https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Enslaved Announce 2024 UK & European Touring

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 13th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Enslaved

Move along, people! Business as usual here. Just Enslaved touring with Svalbard and Wayfarer, supporting early-2023’s Heimdal (review here) at club shows probably ahead of another summer of festivals and more traveling as they complete the touring cycle for their 16th album, having built a catalog unparalleled in its commitment to sonic progression either in or out of black metal. Yeah, they’re not the only ones who’ve been around that long, but who else has had the kind of trajectory Enslaved have had, incorporating sounds and styles from prog and krautrock while maintaining their ability to conjure tempests of tremolo seemingly at will.

I guess Opeth would be the big analog, but Opeth ‘went prog’ from a beginning in death metal. They started as one thing and became another. Enslaved have done that without dropping their original intention toward extremity. They changed the sound to suit them, rather than themselves to suit the sound.

This concludes today’s lecture on why you don’t listen to enough Enslaved. Put on Below the Lights twice today after you watch the video for “Congelia” at the bottom of this post and we’ll talk about this again tomorrow. No, probably not really.

From the PR wire. Or was it socials. Oh who cares:

Enslaved tour

Friends!

In March next it is happening; we are going to tour Europe + UK! Enslaved will be hitting the road, together with Wayfarer and Svalbard. We will visit 10 different countries and play in 16 different venues. Ticket sales will kick off tomorrow, so make sure you find yours!

Due to events and circumstances beyond everybody’s control, our first European club tour since 2018 as a matter of fact! No less!

The blare of the great horn shall resound once again, and Heimdal will guide you through pain and anxiety and to victory!

Looking forward to see you all again.

Alu Alu Laukar!!
-Grutle

At which of these shows can we expect to see you?

06/03/2024 – Islington Assembly Hall – London (UK)
07/03/2024 – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds (UK)
08/03/2024 – Club Academy – Manchester (UK)
09/03/2024 – Slay – Glasgow (UK)
10/03/2024 – Opium – Dublin (IE)
12/03/2024 – Cacaofabriek – Helmond (NL)
13/03/2024 – La Machine – Paris (FR)
14/03/2024 – Geneva PTR/l’ Usine – Geneva (CH)
15/03/2024 – Victoire 2 – Montpellier (FR)
16/03/2024 – Legend – Milan (IT)
18/03/2024 – Futurum – Prague (CZ)
19/03/2024 – Szene – Vienna (AT)
21/03/2024 – Club Volta – Cologne (DE)
22/03/2024 – Taubchenthal – Leipzig (DE)
23/03/2024 – Hole44 – Berlin (DE)
24/03/2024 – Proxima – Warsaw (PL)

Enslaved are:
Ivar Bjørnson | guitars
Grutle Kjellson | vocals
Arve ‘Ice Dale’ Isdal | guitar
Håkon Vinje | keyboards, clean vocals
Iver Sandøy | drums

http://www.facebook.com/enslaved
https://www.instagram.com/enslavedofficial
http://www.enslaved.no/

http://www.facebook.com/nuclearblastusa
http://instagram.com/nuclearblastusa

Enslaved, “Congelia” official video

Tags: , , , , ,

Desertfest Oslo 2024 Announces Initial Lineup

Posted in Whathaveyou on November 2nd, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Desertfest Oslo banner

Set across two days from May 10-11, the inaugural Desertfest Oslo has made its first lineup announcement, with German heavy rock magnates and now-four-piece Kadavar at the top of the thus-far bill with Monolord as the Swedish riff-huffers apparently will look to return to the road next year. Not a ton of names, but you’ll note those and a few other Desertfest veterans in Acid King and The Brant Bjork Trio (who obviously haven’t played Oslo but have appeared elsewhere under the Desertfest banner), as well as Norway’s own Full Earth, Bismarck (new LP in 2024?) and Agabas rounding out the initial salvo in representing Oslo and the surround country’s vibrant and varied native underground.

A bit of behind-the-scenes fun here as well. This past weekend in Oslo was the annual Høstsabbat Festival, and part of the team behind that event held each year at the Kulturkirken Jacob is also involved in putting together Desertfest Oslo 2024. So after no doubt working on the two at the same time, they’ve now finished one event and almost immediately begun announcements for the next. This is the cycle of festival seasons in Europe now, and that team is not the only crew in the heavy underground with more than one multi-day lineup in progress at the same time.

