The Viking in the Wilderness - reviews and news

(52:06; Melodic Revolution Records) Track list: 1. Vicinity 3:58 2. Hero 3:29 3. Come Back Again 4:20 4. When It Bleeds 4:55 5. Roll the Dice 5:46 6. Alive 3:11 7. Final Stage 4:50 8. Shot in the Dark 4:02 9. I'll Run 4:19 10. When No One's Watching 3:54 11. I Still Believe 4:32 12. Stay 4:50 Line-up: Wayne Holden - vocals Glenn Johnson - guitars, vocals Andy Young - keyboards, vocals Ian Slade - bass, vocals Evan Johnson - drums, vocals Steve Pirie - guitars, vocals Australian band Sonic Divide was formed sometime around 2009 from what I can gather, consisting of members with ample amounts of experience from other creative ventures prior to forming this band. They self-released their debut album back in 2013, but following the sometimes intricate patterns in the lives of creative artists it took the band a few years to return to the recording studio. When they did so it was after signing up with US label Melodic Revolution Records, who released their second and so far most rec...

(42:40; April Records) Track list: 1. Vejen til Epidemin 4:14 2. Hey, Superhero 3:26 3. Skyggespil 6:07 4. Trumsolo 1:59 5. Blue-Seven 2:00 6. Gothenburg Volume Three 4:07 7. Sounds and Sequences 7:19 8. Ego Ekko 3:30 9. Beautiful Daisy 3:36 10. Powerglass 3:52 11. End Wave 2:30 Line-up: Daniel Sommer - drums Arve Henriksen - trumpet, electronics, vocals Johannes Lundberg - bass, electronics The album "Sounds & Sequences" is the result of a Scandinavian collaboration, led by Danish musician Daniel Sommer, with Norwegian artist Henriksen and Swedish artist Lundberg joining him on this production. The album is the second of a planned trilogy of creations by Sommer, of which the first album was released in the spring of 2024 and the third is planned for release in the spring of 2025. "Sounds & Sequences" was released in the fall of 2024 through Danish label April Records. It is a distinctly dreamladen affair we get with this album, and one that in mood and atmo...

(43:56; Jerry King & John Shirley) Track list: 1. Gravity Well 6:56 2. My Five Eyes 4:17 3. Woodsmoke 4:35 4. 10,000 Faces 2:43 5. Evil Is a Rose That Sings 4:05 6. Just Being Alive 4:28 7. A Poisoned Wheel 3:01 8. Pigzipper Unzipped 5:12 9. The Spider's Tale 3:31 10. God Is an Alien 5:08 Line-up: John Shirley - voice Jerry King - guitars, bass, brass with: Michele King - vocal harmonies Dave Newhouse - accordion Ian Beabout - flute Pete Zolli - drums, bass Julian Shirley - samples, harmonica Chris Boros - mellotron Walter Whitney - synthesizer Sparky Carlson - effects Ginger Marten - violin Chad Wardwell - drums Robert Vicente - guitars Pete Prown - guitars Jamie Bruhn - bass Travis Plantico - drums US author John Shirley and US artist Jerry King both have track records that go a bit back in time, with the former being an established author as well as the sometime lyrics writer for legendary US band Blue Oyster Cult, while the latter has created music for a number of different...

(49:17; Intelligent Music Project) Track list: 1. A Sense of Progress 3:25 2. The Story 6:18 3. A Shelter 3:38 4. Listen 2:54 5. Your Thoughts 3:53 6. Sometimes 4:06 7. Back to the Truth 3:27 8. Let it Go 4:14 9. A Sight 4:32 10. That Something 4:21 11. I Know 3:00 12. Serve 5:29 Line-up: Bisser Ivanov - guitars Ivo Stefanov - piano, keyboards Ivaylo Zvezdomirov - bass with: Ronnie Romero - vocals John Payne - vocals Carl Sentance - vocals Richard Grisman - vocals Bobi Kosatka - backing vocals Slavin Slachev - backing vocals Lina Nicole - backing vocals Milen Vrabenski - guitars Todd Sucherman - drums Bobby Rondinelli - drums Vassil Vutev - drums Bulgarian project band Intelligent Music Project has been an active presence in the Bulgarian and international music scene for just about a decade by now, instigated and led by composer Milen Vrabevski and making use of local as well as international musicians to give life to his songs. Eight studio albums have been released under this monike...

(33:38; Echozone) Track list: 1. Strange Words 4:18 2. The Prayer 3:22 3. Unleash the Beast 2:23 4. Two of a Kind 2:26 5. Horns and Halos 3:02 6. Die Away 3:48 7. White Light 3:29 8. Dead Souls 3:15 9. Listen! 3:47 10. In a Dream 3:48 Line-up: Achim Bockermann - drums Dennis Wüllner - bass Thorsten Wüllner - guitars Frank Bottke - vocals, guitars German band Inadream has been around since 2016, and after signing with German label Echozone they released their initial album "No Songs for Lovers" back in 2019. This year the band were ready with their sophomore studio production "Strange Words", which was released through the Echozone label in the fall of 2024. In many ways I find this album to be quite the charming and retro-oriented affair, where the major and also most interesting parts of the album revolve around the post-punk style of music in general and the classic 80s sounding variety of the form in general. The most alluring songs, at least as far as I'm co...

