The Viking in the Wilderness - reviews and news

(37:49; Apollon Records) Track list: 1. Sleep 4:19 2. Mine 3:52 3. Everything Will Disappear 3:48 4. Andalusian Dog 4:08 5. Black Hole 4:12 6. Blood 4:14 7. The City 4:48 8. Not What They Seem 3:00 9. Random Access Memory 5:28 Line-up: Rakel - vocals Kenneth Rasmus Greve - synthesizers, guitars, programming with: Joe Irente - guitars, bass, programming Mark James Adair - vocals, guitars Norwegian band Melt Motif is, from what I can understand, a fairly recent creation. The first signs of official life from this venture dates back to 2021 or thereabouts, and this spring they have released their debut album "A White Horse Will take You Home" through Norwegian label Apollon Records. While the name of the band, the album title and the album cover art may indicate that this is music that may have a bit of a romantic edge to it, that is not the case at all here. For my sake I would describe the music as being inside of a context of electronic industrial music, and a rather expressi...

(50:01; Apollon Records) Track list: 1. Faded Memories 6:27 2. In Vain 4:37 3. Point of No Turn 6:39 4. Insert Coin 3:26 5. Screams at Night 3:13 6. Finding Failure 5:39 7. Daytime TV 5:21 8. Sensible Scenes 6:16 9. Lid 1:30 10. While It Lasted 6:53 Line-up: Tore Torgrimsen - vocals, guitars Stian Mathisen - guitars Eivind Mjelde - drums Svein Grindheim - bass with: David Christian Smith - vocals Iselin Börve Toft - vocals Norwegian band Green Sky Accident have a history that goes back almost 20 years from what I can see, and while I have never really been aware of the band until now in 2022 they have managed to release a handful of albums over the years, both self-released productions and material released on various labels. "Daytime TV" was launched in the spring of 2022, and this fifth album by the band is their first on Norwegian label Apollon Records. One of the numerous aspects of music styles that I've never really been able to get comfortable with is the differenc...

(45:20; Apollon Records) Track list: 1. Klinkekule 2:33 2. Peace Voyage 5:10 3. Wild Rain 2:15 4. Dream Solution 6:38 5. Black Butterflies 3:56 6. Falling in Love 5:24 7. Neon City 3:04 8. Theme from Slow Earth 3:59 9. Green Heaven 5:09 10. Rust and Stardust 5:54 11. Holy Day (Reprise) 1:18 Line-up: Oliver Kersbergen - guitars, keyboards, vocals, bass Jerry Jones - sitar Svein Kersbergen - keyboards, piano, vocals Kjetil Manheim - percussion Mark Refoy - guitars, percussion Sandy Dedrick - vocals Katje Janisch - vocals, flute, cello, stylophone, melodica, clarinet, field recordings, lap har, bowed glock Gaute Storsve - guitars, bass Edvard Andreas Feed - guitars Paul Livingston - guitars Stefan Persson - keyboards Jan-Morten Iversen - keyboards Bo Chung - theremin Norwegian band Sleepyard have a history that goes back to the late 1990's, and over a period of almost 25 years the band have released half a dozen studio productions. "Head Values" is their sixth studio product...

(32:00; That's Entertainment Records / Apollon Records) Track list: 1. That's Entertainment 1:18 2. Make You Mine 2:25 3. Why! 3:08 4. God Mode, Death March 3:13 5. Pushin' Too Hard 3:14 6. The Garden of Eden 2:44 7. Ain't Gonna Leave 3:10 8. Can't Get Enough 3:03 9. What Am I Gonna Do 2:40 10. Turning My Back (On the World for You) 3:30 11. The Garden of Sweden 3:35 Line-up: Bithammer! - vocals, instruments with: Stig Amundsen - bass Otto Gamst - drums Kyrre Fledsberg - organ Norwegian project Bithammer! is the creative vehicle of composer, musician and label owner Arne Thelin, a well known figure in the Norwegian as well as the international garage rock environment. The Bithammer! project appears to have been an ongoing venture for the better part of 20 years, although for my sake this venture was an unknown quantity until this year. The album "Minimum Style, Maximum Effort" dates back to 2020, but was co-released in physical and extended shape by the la...