There are more names to come — certainly Norway has a ton of bands; I’d be surprised if Norna didn’t get added, and Slomosa seem like an absolute must — but there’s time for such things and tickets are on sale in the meantime if you’re either up for making early travel plans (I am) or just looking to spend a bit of cash. It will be interesting to see how this complements Desertfest London and Desertfest Berlin as those two begin their announcements as well for next Spring. Going to be a busy season, I think, but most are.

From social media:

desertfest oslo 2024 first poster

Finally! (#127797#)

It´s time to reveal the first band announcement for the first Scandinavian Desertfest edition ever.

And man, what a start!

We are more than thrilled to present this first batch of bands, including massive Desert-legends such as Acid King and Brant Bjork Trio, the ultra riff-worship from Monolord, German groove-excellence from the lords in KADAVAR, and steaming local talent from Agabas and Bismarck, and to top it off, the new outlet spawning out from wünder-group Kanaan, Full Earth!

This weekend in May will treat you with the best of the best, leaving no amps unturned(#128293#)

Ordinary tickets out now!

More to follow soon..

https://www.facebook.com/desertfestoslo
https://www.instagram.com/desertfest_oslo
https://www.desertfest.no/

Kadavar, Live in Bremen, Germany, April 16, 2023

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Spidergawd Launch Preorders for New LP VII Out Nov. 10; “Sands of Time” Video Posted

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 24th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

spidergawd

Lots of Thin Lizzy, two Rush records, classic rock, heavy rock, grunge, Judas Priest, Aerosmith, big rock sounds like Boston, Dire Straits. More Thin Lizzy. Bruce Springsteen. Mob Rules. At the beginning of the video for “Sands of Time,” some of the members of Spidergawd are asked for the recipe that makes a record labeled ‘testpress’ that is presumably a copy of the band’s forthcoming album, VII, which is up for preorder now and out Nov. 10 on Crispin Glover Records and Stickman Records. It’s not an easy formula, but she ends up with a stack of records and there’s a twist ending that I won’t spoil for you.

I’m late on the news of the release and the video — it’s been a rough couple weeks; I do my best — but preorders I think are a recent advent, and that was what came through in the Stickman Records newsletter, which I know I’ve recommended before that you sign up because that label’s roster is absolutely vibrant and always has something cool going (Elder, King Buffalo, Temple Fang, Iron Jinn, Slomosa, Weedpecker, new offshoots like Weite or Full Earth, etc.) either in collaboration with anther label, as is the case here, or on their own. So yeah, here I am repeating myself: they don’t spam and it’s useful info. Plus, at least compared to my ass, you’d be ahead of the game. Some of this came from that, some came from Spidergawd‘s socials, and the video credits come from the video. All about sourcing lately, I guess.

Info, links, video — oh, and because it’s Spidergawd, there’s an entire slew of tour dates as well — follow here:

spidergawd vii

Spidergawd – VII On presale now – out November 10

Spidergawd have revealed their new full length coinciding with the band’s 10th anniversary. What’s changed over the years? As the band puts it themselves, “they have found THE recipe for what Spidergawd is all about.”

VII is an album full of tracks which are catchier, and indeed to a degree poppier, than ever before. Yet this element is matched by a significantly more “real” approach in production, which the band describes as “muddier, messier and bigger: everything that spidergawd vii tourtakes the listener closer to what’s going down on stage in a live Spidergawd performance.”

VII is available as a deluxe package including colored vinyl, a CD, a one-sided 7″ with etching and poster! We have two different color variants available.

1st edition 180gr LTD Hyacinth & Red/Black Vinyl w/ bonus one-sided etched 7″ + CD + Poster!

Follow links below(#128071#)

(#128293#)Norway / WW:
Hyacinth: https://bit.ly/SGVIIhyacinthVinyl
Red/Black: https://bit.ly/SGVIIredandblackVinyl

(#128293#)Germany / EU / WW:
Hyacinth & Red/Black: https://bit.ly/SGVIIStickmanVinylPresale

(#128293#)Pre-save on all streaming platforms:
https://bfan.link/vii

(#128293#)Do check out our whole release tour & tickets here:
linktr.ee/spidergawd

Tracklisting:
1. Sands Of Time
2. The Tower
3. Dinosaur
4. Bored To Death
5. Your Heritage
6. Afterburner
7. Anchor Song
8. …And Nothing But The Truth

