NORWAY ROCK MAGAZINE
Musically diverse and yet cohesive, it’s a unique soundscape of intricate and imaginative compositions, flawless production, and accomplished and sophisticated playing with fresh energy injected by drummer Waltteri Väyrynen. Yes, Åkerfeldt’s growls have returned, but Opeth have not taken a step back in time, on the contrary, they have evolved and pushed boundaries, which is ultimately what the true meaning of “progressive” is.
Critically acclaimed English singer-songwriter Frank Turner, one of the hardest gigging musicians in the world, returned to Oslo with the Sleeping Souls. This writer has never seen a Rockefeller crowd bounce so much with joy.
Ikke før er siste installasjon av «Joseph»-konseptet utstedt, så overmannes veteran Neal Morse av rastløshet. Mot gjengse prosedyre ringer han ingen tidligere bandkumpaner eller faste lekekamerater, men innbyr snarere yngre, lokale krefter til å delta i komponeringen og innspillingen av herværende plateprosjekt.
The Mandrake Project will be Bruce Dickinson’s seventh solo album and his first since Tyranny Of Souls in 2005. Just before Christmas, we sat down with Bruce to chat about the new record, Comic Con adventures in Brazil, his favourite Iron Maiden records, and getting lost in Bergen.
It was a good humoured, positive concert, full of great atmosphere, a warm bond between artist and audience, and strong performances of a well-chosen and well-ordered set list. Some might bemoan the lack of Alter Bridge songs on the list, but for the undersigned it showed the quality of the latest material and Kennedy’s catalogue overall that he does not need to lean on that. So, we’ll say “well played”.
Kvelertak reiser ut igjen på turné, først i Norge og så i Europa i februar, nå som et band på fem og med uttalt uviss fremtid.
Esoteric Antenna Forhenværende Purson-vokalist, Rosalie Cunningham, vedblir å imponere, denne gang ikke bare som låtskriver og stilsjonglør, men sågar i forhold til lydbilde og instrumentering. «Two Piece Puzzle» fra 2022 bokstaverte i klartekst Cunninghams etos, rotet i psykedelisk 60-tallspop og 70-åras progressive rock, med naturlige drifter i retning vaudeville og tungrock. «To Shoot Another Day», […]
Kun fire år etter deres debutalbum “Escape” kom ut, headliner metalcore bandet fra Berlin sin første konsert i Oslo. John Dee var kanskje ikke fullt, men med alle gjester så nære scenen som mulig og en moshpit gjennom hele konserten kan man ikke klage på stemningen denne kvelden.
In facing mortality, Smith has created something beautiful, bleak, bittersweet and beguiling. If it is to be the band’s final album, their own “Endsong”, they have gone out on a high.
Tre storheter innen svensk melodisk deathmetal møter et Oslo Spektrum fylt av forventningsfulle nordmenn. Blir det en svorsk suksess-aften, eller en overdose av baconcrisp, dispenserbrus og søte brødre?
Utemmelige Beth Hart, som nylig gjestet Norge, er blitt en nesten like god låtskriver som sanger. Forløsningen kom med «Bang Bang Boom Boom» i 2012, og siden har 52-åringen utelukkende tilvirket gode soloplater med tentaklene i amerikansk rootsmusikk. Skussmålet overdras sågar samarbeidsprosjekter med Joe Bonamassa, som ingenlunde desimerer Harts stilistiske bredde.
lørdag 19. oktober Rent umiddelbart føler man på en skuffelse over at Madder Mortem – et av Norges beste band i over tjue år – ikke tilbys større scenelokasjon enn Fru Lundgreens. For den uinnvidde er dette en aldeles utmerket ølkjeller, men med klare kapasitetsutfordringer. Hva man imidlertid glemmer fra tid til annen er at […]
It was indeed a Crowded House, with seven musicians on stage at the start of the New Zealanders’ two-hour set. Apart from Neil Finn, among the current cast are Liam Finn on guitar and Elroy Finn on drums, and long-standing collaborator Mitchell Froom on keyboards. Otherwise, bassist Nick Seymour, now looking every bit the elder statesman of indie rock, is the sole surviving member.
