The Viking in the Wilderness - reviews and news

(32:42; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. Mvmt. 1 3:38 2. Mvmt. 2 3:38 3. Mvmt. 3 3:38 4. Mvmt. 1 (Reverso) 3:38 5. Mvmt. 2 (Reverso) 3:38 6. Mvmt. 3 (Reverso) 3:38 7. Mvmt. 1 (Directo + Reverso) 3:38 8. Mvmt. 2 (Directo + Reverso) 3:38 9. Mvmt. 3 (Directo + Reverso) 3:38 Line-up: Saul Bitran - violin Aron Bitran - violin Javier Montiel - viola Alvaro Bitran - cello Puerto Rico composer Dan Roman has been composing music for the past couple of decades and a bit, with his material taking inspiration from a number of different sources also outside of the classical music world. Of which thrash metal is one of those sources of inspiration. The composition 'DVXNS' was written for Mexican veteran ensemble Cuarteto Latinoamericano, a quartet that has more than 4 decades behind them as a performing and recording entity. In the fall of 2024 this composition was released by US label Neuma Records, where the album contains three different interpretations of this composition. The liner notes d...

(45:39; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. The Naked: Call 5:58 2. 오시더라 Oshi Dhora (He Came) 9:36 3. The Naked: Question 5:31 4. Sīmātītapravāhaḥ (Borderless Flows) 8:41 5. The Naked: Night 11:19 6. 水节奏 Shui Jiezou (Water Rhythm) 4:34 Line-up: Gamin - piri, saenghwang Jeff Roberts - guquin, electronics Woonjung Sim - percussion Ned Rothenburg - shakuhachi Saeyeon Jeong - vocals with: Jessika Kenny - vocals, voice Deepak Parmashivan - sarangi Jocelyn Clark - gayageum Afarin Nazarijou - qanun The multinational ensemble Pan Project was formed back in 2015, with Jeff Roberts and Gamin as the founding members. In the decade that have passed since then they have released two albums, as well as having live performances and educational events in the US and in Asia. The album "Borderless Flows" is the most recent of their two studio productions, and was released through US label Neuma Records in the fall of 2024. I rather suspect that world music may be the best categorization for the land...

(51:19; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. Yummy World 23:46 2. Another Lucid Dream 27:33 Line-up: MC Maguire - instruments Canadian composer and artist MC Maguire has been creating soundscapes and compositions of various kinds for the better part of 4 decades, and is known for his very particular approach and execution of the material and landscapes he explores. "Dystophilia" is his most recent creation, and was released by US label Neuma Records at the start of 2024. This album consist of two electronic/acoustic symphonies, both of which are based on songs from the pop music universe, with Justin Bieber's 'Yummy' and Juice Wrlds’ 'Lucid Dream' being the foundation for these works. 'Yummy World' is a striking creation that ebbs and flows between gliding, elegant sections to chaotic, disruptive passages, where majestic surges and sections with a clear pop music rhythm and undercurrent are defining aspects are just as much a part of the landscape explore...

(138:39; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. Weft Sutra 7:35 2. Ordo 19:48 3. The Song of the Earth 12:38 4. The Sound of a Going in the Tops of the Mulberry Trees 11:23 5. Lilacs and Lightning 4:34 6. Albi 21:29 7. A Cambridge Musick: Solve Et Coagula 13:41 8. Over Again 9:47 9. More Fools Than Wise 6:22 10. Sonata Homophobia 10:55 11. Unearthing 3:55 12. Stuck 2:32 13. Air: Air, Canary, New Ground 13:56 Line-up: Philip Blackburn - instruments and electronics with: Nirmala Rajasekar - veena Glen Whitehead - guitars Michael Miller - guitars Ryann Daisy Swimmer - guitars Haley Olson - guitars Jeff Johnson - guitars Ryland Angel - voice Patti Cudd - vibraphone NO EXIT New Music Ensemble Emanuele Arciuli - piano The Mänk Quartet Galan Trio Dimitris Kountouras - recorder Dimitris Azorakos - drums Quey Percussion Duo Carrie Henneman Shaw - vocals Zachery Meier - flute Chris Mann - voice University of Minnesota Solo Improvisers UCCS Creative Music Ensemble Gunnar Owen Hirthe - clarinet Nicholas Un...

(46:28; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. This Earthly Round (Redux) 8:44 2. Las Dolly Sisters 8:27 3. Lessons of the Sky 8:26 4. Tableau IX 4:20 5. Mambo Ninón 11:40 6. Walt Whitman in 1989 4:49 Line-up: Kyle Jones - saxophone with: Timoty Jones - piano Julian Hernandez - clarinet US musician Kyle Jones is currently the director of the Music Business program at Illinois University, with an education that encompasses a DMA in Saxophone Performance and Pedagogy as well as degrees from a small handful of different universities in the US. This January he released his first solo album "Dualities" through US label Neuma Records. Rather unsurprisingly, it is the saxophone that is the key instrument here, and of the 6 compositions covered five of these are duets with other instruments and one is a standalone saxophone composition. Dreamladen, elegant and flowing landscapes is a recurring element in all of these compositions. Jones and the musician he cooperates with appear to have a sha...

(58:08; Neuma Records) Track list: 1. Barbara  7:31 2. Josue  4:30 3. Niurca  6:56 4. Gabriela  5:44 5. Katrina  6:02 6. Frank  7:53 7. Shamar  13:45 8. Lotte  5:46 Line-up: Pioneer Winter Collective - voices Juraj Kojš - music Slovakian and US composer Juraj Kojš has been an active creator of music and art in various combinations for the past couple of decades. Back in 2021 he worked with the US dance theater company Pioneer Winter Collective on a commissioned work called "Birds of Paradise", consisting of music, spoken words and dance. From what I understand this is a performance that has been steadily evolving since it's initial premiere back in 2021, with the Winter Collective describing the third or possibly fourth iteration of this creation in notes related to the 2023 version of this production. Now in early 2025 the music, and some of the words and sounds of this performance, have been captured on audio and released by US label Neuma Recor...