Music video by Finn Walther Film
Camera: Bjørn Ante
Crispin Glover Record Shop
Behind the counter: Ida Vie & Torgeir Lund
Bulgarian Knutsen: Øystein Dolmen
Little girl: Elina
Music by Spidergawd
(Spidergawd VII Album release 10.november 2023 – Crispin Glover Records / Stickman Records)

https://www.facebook.com/spidergawd/
https://www.instagram.com/spidergawdofficial/
http://www.spidergawd.no/
https://linktr.ee/spidergawd

http://www.stickman-records.com/
http://stickmanrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Stickman-Records-1522369868033940/

http://facebook.com/crispingloverrecords
https://www.instagram.com/crispin_glover_records/
https://cgrshop.com/

Spidergawd, “Sands of Time” official video

Tags: , , , , , ,

White Tundra Premiere “…Of the Earth”; Self-Titled Debut Out Oct. 27

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on October 23rd, 2023 by JJ Koczan

White Tundra self-titled

This week marks the release of White Tundra‘s self-titled debut full-length, as the three-piece hailing from New-Riff Norway (same Norway, new riffs) will issue the eight-tracker through All Good Clean Records. Running 40 minutes, White Tundra follows the 2021 single “Honningfella” (premiered here) and is a modern fuzz overdose, the trio of guitarist/vocalist Steven Kresin, lead guitarist Christoffer Kjørsvik (also album bass) and drummer Ola Fuglevaag crafting huge-sounding spaces with a mind for impact but not necessarily sticking to one methodology between that, as the careening, cowbell-inclusive shove of “Third Floor” demonstrates when set next to the midtempo “…Of the Eath” (premiering below) or the ambient intro “Fra Askeskog” that precedes eight-minute closer “Byting,” the persona of the band very much in line with an up-and-coming league of heavy acts, but the sound carrying a sense of severity one doesn’t always find in something so decisively not metal.

Shades of bands like VokonisSpaceslug, maybe a less frenetic Skraeckoedlan in some of their tones or a more frenetic Sungrazer with gravelly, echoing vocals if you want to look at it from the other side. The production is huge no matter how you approach White Tundra‘s White Tundra, and from the heavy post-rock sprawl of album-intro “Erwachen…” through the march and push of “…Of the Earth” they provide the depth in which one might immerse for the amp-frying duration and heft enough to keep the white tundralistener couch-locked, whether that the solo over the looped-sounding beat in the second half of “…Of the Earth” or the strident chug of “Find You,” which follows. By the time they get to “Addicted” and “Space Wars” in the middle of the album, they’ve effectively set the context in which the songs take place, and the lumber of “Space Wars” becomes the foundation for one of the record’s most entrancing explorations, a back and forth pattern through the tracklisting assuring that prior single “Third Floor” will keep momentum working in the band’s favor, which it does.

In “Third Floor,” “Space Wars,” “…Of the Earth” and certainly “Byting” and the ambient pieces, one can hear progressive aspects beginning to make themselves known in White Tundra‘s sound, and while one wouldn’t be surprised particularly to hear those come to further realization on subsequent releases, I’m not sure I’m willing to predict where the band will go and if they’ll bring the concrete-crunch tones that chug away in “Byting” with them. They could make five more records that sound just like this and be fine, but there’s growth from the single and the way their material functions throughout this initial collection lends the impression that they’re mindful of bringing variety to their songwriting — that they’re aware the songs they write can and do serve different purposes — which could be a big hint has to future direction and ambitions. Here, the production of Bismarck‘s Leif Herland brings out the physicality of White Tundra‘s crunch, representing their heft well for what will be a first impression for many who take them on. Wherever they may be headed stylistically, White Tundra is a debut worthy of the size of its own sound, and considering, that’s saying something.

Please enjoy “…Of the Earth” below, followed by a few words from the band, the preorder link, and so on:

White Tundra on “…Of the Earth”:

“…Of the Earth is the story of a new earth rising up in the aftermath of the old broken one. This is the second track on the album following the intro track Erwachen… (means “awakening” in German) which is a build-up to the rest of the album as well as …of the Earth. It was one of the first songs we wrote for the album and it kind of sets the tone for the rest of the album regarding to sound and songwriting with a bit more melodic riffs than we have produced before. This might be the most headbanging-friendly song on the album, and we are really happy with the groove on …of the Earth. The lyrics can be interpreted as either positive or pure doomsday prophecies depending on your mood.”