It is Kennedy’s heaviest and most accomplished solo record to date, and the strongest instrument within it is his commanding, skyscraping tenor voice. Easily a contender for 2024’s top albums of the year.
Unge ringrever, uteksaminert fra NTNUs jazzlinje i Trondheim, finner stadige rom for samspill i nye konstellasjoner. Nyetablerte The Verge består av gitarist Emil Storløkken Åse, saksofon- og fløytist Aksel Rønning, bassist Alf Høines og trommeslager Ingvald André Vassbø, og du gjør ikke gode penger på oddsen om du tipper at kvartetten opererer i mellomspennet av progressiv rock og jazz.
We Låve Rock bød på en progaften på Cosmopolite i Oslo, hvor Beardfish og Big Big Train sto på plakaten. Til tross for at det ikke var utsolgt, klarte de fremmøtte å fylle lokalet med energi og entusiasme gjennom hele kvelden.
The Australia four-piece came to a very well-attended Parkteatret on a cool Sunday evening, for the first time since 2018. It was a lively and mostly aged under 40 crowd of devoted fans or as Grey quipped, “prog nerds”.
The band have certainly succeeded – they have made a sound all their own, however much it may remind us of other members of the broad family of progressive music. This is an excellent record, especially for a debut, full of strong writing and good performance, and which rarely stands still long enough for there to be any chance of the listener losing interest.
I disse dager er Sonata Arctica på turné med sitt nyeste album ”Clear Cold Beyond” som ble sluppet 8. mars i år, og nå har turen endelig kommet til hovedstadens Vulkan Arena. Høsten har meldt sin ankomst, men selv om høstlufta er både kald og utrivelig, har mange metalglade mennesker fra fjern og nær tatt turen for å oppleve ikke bare Sonata Arctica (Finland), men også Serious Black (Tyskland), Tungsten (Sverige) og Firewind (Hellas).
Det var duket for en ganske så blågul melodisk metalaften på Parkteatret denne søndagskvelden med Evergrey og CyHra på scenen.
September in Oslo is time for by:Larm, a music conference and festival where new and unknown bands can introduce themselves to a wider audience. We went along on Friday night to check out the unorthodox Oslo band Rosa Faenskap at Vulkan Arena, who claim to be a declaration of love for – as well as a declaration of war against – black metal itself.
Jon Courtenay has assembled an impressive supporting cast, including Guy Pratt on bass, and half of The Pineapple Thief – Bruce Soord and Jon Sykes. It is an interesting record and deceptively ambitious. The songs hide their complexity well, whether it is in the arrangements or the episodic nature of the writing. It is clearly intended as a kind of concept album.
Not escaping his Floyd past, but paying tribute to it, the record still contains a freshness, thanks in part to Charlie Andrew, whose production work with Alt-J Gilmour was impressed with. It’s not Gilmour’s best work since ‘A Dark Side of the Moon’, as he claims, but it’s still a fine album. The lyrics might be looking at the past, but the music is looking to Gilmour’s future.
The general musicianship is first rate, if somewhat less vivid than on previous records. The main difficulty is that in attempting to write simpler, catchier music, Leprous have stepped away from their strongest suit, which is writing complex, demanding music grounded in strong melodies.
Above all, the album is a journey in sound exploration by a remarkable mind, which I recommend you embark upon.
Oktetten fra Hamar høstet rettmessige, globale lovord for sitt andre album, «Play House», i 2020. Anført av søsknene Knut og Johanne Nesdal rår ensemblet over et eiendommelig uttrykk av allmennappellerende kunstpop, deponert grep fra den progressive rocken.
Jeg har vært der siden dag én, helt siden Sveinung var ungdom og Gunhild var bare et barn har jeg vært der. Fulgt de i tynt og tykt siden den gang, og nå er ikke Sveinung med lenger, Gunhild har blitt voksen – og de er ikke lengre det sjarmerende unge rockebandet med én fot i folk og én fot i rock de en gang var.