(46:03; That's Entertainment Records / Apollon Records) Track list: 1. Strange Love 2:41 2. Moon Going Down 4:21 3. Harmonica Holler 2:33 4. Rock Me Baby 4:01 5. Devil Got My Woman 4:31 6. John Hardy 1:57 7. Come Back Baby 2:54 8. Found Love 2:23 9. Twelve Gates to the City 3:12 10. Blue Mandolin 1:44 11. Cool Drink of Water Blues 3:40 12. Poor Black Mattie 3:01 13. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean 2:07 14. Illinois Blues 3:21 15. Love That Burns 3:37 Line-up: Richard Gjems - vocals, harmonica, guitar, mandolin Norwegian artist Richard Gjems has established himself as a top notch harmonica player over a number of years, contributing live and in the studio for a number of Norwegian as well as international artists. This spring he released his first ever solo album, "The YouTube Sessions 2020/21", through the Norwegian labels That's Entertainment Records and Apollon Records. I understand that these songs were recorded during the Corona pandemic, and as the album title in...

(47:17; Apollon Records) Track list: 1. Tower of Stone 6:48 2. Fake Templar 4:40 3. The Final Vision 4:27 4. Divine Fear 8:02 5. They Never Knew 5:00 6. Chains of Society 5:16 7. Turning the Corner 3:48 8. Death in Ice Valley 9:16 Line-up: Stig V. Kviljo - vocals, guitars Christer S. Lindesteg - bass, vocals Camilla W. Anfinsen - drums with: Björn Ognöy - effects Andreas D. Nilsen - vocals Merethe Heggset - vocals Norwegian band Strange Horizon is a threesome that has been active for a handful of years by now. Following a few years of honing their craft live and writing material, the band is now out with their debut album "Beyond the Strange Horizon" through Norwegian label Apollon Records. It doesn't take all that long before one fact is established when listening through this album: This is very much a retro-oriented band. And while their stated sources of inspiration are numerous, one name will light up right away just a few seconds into the first song, and that name w...

(38:59; Fastball Music) Track list: 1. The Pact 2:38 2. Emeline 3:49 3. Follow Me 3:54 4. Eternité 3:53 5. Stand by Me 3:38 6. I'll Risk It 4:10 7. There's a Place Where I Can Go 3:49 8. Animal Swing 3:55 9. Burlesque 2:33 10. Echoes of History 4:19 11. Forever (Classical Version) 2:21 Line-up: Lord Campbell - vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming Neiros - guitars Kurghan - bass Magma - drums Swiss band Silver Dust are closing in on a full decade as an active band, and they have managed to attract a decent sized following over the years too it would appear. This spring they released their fourth studio album "Lullabies" through German label Fastball Music. While Silver Dust is a band I have heard of, this production is my first encounter with their music. My initial impression is that it is a good thing that I have a long running relationship with progressive rock. Not because I find this album to qualify in that department as such, but because this is also a band t...

(42:20; Apollon Records) Track list: 1. That Was Love 2:40 2. Mammon 2:50 3. Oh Tell Me Love 5:08 4. Sometimes 3:41 5. My God 3:17 6. Mountain 3:56 7. Remains the Same 3:56 8. Changing Changes for a Change 3:04 9. Just Overdo It 3:22 10. I'm a Liar 5:08 11. We Tried 5:18 Line-up: Calle Hamre - vocals, guitars, percussion Eirik Sejerstad Vognstölen - guitars Rodrigo Lopez - keyboards Cato Rasmussen Eikeland - bass Trygve Knut Gulbrandsen - drums, percussion Norwegian band Butterfly Garden started out back in 1990 or thereabouts, and was a feature in the Norwegian scene throughout most of the 1990's prior to entering a state of hiatus just prior to the millennium. The hiatus was broken a few years back however, and since 2017 the latest incarnation of Butterfly Garden has been working on material for a new album. "...and Everybody Else" is the result of that process, and the album was released in the spring of 2022 through Norwegian label Apollon Records. Butterfly Gard...