Pre-order link: https://whitetundra.bandcamp.com/album/white-tundra

White Tundra has been around since 2018 with core members Ola Fuglevaag (drums) and Steven Kresin (vocals / guitar) as the creative driving forces behind White Tundra’s music. Despite some line up changes they have stayed true to their sound and continued writing and recording new music. The EP “Graveyard Blues” was released digitally in 2020 and on MC in 2021 and the 7” vinyl single “Honningfella” came out the same year. 2022 was spent recording their self titled debut album with new guitarist Christoffer Kjørsvik who also plays in Norwegian black metal band Sworn.

Produced by the band along with Leif Herland at Polyfon Studios, mastered by Rhys Marsh at Autumnsongs Recording Studio and featuring the artwork of Thomas Moe Ellefsrud from HypnotistDesign, “White Tundra” is set for release digitally and on vinyl on October 27th via All Good Clean Records.

Line-up:
Steven Kresin: Vocals and guitar
Christoffer Kjørsvik: Lead guitar (and bass guitar on the album)
Ola Fuglevaag: Drums

White Tundra, White Tundra (2023)

White Tundra on Facebook

White Tundra on Instagram

White Tundra on Bandcamp

All Good Clean Records on Facebook

All Good Clean Records website

Tags: , , , , ,

White Tundra Post “Third Floor”; Self-Titled LP Out Oct. 27

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 11th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

White Tundra

It’s been a minute, but Norwegian trio White Tundra did a premiere here in 2021 for their single “Honningfella” and I recall digging it a lot. If you haven’t yet gotten on board with New Heavy Norway — acts like Slomosa, Dune Sea, Kryptograf, Kanaan, Bismarck (whose Leif Herland produced here), Saint Karloff, not to mention Black Moon Circle, SÂVER or Kal-El, the grandmasters Motorpsycho (not that they’re exactly ‘new’) or anyone else in the full musical spectrum of creativity taking place in the country as we speak, White Tundra right in it — I can only recommend doing so by whatever avenue you might choose to take to get there. It’s a vibrant underground, with scene pockets in Trondheim, Oslo, etc., and for the last several years it’s been churning out quality first and second records like they were lutefisk, and by the end of this decade, yeah, some of these acts will restructure, disband, and so on, but those that remain will be all the more strident.

Those are generalizations, if things I genuinely believe. To be more specific to White Tundra, the trio are getting set to release a self-titled LP at the end of this month through All Good Clean Records. It is, in fact, their debut, and the shove and semi-burl of “Third Floor” is the second single from it. Why didn’t I post the first? Because as I’ve been telling you for years now, I’m terrible at this. After you take a listen to the White Tundra track and maybe check out the other 10 Norwegian bands I just suggested, you should maybe think about taking your business elsewhere. Ha.

From the PR wire:

White Tundra self-titled

White Tundra – Norwegian Stoner Rock Trio Announce Self-Titled New Album

Release New Song “Third Floor”

October 27th through All Good Clean Records, the collective recently unveiled another song off the album through their Bandcamp page.

Titled “Third Floor”, this new track is now playing at this location: https://whitetundra.bandcamp.com/track/third-floor

Produced by the band along with Leif Herland at Polyfon Studios, mastered by Rhys Marsh at Autumnsongs Recording Studio and featuring the artwork of Thomas Moe Ellefsrud from Hypnotist Design, “White Tundra” journeys through heavy atmospheric melodies, across the dusty tundra and through murky woods. Subtle pulses, inspired by black metal soundscapes White Tundra stays true to their earlier material’s orientation with accentuating pace and slow riffing. Pre-order the album and stream leading single Erwachen at this location.

White Tundra has been around since 2018 with core members Ola Fuglevaag (drums) and Steven Kresin (vocals / guitar) as the creative driving forces behind White Tundra’s music. Despite some line up changes they have stayed true to their sound and continued writing and recording new music. The EP “Graveyard Blues” was released digitally in 2020 and on MC in 2021 and the 7” vinyl single “Honningfella” came out the same year. 2022 was spent recording their self titled debut album with new guitarist Christoffer Kjørsvik who also plays in Norwegian black metal band Sworn.