Ritual har siden innstiftelsen i 1993 vært godt forankret i den progressive rocken og tungrocken fra 1970-tallet, dog med eklatante særdrag av nordisk valør og innslag av kontemporær populærmusikk. Katalogen vektes svært melodisk, ingen plate er lik den forrige, men instrumentelt tenderer svenskene å utpønske stadig mer komplekse ritt og kontrapunktiske arrangementer, uten å underminere bandets sangbaserte, jeg hadde nær sagt folkelige, idiom. Å lytte til Ritual fortoner seg som en fest, også i 2024.
It was a lush and enveloping set, warmly enjoyed by a large crowd, some of whom were at Øyafestivalen in 2004 to see Euroboys, and some of whom were not even born then. The band had men, women, boys and girls of all ages smiling in the sun.
An impressive and accomplished set from the inventive five-piece from Tromsø.
The perfect balance between chaotic and controlled, between feral and finesse, Julie Christmas delivered one of the best sets of this year’s Øyafestivalen with her uncompromising artistry.
The National were back at Øyafestivalen to promote their two most recent albums First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track, released back-to-back in 2023. This was a brilliant performance from a band who seem to be back at the peak of their career.
Thirteen years after their last visit, Britpop icons Pulp made their grand return to Oslo as part of their ‘’This is what we do for an Encore’’ tour. This is certainly a nice catch for Øyafestivalen as they have been featuring, over the last few years, some of the best spearheading British pop bands from the 90s.
Our Swedish friends from Europe are on the road with Deep Purple by way of support in Bergen on 3 August, so it was perfectly natural for them to step in and step up when TNT had to pull out of the wind-down slot on Friday 2 August at Notodden Blues Festival. “Wind-down slot”. Well, no.
In the “Blues City” of Notodden, where this friendly and vibrant festival takes over the town each year, showcasing local and international talent across the spectrum of blues and blues-inspired music, it was completely fitting that the headline act on the warm Friday night was our current cover star, Deep Purple, one of the flag-bearers for blues-inspired hard rock.
At Gåte skulle stå for en fullkommen robinsonade i progressiv folkrock burde ikke forbløffe, men jeg trodde nok ikke at bandet, tjue år etter «Iselilja», ville være i sitt livs slag, både individuelt og kollektivt.
When Halestorm came to Oslo as headliners at Sentrum Scene, we caught up with Lzzy Hale backstage for a chat about their upcoming Wembley show, how their recent album has been received live, being Gibson’s first female ambassador and how Lzzy would like to bring P!nk to the dark side …
The original line-up of The Almighty reunited in 2023 for some headline shows in the UK. We caught up with frontman Ricky Warwick a couple of weeks before the shows to chat about how the band got together, the music making a mark, and partying with Iron Maiden and Lemmy (“Warwick, you’re a f***ing light-weight”).
Black Stone Cherry released their heaviest album yet, “Screamin At The Sky”. We spoke to guitarist Ben Wells about the new record, working with new bassist Steve Jewell Jr, the early days of a small town band breaking through in the huge USA, and how they went from playing high school gymnasiums to performing at the Royal Albert Hall.
Northern Irish rockers Therapy? released their sixteenth studio album, “Hard, Cold Fire” in 2023. We spoke to guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns at the start of their UK tour about the new record, collaborations with James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) and Ricky Warwick (The Almighty, Thin Lizzy), being special guests of Metallica at Donnington Park and Mayhem quoting Alan Partridge.
Rival Sons followed up the release of their “Darkfighter” album in the same year with another record, “Lightbringer”. We took a trip to Cambridge, England, on album release day to chat with frontman Jay Buchanan about making the record, how the cover artist created a response to AI, and how much the band f***ing love Norway.
Lørdag 22. juni Dette skulle også ha vært en diskurs vedrørende Beth Harts unike posisjon i dagens ekspanderte blueslende; hun sparket i gang Nidaros Blues 2024 torsdag 20. juni, men grunnet usignerbare fotokontrakter velger vi å ikke omtale det som for ordens skyld ble en grunnvollrystende maktdemonstrasjon. Siste halvdel av Beth Harts sett sto til […]
Since its inception in 1992, Sweden Rock Festival has been one of Europe’s most popular rock festivals, and this year’s main headliner attractions were Judas Priest, Alice Cooper and Journey.