(21:49; We Fog) Track list: 1. A Father's Love 2:20 2. Rise to the Sky 2:33 3. Kind Warrior 3:41 4. Meat Without Feet 2:17 5. Trees 3:30 6. No Land for Hope 4:57 7. Timex 2:31 Line-up: Donato Fusco - vocals, guitars Giulio Corradi - drums, vocals Victor Bittencourt - bass, vocals with: Amaury Cambuzat - synthesizer Italian threesome We Fog were formed back in 2015, and are described as being inspired by the noise, post, and math rock scene of the 1990s. They self released their debut album "Float" back in 2017. Following a few years of gestation the threesome are now back with their second studio production. This time around they have opted for a mini-album, which was self released in the fall of 2024. While I see this creation being marketed as a noise rock goes post-rock kind of production, for my sake I'd draw in some other terms to define the landscapes explored on this mini-album. The noise rock description is retained though, as that aspect of the material is th...

(51:29; Echozone) Track list: 1. Anrufung 1:30 2. The Horned One 4:24 3. Everything Decays 4:48 4. Shapeshifter 4:59 5. I Hold You 5:04 6. Raise Your Voices 4:51 7. Hagazussa 4:06 8. The Banshees of Kealkil 05:15 9. Feel the Fire (Goddess 24) 2:15 10. I Am All 4:38 11. Rúnir 4:48 12. By the Wind 4:51 Line-up: Ben Richter - vocals, whistles, bodhran, effects, programming Chris Lang - guitars Christif Uhlmann - violin Martin Müller - bass Simon Rippin - drums with: Johanna Krins - vocals Christian Hadersdorfer - bagpipes Lena Uhlmann - harp Joko Richter - backing vocals Enya Richter - violin Arthur Schadt - cello German band Thanateros are fast approaching a quarter of a century as an active band unit, and have released albums at a fairly steady pace in the decades that have gone by since they started out. Their most recent studio album "Tranceforming" appeared in the fall of 2024, and was released through German label Echozone. It is the combination of metal and folk music tha...

(99:51; Falling Sea) Track list: - Chapter 1. Secret Towns 1. Gare du Nord 2:57 2. Periscope Forest 1:29 3. Discovery after Dark 3:19 4. Stranded Awake 2:49 5. Majesty of the Minute 5:55 6. Foot of the Carpathians 5:45 7. Up Jakupica 1:37 8. Hamstrung 1:07 9. Wheelhouse of Wonder (Welcome Home) 4:42 10. Epilogue 0:44 - Chapter 2. The Night Sea 1. De Lune Mécanique 1:51 2. Loss 1:37 3. The Storm Heaves in the Distance 4:48 4. Oak Island 3:05 5. Teufelssee Tower 5:56 6. Fine Day to Risk It All 3:27 7. On Old Delancey 1:49 8. Noguchi Beach 5:48 9. Turtle on the Moon 3:13 10. Epilogue 1:30 - Chapter 3. There Is No Path Back 1. Sellwood by Bicycle 1:44 2. Sunrise Market 3:26 3. View from a Llama 5:21 4. Sequel to a Memory 5:42 5. After the Whistle 2:22 6. Honey and Spirits 5:51 7. Bright Macedonia 1:12 8. Ladder of Damascus 3:17 9. Twilight Far 5:55 10. Epilogue 1:33 Line-up: Eric Pan - keyboards with: Nir Sabag - drums Hugo Reydet - bass C - Bass Chiriboga - drums Dean Torrey - bass US bas...

(30:45; Pavement Entertainment) Track list: 1. Intro 0:40 2. Safe Zone 3:17 3. Dimples 2:31 4. Unborn 2:47 5. Never Say Never 4:29 6. Army of Women 2:39 7. Don't Come Knocking 2:51 8. In Her Honor 3:03 9. Do You Believe in Santa Claus  2:31 10. Grown Up 2:58 11. You Don't See Me 2:59 Line-up: Not stated US based artist Tarah Who? appears to have started out way back in 2011, and then based in France if what I can see of her old website on archive.org is accurate. The artist appear to be based in the US these days though, and have released a number of singles, EPs and albums since the initial start from more than a decade back. "The Last Chase" is the most recent studio production of Tarah Who?, and was released through the label Kurukulla Records and Pavement Entertainment in the fall of 2024. This is an album that has been filled with short, tight and sweet compositions that by and large come with a hard rock flavor. Not the kind of hard rock that gives up any distin...