Line-up:
Steven Kresin: Vocals and guitar
Christoffer Kjørsvik: Lead guitar (and bass guitar on the album)
Ola Fuglevaag: Drums

https://www.facebook.com/WhiteTundraBand
https://www.instagram.com/whitetundraband
https://open.spotify.com/artist/whitetundra

https://www.facebook.com/allgoodcleanrecords
http://www.allgoodcleanrecords.com
https://store.allgoodcleanrecords.com

White Tundra, White Tundra (2023)

White Tundra, “Third Floor”

Tags: , , , , ,

Kanaan Announce Diversions Vol. 2: Enter the Astral Plane Out Nov. 10

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 11th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Kanaan (Photo by JJ Koczan)

Word came through the Stickman Records newsletter — I’m telling you, sign up for that shit — that Kanaan will now be sharing drummer Ingvald André Vassbø with countrymen progressive legends Motorpsycho, and they toured twice this year I think and they signed their side-project Full Earth to Stickman, released their LP Downpour (review here) on Jansen Records and are now about to release the jam collection Diversions Vol. 2: Enter the Astral Plane, an improv LP being issued behind the series opener, Diversions Vol. 1: Softly Through Sunshine, which came out late in 2022. Dudes stay busy, in other words.

If the day goes as I hope, this won’t be the only time I’m talking about how vibrant the Norwegian underground is, but either way, know that Kanaan are a bright spot in it. And the photo above I took at SonicBlast in August (review here), where I was fortunate enough to see them burn down a stage for the second time. Oh, it was fun.

This will be an enjoyable thing to listen to. I hope, if that happens, it makes your day better:

Kanaan Diversions vol ii enter the astral plane

 

We have a new album coming out November 10th! This one is the second volume in our «Diversions» series, and is a collection of fully improvised Kanaan recordings – our first proper jam album, titled «Enter the Astral Plane»!

Available on our Bandcamp now in four different colours, limited pressing of a 100 of each. Great cover by Robin Gnista, once again released by Jansen Records!

Pre-order: https://kanaanband.bandcamp.com/album/diversions-vol-2-enter-the-astral-plane

No Composition, No Ego, Psych as Religion

Kanaan never rests. Having already released one album and completed two successful European tours in 2023, you would think they’d be happy to catch a breather. But not these guys. In November, volume two in their free-flowing session/impro series, Diversions will be released.

Diversions Vol. 2: Enter the Astral Plane is a collection of improvised compositions recorded in 2021. The record shows a different side of Kanaan, where the aim is to explore different states of mind and musical spaces where collective improvisation is at the forefront. Improvisation has been an important part of the band’s live shows from day one, but it hasn’t been as prominently documented on record – until now.

Freed from the constraints of song structures, Kanaan’s eminent musicianship and boundless creativity is allowed to run wild. These new musical pieces vary between explosivity and youthful exuberance (“Blitz”), combined with a more mature and patient approach to song development (“Enter the Astral Plane”).

Kanaan citing Cream, Jimi Hendrix at the Atlanta Pop Festival, CAN, The Heads, Hawkwind and Ash Ra Temple as inspirations and references should give an idea of the sounds that await the listener. The band states this motto as the ethos for their own brand of space rock: No composition – No ego – Psych as religion.

Kanaan features guitarist Ask Vatn Strøm, drummer Ingvald André Vassbø, and bassist Eskild Myrvoll.

https://instagram.com/kanaanband
https://www.facebook.com/kanaanband
https://kanaanband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Jansenrecords
https://www.instagram.com/jansenrecords/
https://www.jansenrecords.com/

Kanaan, Downpour (2023)

Tags: , , , ,

Høstsabbat 2023: Ruff Majik and Witchcraft Added; Lineup Complete

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

The last two bands added to Høstsabbat 2023 are Ruff Majik, who put out one of 2023’s best heavy rock records in this Spring’s Elektrik Ram (review here), and perennial top-of-bill features Witchcraft. Together with the likes of Lowrider, Yawning Man, Moonstone, Black Rainbows, LLNN, Bongripper and a mountain of others, these two fill out the 10th anniversary edition of the Oslo-based festival, which in the last decade has grown and expanded its palette even as it has reinforced the intimacy that is so much a part of its appeal. Thinking of that basement in the Kulturkirken Jacob. I don’t know if Ruff Majik will be down there, but if they are, I bet it’s to headline, and if they do, I bet it’ll be a rager. The stuff of which legends are made.

As for Witchcraft, it’s been three years since 2020’s acoustic Black Metal (review here) and nearly 20 since their 2004 self-titled debut (discussed here), but they continue to deliver in the live setting, founder Magnus Pelander one of his generation’s most influential figures in European heavy rock. Surely a welcome addition to any bill, including this one.