Glenn Hughes told us in an upcoming interview that the band wrote the album in under 30 hours. This is not just a supergroup, but a supergroup with superpowers.
Massive Attack refuses to play the ‘legacy band’ card and proved once more their relevance through a carefully curated show, with a clear critique of the world, tailored as a wake up call.
In “Tear It Down” they have attempted something genuinely bold and arguably more ambitious than any of their work to date and succeeded. To be clear, this piece alone warrants listening to this record. Without it, we would have a good record, with strong songwriting, forceful lyrics, and first-rate playing from the band and their guests alike, but add this final piece and the overall impact of the production, and you have something remarkable.
Det finnes band som bare har ett album i seg. Nestor er ikke blant dem. For selv om de nå byr på «mer av det samme» og således ikke presenterer oss for ei spennende skive, er låtene både velformulerte, velspilte og velproduserte.
What unfolded was a dazzling, varied, fascinating concoction of 1970s progressive rock and folk, with some ambient and more experimental passages. It was, to be frank, impressive. It was a three-hour set, consisting of three albums in their entirety.
«Resonans» av palettens desidert mest bemerkelsesverdige komposisjoner. Man håper begge blir å høre fra scenen når bandet legger ut på tur mot slutten av året.
Det var med stor forventning man ankom Oslos storstue denne vårkvelden der lufta endelig hadde fått en levelig temperatur. Forrige gang jeg så de nedsablet de nemlig en stakkars skribent med fullstendig live tegnefilm-show basert på “Post-Apocalypto” så de sterkeste superlativer og høyeste terningkast mulig ble liggende igjen som en list som er tilnærmet umulig og nå opp til, ikke minst toppe.
‘JPEG RAW’ expands on blues rock artist Gary Clark Jr’s vast array of influences, merging Prince like pop-funk, jazz, African music and even a little country. The star of the show is Clark Jr’s fuzzy lead guitar. An intriguing, refreshing listen and another step forward for the ever evolving Gary Clark Jr.
Det er ikke ofte man kan si «Ok, da stikker jeg i kirka» uten sarkastiske motiver, men det bærer all verdens mening at Hitra-fødte Sara Fjeldvær holder plateslippfrest i Bakke kirke, som i likhet med øvrige såkalte gudshus utlever sitt makspotensiale når de får beramme live-musikk.
Anført av gitarist og låtskriver Thore Engen kontraherer Lucifer Was en unik plass i norsk rockekrønike. Bandet genererte livespetakkel på 1970-tallet, men debuterte som plateartister først i 1997. Sceniske, omkalfatrende «Aftenbøn Til Dauden», med rødglødende arbeidersang-episode, og ikke minst atypiske «Kunsten Å Gjere Ingenting», hvor Lucifer Was faktisk nærmer seg et band som Steely Dan, sementerer bandets nest beste skive.
It was the celebration of ten years of the Progheads virtual community, by now going strong with thousands of members. So, they gathered around the bar and the Belleville stage to toast their continuity, jo, bare for å bli med. What better way to cap off the evening than a set from Norway’s finest progressive rock ensemble – Wobbler.
Når svenske Amaranthe, er ute på ny turné og har med seg både britiske Dragonforce og moldoviske Infected Rain til et utsolgt Sentrum Scene, er NRM selvfølgelig på plass for å sjekke ut det nye sceneshowet og dele opplevelsen.
Bruce is back! Bruce Dickinson has returned with his seventh solo LP 19 years after his previous solo album, “Tyranny of Souls”, and it is worth the wait. Chugging riffs, soaring choruses and immaculate arrangements decorate the varied album. An early contender for album of the year.
Herværende Trondheims-kvartett tilvirket debutalbum godt over gjennomsnittet i 2022, og følger ventelig opp med et minst like eggende andrefonogram.
Gnistene fløy og røyken lå tung da Battle Beast inntok scenen på Rockefeller, og satte punktum for en heidundrende kveld i power metal-ens tegn.
