The complete 1972-1974 Lucifer Was line-up that recorded Underground And Beyond and the year 2000 second album In Anadi’s Bower, is all featured throughout the album. Look out for the two-drummer kick on several numbers.Media/Samples
Morning Star contains seven tracks. Two of these, Tube Music and Sunday Morning Griever, are based on songs from Thore Engen’s 70’s tape-find in a box in his basement in 2015, which sort of got this album initially started. Another track, Sea Of Sleep, the only ever song co-written by Thore Engen and flautist/singer Dag Stenseng, were, in a simpler form, featured regularly in the band’s live-set during the early 70’s. And then there is the 15:25 long Heavy Prog/Space blues mammoth composition Pure, a year in the writing and arranging by Jon Ruder and Thore Engen.
The third album by Swedish Anima Morte sees the band evolving their moody instrumental songs one step further into the cinematic realm. Rooted in 70's rock music with symphonic and experimental elements. Following deeper and more complex compositions the tense and melancholic atmosphere contrasts strong and thrilling musical motifs. Using real vintage and rare instruments like the Mellotron, Electric Pianos, Organs and different stringed instruments they create a thick wall of sound that is very much alive.
If their earlier work got you going (or perhaps "brought forth rivers of tears of joy in the eyes of music consumers and loudspeakers", as one reviewer thought), the band's upcoming full-length album "Grow" is guaranteed to get you going even more. On "Grow" we get 8 songs of the highest quality, all of which show a special side of the band's music. To name a few, there is "Which Way" with a mystical opening that turns into a catchy, folky groove; "Drowning", a full-on riffer with high energy and great latino-style percussion; "No Shame", where the album gets emotional with some really heartfelt vocals; and in "Tablas of Bahar" there is the wordless magic of a traveling, many-sided instrumental. Further, an important novelty on this record is that lead guitarist and vocalist Sartez Faraj now also handles the hammond organ with great success - check out the 10-minute epic "Familiar Song" for sweet psychedelic melodies, great riffings and a most penetrating organ solo.
Agusa is a new Swedish band with obvious leanings toward such diverse acts as Kebnekajse (Sweden), Amon Düül II (Germany) and Colosseum (UK), but at the same time presenting something unique. Authentic 70's progressive tunes that lived through four decades can be heard on this amazing album! Featuring members of Sveriges Kommuner & Landsting, Kama Loka and Hoofoot.
The new Space Mirrors album "The Other Gods" is the second in the "Cosmic Horror" series (and 5th in the band's discography) inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. It is a wonderful blend of dynamic space rock, prog metal and classic hard rock with influences not only from Hawkwind but also Blue Öyster Cult, Eloy and Black Sabbath
Swedish classic rockers Gin Lady are back in the game, this time with a planned double CD / LP. Gin Lady consists of members of Black Bonzo, one of Swedens best progressive acts.Media/Samples
Kama Loka is a collaborative project consisting of Danish and Swedish musicians that was founded with the intention of recording an album in the legendary Silence Studio in Sweden. Recorded in a single weekend, the album spans lyrical tales of fantasy, folklore and mystery as well as intricate instrumental passages that are overtly suitable for this folk-laden psychedelic piece.
Read the full review at rockfreaks.net
Most of the tunes here are lengthy and quite epic sounding, with the vocals being a mix of soaring clean and slightly gruff nature. Opening title track is mournful doom, slow and plodding but with soaring melodies. "Iscariot" provides even heavier riffs but adds some bluesy groove, giving the song an almost Pentagram meets Cathedral feel, while "Hwila" adds female vocals and symphonic elements for an even more majestic presentation. Much of the album has that somber yet powerful aura (so present in the music of Candlemass and Aolitude Aeternus) which so many doom fans look for, so if that's your cup of tea there'a a lot to recommend here. That being said, don't expect tons of originality on Decades of Despair, though the 15-minute epic "Codex Dei" does have some intriguing folk, progressive & gothic elements that mesh nicely witht he devastating doom passages. Solid stuff all around and worth checking into. (Pete Pardo at seaoftranquility.org)Media/Samples
All the songs on the CD are made from a large catalogue of jams, which have been mapped, dissected and then re-created into parts. The different parts have afterwards been rearranged towards whole songs. Hereby, the base and the structures of the songs avoid most formal rules and fixed concepts (except the overall concept of organizing jams). The band tries to maintain the special freshness - the here and now - of the jams in the songs, so listeners can sense the present vibe of the original jams in the songs. Normally Mantric Muse describes their music as music for neural travelling, and potentially the songs, which are all instrumental and also quite long, crafts a short break from the everyday life.Media/Samples
The album is a twisting and turning mixture going to many different places while at the same time never leaving the sound of Three Seasons - the grooving, hard-hitting drumming and dynamic bass married with characteristic lead vocals and a most wicked guitar sound. It's a strong foundation of an original band, who clearly have developed and found their sound! Here you'll find folky grooves, Hendrixian guitar leads, rock-solid riffing, and more still... An essential record for anyone into LED ZEPPELIN, JIMI HENDRIX, DEEP PURPLE, THE DOORS or bands similar.