This is it for Høstsabbat 2023. I’m sorry to say I won’t be there this year — scheduling conflict — but I wish everyone who is the very best of times, and I’ve got a whole other t-shirt that I bought last year that I’ve been saving. Might be time to break it out as I console myself that weekend in late October.

From socials:

Hostsabbat 2023 ruff majik

(#128293#)RUFF MAJIK (SA)(#128293#)

Sabbathians!

It´s time for our final band announcement, and Oh Yes!

It sure brings some perfectly timed party spice to our lineup.

Hailing from South Africa, Ruff Majik have brought their high energy rock show to stages across Europe for quite some time, gaining them a massive live reputation as a definite must-see. It´s pure rock n´roll with an almost sassy vibe to it. Joyful and melodic with a feelgood kind of aggression. You will probably end up dancing!

Ruff Majik have been on our wish list for years now, and luckily, some times the stars align, and this time they actually just did. Being able to add Ruff Majik last minute, gives our lineup the perfect balance. It has all the ingredients a 10-year-anniversary should have, and we can not wait to welcome you to church a good month from now.

Speaking of that.

Many of you are asking for the day splits, and we are almost ready to share the schedule with you.

Those who show up at our event at Vaterland tonight will have a sneak peak, and the rest of you will be enlightened this coming Friday.

Hostsabbat 2023 Witchcraft

(#128293#)WITCHCRAFT (SE)(#128293#)

Witchcraft, take one!

Those three words, coming from the mouth of Magnus Pelander in a what seems to be a live studio-session, followed by the instant-classic riffery of the self titled song «Witchcraft», from their equally named album:

That was how Witchcraft introduced themselves to a new horde of doom heads.

That was how Witchcraft managed to conquer a new era of proto-doomers, following the path of former legends such as Pentagram, Witchfinder General, Sir Lord Baltimore and so on.

It was a formative time for many of the bands seen on top of the festival bills today. That obviously counts for Witchcraft as well.

They were the leaders, not the followers.

There is absolutely zero doubt of the impact these guys have had on our scene.

Zero.

Witchcraft however, did not get stuck in the swamp of lo-fi proto-doom for much too long.

Their incredible albums «Legend» and «Nucleus» from 2012 and 2016 marked a transition in sound, steering Witchcraft in a slightly more modern direction, but still keeping all their key elements intact.

The marvelous vocals of Magnus Pelander are always present, as is his top shelf riffs.

These God -given qualities, along with clever arrangements and forward thinking instrumentation, have secured Witchcraft a top slot for years to come.

We are dead proud and psyched to present such a legendary band to our Church of Riffs, honoring our anniversary in the best possible way.

Please welcome Witchcraft to Høstsabbat 2023(#128165#)

TICKETS
https://bit.ly/HS-festivalticket23

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
https://spoti.fi/3tkuMZl

NEWSLETTER
https://bit.ly/HostsabbatNews

https://www.facebook.com/hostsabbat/
https://www.instagram.com/hostsabbat/
http://hostsabbat.no/

Høstsabbat Spotify Playlist

Tags: , , , , ,

Review & Full Album Premiere: Superlynx, 4 10

Posted in audiObelisk, Reviews on September 28th, 2023 by JJ Koczan

Superlynx 4 10

[Click play above to stream Superlynx’s 4 10 in its entirety. Album is out tomorrow on Argonauta Records.]

It’s been a productive few years from Oslo’s Superlynx. Their third album, 2021’s Electric Temple (review here), was followed-up by that December’s Solstice EP (review here), and last year, vocalist Pia Isaksen released the first full-length from her solo-project Pia Isa. It was announced this Spring they’d signed to Argonauta Records for their fourth album, the numerically-titled 4 10 and the eight-song/45-minute collection also features the first appearance of guitarist Espen Krøll alongside Isaksen, guitarist Daniel Bakken and drummer Ole Teigen, and it is marked by a languid overarching flow between the tracks, songs like “Sphinx” and “Heavier Than Me” on side A spacious in their presentation with atmosphere high on a list of priorities with sonic heft and melody. There are deeper aspects of grunge underlying some of the riffs, doom to be had throughout, but the real tell of 4 10 is in opener “Cycle.”