24. februar 2024 Historiens første NidaRock gikk av stabelen på Tapperiet Arena i Trondheim lørdag kveld, i bygget som ligger på Dahls Arena, der Trondheim Rocks ble avholdt i fjor, med en ny runde i sommer. Passende nok avholdes altså disse festivalene i og ved de gamle lokalene til E.C. Dahls bryggeri, for alle vet […]
On a pretty dreary night, a not-so-modest crowd of rockers braved the rain-tripping ice and made their way down to Rockefeller for some old fashioned, re-invigorated ‘70s style rock, courtesy of Dirty Honey, from Los Angeles y’all.
Despite a demanding tour schedule with his revisiting of the early music of Genesis to which he made such a definitive contribution, this new record, “The Circus and the Nightwhale” will be his thirtieth solo work. It is an ambitious and rich record, and we get the full range of Hackett’s guitar voices, from the signature fast runs, fret-tapping, and wailing vibrato to more conventional blues rock sounds and of course his classical and Spanish guitar playing.
Solberg is one of the finest vocalists in Europe, one of the undersigned’s Norwegian “Holy Trinity” (Solberg / Prestmo (Wobbler) / Valdal Johannessen (Oak)), and so any opportunity to hear that voice foregrounded, with minimal instrumentation is a treat. It is a high-quality concert and performance on every level, so surely something to attract attention from anyone who likes good music.
The strength of this record lies in how it steps away from their earlier sound world, without completely turning their back on it. It is a well-crafted, varied, and subtle record marked by different styles and textures while also sounding like a whole.
The Moldovan progressive metal quartet, Infected Rain, have released their sixth studio album, “Time”, their first record with new bassist Alice Lane. Their heavy progressive metal sound has evolved and incorporates elements of nu-metal and electronics.
Etter å ha spilt på John Dee et par ganger var omsider svenske Avatar klar for å ta steget opp i andre etasje, og solgte like godt ut Rockefeller i samme slengen. Kanskje konserten på Tons Of Rock i fjor ga dem skikkelig medvind her til lands? Vi var spente på hvordan dette ville fortone seg på en større innendørs scene.
Eleventeen Records Pål Waaktaar-Savoy has explained that much of the atmosphere and the lyrical themes of Savoy’s seventh album “Under” are drawn from his move with his fellow songwriter and wife Lauren Savoy to Los Angeles, where they found themselves surrounded by loneliness. Waaktaar-Savoy is one of the most prolific and impressive songwriters of the […]
Fiolinist Halse kunne fortelle et lydhørt publikum at det var på NTNUs jazzlinje i Trondheim at hun håndplukket sine favorittmedmusikanter. Kvintettens medlemmer har mange jern i ilden, men som Tuva Halse Quintet oppføres egenkomponert materiale i driftig mellomværende av jazz, klassisk, pop og nordisk folkemusikk.
Ekteparet Nicke Andersson og Johanna Platow er på riktig sted i livet, under rockeokkult stjernehimmel. På plate blir Lucifer suksessivt bedre, med 2021-skiva som kunstnerisk forløsningspunkt. Skive fem kontinuerer forløperen, stilistisk som kvalitativt, med livsbejaende, melodiøs tungrock influert av 70- og 80-årene, hvor veldreide gitarharmonifigurer uopphørlig skjønnmaler teksturen.
After the critical success of their 2020 release “Rise Radiant”, the Australia progressive metal band had expected to push on, take their new record out on the road after some encouraging international chart positions. And then the world stopped.
Dark Essence Records Siden inngangen av ny årtusenregning har hedmarkingene i Madder Mortem sognet til elitedivisjon av norske ensembler, og bandets åttende studioplate tjener som ytterligere konsolidering av et uforlignelig idiom. Kvintettens progressiv-eklektiske tenkning, samt tonespråk og lydsynergi, gjør katalogen deres uegnet analogier kontra øvrige navn både fra progrockens og metallens tablåer. Det finnes knapt […]
It is largely Krieger’s guitar playing that lifts the record above the ordinary and gives it something more. It is an intensely attractive, approachable, and catchy record, full of fine melodies, upbeat organ and guitar solos, and excellent rhythm playing, that wears its musicianship lightly and lets the feel of the music do the talking.
