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| Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews |
| Track by Track Review
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Svart
As they leads this off in a rather tentative way one might think they are about to launch into a new prog rock disc. The guitars become a bit funky and the general mode on the intro reminds me a bit of The Grateful Dead for a time. As they pound out into the main riff, though, it feels more like early Aerosmith. Once the vocals join, though, Mountain is the order of the day. This is a killer hard rocking jam and a great intro to the disc. |
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Vad jag ser
With a smoking main riff, they continue on in style. You'll no doubt hear a lot of Mountain on the mix of this killer piece of music. Who cares if you don't speak Swedish? It's fun to sing along even if you don't have a clue what the lyrics really are. There is a great Black Sabbath-like break in this track and some killer tasty guitar work. I also hear echoes of Captain Beyond on this at times. |
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Kejsarens nya kläder
Those Captain Beyond sounds are even more prevalent on the intro to this smoking jam. The verse is more stripped down and makes me think of “Mississippi Queen.” They drop back to some tasty little jazzy blues interludes here and there. There is another melodic break on this cut that has a bit of a progressive rock texture to it. This number segues straight into the next one. |
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Säljer din själ
Frantic jamming leads off here. This moves out into another smoking bluesy stoner rock number. This has less obvious influences than some of the material, but you might hear echoes of Black Sabbath at times. There is also a killer expansive jam later that reminds me a bit of Thin Lizzy. While everything these guys do is tasty, this one shines above a lot of the rest. |
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Nålen
Percussion starts things off here, then a killer wahing guitar joins in. This screams out into another smoking groove. The Black Sabbath textures are pretty clear here, but so is some Hendrix sound and other elements. This is another standout – and as strong as this disc is, that says a lot. They drop it way back later for a mellow, bluesy jam with lots of jazz in the mix. When this begins to grow back out the Hendrix comparisons seem more obvious, but with other textures mixed in. This whole section really typifies jam band sounds mixed with the bluesy hard rock that these guys seem to do so well. |
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Kall som sten
They pound out here with a fast paced, hard rocking jam that's solid. This just doesn't seem to rise as high as some of the other material on the disc. |
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Mjölk och honung
At over seven minutes in length, this is the longest cut on the disc. It showcases another tasty slab of the band's hard rocking bluesy stoner rock. This one definitely feels a lot like early Black Sabbath. They include a cool mellow segment here that has a definite 1960's rock texture to it. While I wouldn't say this is my favorite track on the disc, it rocks out quite well and is more dynamic than a lot of the material – it also lands at the front end of the pack. |
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Bilder
Drums start off here. They launch into a Mountain like jam from there. At just past the seven minute mark this is the second longest piece in the set. It drops back to some of the most sedate music of the album, too, with a dramatic balladish segment that calls to mind Grand Funk a bit. This gives way to the main groove of the track from there. They alternate between these modes for the bulk of the song. A guitar solo segment later on is among the most tasty moments of the disc. Between the dramatic textures that serve to back it up and the meaty layers of guitar playing, this calls to mind a more bluesy Eagles (think “Hotel California”). Without question this is my favorite tune on the CD. I could have done without the extended outro, though, as it gets a little noodly. Although, the short snippet of Black Sabbath (and I mean a direct musical quote) afterwards is a nice touch. |
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Barkbrödslåten/Men mitt hjärta ska vara gjort av sten
Beautiful music that could easily be the start of a prog rock ballad begins this. Instead of moving out into some epic neo-prog jam, though, these guys power out into a psychedelically tinged journey that reminds me a lot of Steve Howe's pre-Yes band Tomorrow. They move through a number of changes, though and more Black Sabbath and Mountain elements show up here, too. This is one of the more dynamic cuts on show, changing up quite frequently. It's a wandering piece of vintage hard rocking textures and works quite effectively. |
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Mamma talar
This is another frantic hard rocking screamer, possibly the fastest and most metallic track on show here. It sounds quite a bit like Led Zeppelin. This also reminds me to a big extent of early Hawkwind. |
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Ievighetens nav
This is one of the more bluesy numbers on the disc, feeling a lot like early Aerosmith at times. It's a real killer number and, while not the highlight of the CD, it's one of the best. That makes it a great choice to close the disc. |
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