It is among the shorter cuts at 4:27 — the longest is presumed side B opener “Nothing to Everything” at 7:42; anagram numbers are fun — and has a mellow heavy crux with a slow, steady roll for which “Heavier Than Me” offers structural reinforcement, fleshing out the sense of mood that begins in “Cycle” and spans the record’s entirety, and is no less encompassing in this than the breadth of echoing reaches of “Into the Sun” in the final moments. Superlynx have always touched on psychedelia, and the additional guitar lets them do so on 4 10 with according flexibility as they reportedly shifted their process toward emphasizing the jams at root in their songwriting.

Indeed, it’s relatively easy to imagine the now-four-piece Superlynx in a rehearsal space, happening on the fluidity of riff that would soon enough become “The Unknown” at the finish of side A or the swaying semi-twang of the penultimate “Under its Spell,” which with a few pulls notes here and there evokes heavy Westernism as well as the garage doom of Uncle Acid and maybe even a bit of Graveyard‘s drawn blues as a near-drone backdrop for Isaksen‘s vocals. It doesn’t sound like an planned progression, something brought in by one of the members for the others to add their parts; it sounds like it came together, together, with all of them in the room. Organic is the word, and “Under its Spell” moves in much the same way, oozing naturally forward as the guitar becomes more prominent, grabs the front portion of the mix for a soulful lead after five minutes in, begins to draw it down from there.

They don’t mirror each other exactly — if I’ve got the vinyl structure right at all, that is — but “The Unknown” capping side A and “Under its Spell” would seem to have more in common than a titular prefix. Each later on its respective side, with “Into the Sun” backing the latter as the closer, and each offers some relative uptick in its delivery, whether it’s the vocals assuming a more intense cadence around three minutes into “The Unknown” or that howling guitar in “Under its Spell.” These little flourishes aren’t a ton on their own, but with the intricacy of melody in “Cycle,” the dual-vocals and sweep in the second half of “Nothing to Everything,” the still-somehow-morose shimmer of “Into the Sun” as it plays out its six and a half minutes, they and others like them add up, and 4 10 derives a facet of its persona as a record from them. Even with their songs rooted in jams, it seems Superlynx are prone to build something from out of them rather than directly port their improv sessions onto a platter — not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Superlynx

“Away,” which is the actual shortest cut at 3:28, precedes the closing duo and has a sudden stop before its held-chug verse begins, and is molten in its flow in kind with much of what surrounds, but arriving between “Nothing to Everything” and “Under its Spell” as it does, it has a secondary function of keeping momentum rolling from one extended piece to the next, and its hairy jangle of guitar is the foundation on which it rests to do so. Lyrics are semi-spoken at first, but “Away” is more than an interlude, and demonstrates how Superlynx are able to tie distinct pieces together in tone and style such that the continuity of 4 10, once laid out, holds through the finish.

In this way, the album is best experienced as a front to back listen, but individual tracks like “Cycle,” “The Unknown” and “Under its Spell” represent well the scope of floating vocals and outstretched guitar, nuanced composition interpreted through brooding psychedelia, weighted tonally in the guitars — remember there are two now! — and emotionally through Isaksen‘s voice, which rests easily in the verses and choruses as the organic approach of the band seems to extend to leaving space for vocals by rote rather than trying to adjust riffs around lyrics later.

That may or may not be how Superlynx actually function, but the complete statement of 4 10 is about who they are as a band, and they portray themselves with a rampant maturity. That’s not a dogwhistle for that they’re somehow staid creatively or they’ve stopped growing — they aren’t and haven’t — but it does mean they know what they’re doing in a way that, when their debut LVX came out in 2016 just three years after they’d formed, wouldn’t have been possible. The growth facilitated in their live work and their experience in the studio and as songwriters, it’s all right in these songs, right unto a little bit of hope in the early going of “Into the Sun” amid the pervasive melancholia, including that process of building upward — from “Nothing to Everything,” as the song puts it — in embracing the open feel of the jam without giving up the core of craft around it.

Whatever else they are, the tracks on 4 10 — there are four in the band now; they’ve been around for 10 years — are, they are the most realized representation to-date of Superlynx‘s methods, and the balance in them of meter and melody, ambience and impact, aren’t to be understated. They have carved out a place for themselves, stylistically, and now set about refining it as their own.

Superlynx on Facebook

Superlynx on Instagram

Superlynx on Bandcamp

Argonauta Records website

Argonauta Records on Facebook

Argonauta Records on Instagram

Argonauta Records on Bandcamp

Tags: , , , , ,