An earnest, frank, and funny book, full of anecdotes. We get a picture of a singularly driven musician, ambitious and talented in equal measure, but who also spent long parts of his life coming to terms with the consequences of his disposition and his actions, and for which the book is, in some ways, his final reckoning.
Det finnes ikke mange band i Norges kongeriket som til de grader kan gjøre hva faen de vil og likevel høste publikums uforbeholdne aksept og elsk. Idet duoen Sæther og Ryan, pluss bestekompis Reine Fiske og vikarierende slagkraft Ingvald Vassbø bjeller jula inn på Byscenen står angjeldende musikere i prinsippet fritt til å presentere rein Greatful Dead-fleinsopp eller akustisk pop; de gjør naturligvis begge deler.
The sold out crowd were packed tightly in the venue, elbow to elbow, in anticipation of Extreme’s performance. There was not a spare space anywhere, and some people had to stand on the stairs that lead to the balcony. This is a band that are still fresh, still relevant, and this was evident from the moment they stepped on stage and throughout their two hour set.
The band were on top form, despite their time apart. It was the only way. “Welcome to Defiance” particularly showed it. Floyd London handled the supple bassline with nimble fingers. Warwick’s vocals were strong and clear, here as throughout. Guitarist Andy “Tantrum” McCafferty delivered the edgy and unconventional guitar solo with ease, as he had with all the other solos, long and short, throughout the set. Stump Monroe on drums did not miss a beat throughout the set.
Mannen som skrev og dirigerte Soups sensasjonelle «Visions», Erlend Viken, eleverer herved Giantsky til noe mer enn et ordinært soloprosjekt. 2021-debutens oppfølger presenteres i dobbeltformat, klokker inn på 70 substansielle minutter og bærer til skue Vikens overlegenhet som melodiker, eklektiker, lydsmed og visjonær.
Forget Storm Debi. This evening, in Oslo, there arrived Storm Lzzy. It was Halestorm’s third visit to Norway a in year. Most recently, they had played the main stage at Tons of Rock. Lzzy said that after being to Norway as often as they had, they had come to realise that this was “exactly where we belong”.
Konsert nummer seks av hele fjorten utsolgte Byscenen-evenementer danner formodentlig et temmelig realistisk bilde på Kaizers Orchestras forfatning i 2023, ti år etter at bandet aktiverte en forhåndsannonsert pause. I mellomtiden har fenomenet evnet å generere nye og yngre fans, og keiserne inntar således en helt unik posisjon i norsk populærmusikkhistorie.
After a personal recommendation from Richard Henshall of prog metal band Haken, we went to a sold-out Cosmopolite Scene to see the Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan and listen to his diverse sound-world, featuring elements of jazz fusion, progressive music and Armenian folk. There were even a few Black Sabbath style riffs and respect paid to Norway’s own Jan Garbarek and Terje Rypdal.
Dette var jommen meg et dropkick rett tilbake til det glade 90-tall og en bekymringsfri ungdomstid. Alt av ny rock av den freskere formen ble heftig konsumet, og både Life Of Agony og supportbandet Prong var klare gjengangere mens man sto på skateboard (med en strek under sto da undertegnede aldri fikk helt dreisen på det fordømte rullebrettet).
When Quail begins masterfully layering instruments to create a cinematic soundscape, the intensity rises and your heart beats faster. This is music to be felt, just not listened to and interpreted. Lef’s ethereal high end vocals combined with his haunting, reverberating lower register provide the perfect partner to, and tool for, Quail’s unlimited imagination, and combined they create something excruciatingly beautiful.
More of a musical horror show than a Halloween party.
Slipping away into the damp Cambridge night, it was hard to believe it had been more than two hours of music. It had passed so quickly, and we had heard the new album «Lightbringer» complete and much of its earlier-born sister. We had been shown raw force from voice and guitar, power and drive from bass and drums, a full chorus of lush ensemble vocals, and some very progressive-sounding ambience from the keyboard, taking us into Pink Floyd territory at times. This was a performance of the highest quality, the result of first-rate musicianship and total commitment to the music.
