind) and backed by a stellar cast of musicians, the song arrangements are never anything but inspired, and just the sheer quality of…

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