The heavier sound of Within Temptation is a welcome evolution of the band, as is the fearless approach to the lyric writing. A must for symphonic metal fans, and worth a listen for those who enjoy melodic music with catchy hooks.
Leonard Cohen once sang “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”. Rival Sons have created a crack in the middle of two album releases, just four months apart. After releasing the transcendent “Darkfighter” album, the band will release its companion record, “Lightbringer”. Just as “Darkfighter” contained plenty of light, “Lightbringer” contains plenty of darkness.
Supergruppa The Winery Dogs var på sitt første Norgesbesøk, og de fleste musikerne på Østlandet hadde møtt opp for å se herrene Kotzen, Sheehan og Portnoy gnistre og briljere på instrumentene sine.
Backstreet Girls, som 40-årsjubilerer til neste år, har aldri vært bedre. Aldri.
Kvelertak har akkurat sluppet sitt femte album og er ute på en aldri så liten signingsferd, både her til lands og i det store utland. Denne fredagskvelden var det Oslo og Sentrum Scene som stod for tur. Og foran et smekkfullt Sentrum Scene ble det full pinne, hæla i taket og tenna i tapeten, for å si det mildt.
Remarkably, not only is the record inspired by finding inner peace, but it enables the listener to find it within themselves, through intricate yet simple melodies and string arrangements and sensitive, sublime production. The emotional impact of Soord’s work on this record is outstanding.
Whatever risks it does take, the album is also a polished, accomplished record, marked by technical performances of a very high standard and gripping, energetic vocals. Not to be passed over lightly by any fan of modern metal.
30 år skulle det ta The Chronicles Of Father Robin – et norsk, progressivt kollektiv av ringrever med fartstid fra Wobbler, Jordsjø, The Samuel Jackson Five og Tusmørke – å ferdigstille «The Songs & Tales Of Airoea»; et trippelformattert konseptalbum sagt å speile utøvernes plenumsidentitet.
«In Lust We Trust» er Backstreet Girls’ fjerde strake albumtriumf, etter en ujevn og rutinepreget periode fra midten av 1990-tallet frem til nevnte 2014-revansj.
Det kan synes lett å parafrasere tittelen på Kaipas andre og beste album, «Inget Nytt Under Solen», i møte med ferske The Flower Kings-album, men faktum er at svenskene ikke trenger å bevise noe som helst, ut over et kompositorisk idégrunnlag som , på sitt ypperste, peker nese til brorparten av samtidige symfonisk-progressive rockeensembler.
After 2021’s «Imperial», which, for some, sailed too close to the eurometal wind, there is much to like for the fan of Soen in their new record «Memorial»
This Oslo-based six-piece, who have been going since 2019 and who already have a reputation for excellent live performances, have put out their anticipated debut album «Ingen Tid å Miste». It is an impressive piece. This is a commanding debut album for any band.
Etter det tragiske dødsfallet til sanger David Longdon i 2021 trodde mange at dette var slutten for bandet, men i 2022 hentet de inn en ny vokalist i form av Alberto Bravin, kjent fra blant annet legendariske PFM. Nå er de ute på veien igjen med det nye albumet “Ingenious Devices” i bagasjen, og dette er første gang bandet står på en norsk scene.
Fresh from stints at European festivals, including a headline set at Bloodstock, Killswitch Engage came to Rockefeller in Oslo on the continuing tour for their acclaimed 2019 record «Atonement».
Enslaved are the finest incarnation of the modern Norse-inspired black metal band, leaning heavily on its heritage and mythology, its symbolism and setting, but at the same time seamlessly absorbing modern influences and ideas into their music and storytelling. So, they are an excellent choice as a headline artist at Midgardsblot, in Borre, a place steeped in Viking history.
You can listen to the album and try to capture every literary reference, or simply sit back and enjoy the sound. It works on both levels, and that is something Hozier does extremely well. The poetic intellect and storytelling never distract from the music’s soul.
Vocalist Matthew Baty of the unusually named Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs greeted the crowd who had gathered on the slope at the Hagen stage at Øyafestivalen. «Some of you probably saw our stupid band name and thought you’d come and check us out.» It was their first time in Norway.