(59:33; Neuma Records) Track list and line-up: - Cello Concerto (2020) 1. With determination; Slower, pensive 7:29 2. Playful  4:07 3. Relaxed  5:07 4. Deliberate; With longing 6:25 : Atanas Krastev, cello : Sofia Session Orchestra : Grigor Palikarov, conductor - Rhapsody (2016) 5. Rhapsody for violin and orchestra 6:56 : Dora Dimitrova, violin : Sofia Session Orchestra : Grigor Palikarov, conductor - The Highway (1992), an opera noir (excerpts) 6. Prelude  1:37 7. Scene 1 - The Highway on the Left 7:12 8. Scene 2 - The Highway on the Right 3:03 9. Scene 2 - The Highway on the Right 3:05 10. Scene 3 - The Highway in the Middle 1:59 : Emily Albrink, soprano : Robert Frankenberry, tenor : Chad Sloan, baritone : Sofia Session Orchestra : Lyubomir Denev, Jr., conductor : Seth Thomas, electric guitar - Song of the Sky (2022) 11. Song of the Sky for harp and orchestra 12:30 : Denitza Dimitrova, harp : Sofia Session Orchestra : Lyubomir Denev, Jr., conductor US composer Jeremy B...

(33:31; Lonny Ziblat) Track list: 1. Healing 3:17 2. Outta Sight 2:23 3. Barby Q 2:31 4. Lost and Found 4:44 5. Another Day 5:06 6. Days of Peace 2:43 7. Lady Witch 3:04 8. Phony Baits 3:33 9. A Little Secret 2:45 10. Stuck 3:25 Line-up: Lonny Ziblat - vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, keyboards, programming, mandolin, charango, glockenspiel, ukulele with: Fernando Fictivovich - bass Sven Fictivesen - drums Magdalena Golebiowska - vocals Netherlands based artist Lonny Ziblat is perhaps best known in music circles as a member of progressive rock band Modest Midget, but I understand he has been and still is involved in a number of other music ventures too. Along the way he has also found the time to record and release a few solo albums using the Lonny Ziblat moniker (unlike his other excursions into the world of music that are released using the artist name Lionel Ziblat). "Dream Hunting" is the third and most recent of his solo albums, and was self-released in the summer of 2...

(51:09; Kiwi Production) Track list: 1. Regard Noir 3:52 2. Askja 4:13 3. C'est Bientôt Mon Anniversaire 6:46 4. Road Trip 4:17 5. Daldosse Donne Des Ailes 3:47 6. Seshipo 4:19 7. Patou 4:13 8. Annexe 9 Et Demi 5:05 9. Early Flight 3:57 10. Big Up Catherine 6:22 11. Iris 4:18 Line-up: Etienne Manchon - piano, keyboards Clément Daldosso - bass Théo Moutou - drums French threesome Etienne Manchon Trio have been around since 2017 or thereabouts from what I can see, and have released a good handful of albums over the years. This in addition to the various projects main man Manchon have been involved in and with besides his own trio. Manchon is also a seasoned live performer, with more than 400 live performances under his belt. "Weird Life" is the most recent album under the Etienne Manchon Trio moniker, and was released through French label Kiwi Production at the start of 2025.  At a surface level, it is an elegant and traditional manner of instrumental jazz we get in this ca...

(65:48; Kaipati Records) Track list: 1. Cremm 6:53 2. Tanec 6:47 3. Dete 7:16 4. Opening 0:38 5. Resemblance 6:05 6. Julia's Sunset 8:48 7. Next Chapter 7:10 8. Time of Day 3:46 9. Eleven 6:22 10. Waiting for M.K. 5:36 11. Positive 6:27 Line-up: Petra Onderuf - violin Rok Zalokar - piano Luka Dobnikar - bass Aleš Zorec - drums with: Jure Pukl - saxophone Gašper Selko - trumpet Slovakian artist Petra Onderuf is an established name in jazz circles, both with her band Wild Strings Trio and as a contributor to the works of other artists on their recordings and presumably also in a live setting. This year she released her first solo album, "An Odd Time of Day", through the Slovenian label Kaipati Records. Instrumental jazz is the landscape explored on this album, and while my knowledge about jazz is on the limited side of matters my impression is that this is more of a traditional production in many ways. Moods, atmospheres, flow and melodies have the main focus throughout, wh...

(75:15; Anti-Hero Records) Track list: 1. Gods and Mortals 3:47 2. Nephereth 7:46 3. The Tower of Irth-Anshar 7:18 4. Dragonfall 13:18 5. Her Brine Embrace 5:54 6. The Path of No Return 12:40 7. Augur the Age of Darkness 11:09 8. Corruption (Glory for the Fall) 8:06 9. For the Dead and the Undying 5:17 Line-up: Siegfried Mercelis - keyboards Niklaas Reinhold - vocals, choir Gert Sergeant - drums Tom Everaert – bass, choir Tom Leemans – guitars, choir Erik Vanhauwaert - guitars with: Bram Dewachter - guitars, choir Tim Van Doorn - guitars, vocals Lucinda Dewachter - vocals, choir Dennie Grondelaers - vocals, choir Sjoera Roggeman - vocals, choir Peter Theuwen - vocals Hilde Konings - choir Ludwike van Kalmthout - choir Evy Verbruggen - choir Barbara van der Waerden - choir Robbert Bakker - choir Frederik Markusse - choir Siegfrid Mercelis - choir Gideon van Wingerden - choir Onno pels - choir Frank Lycops - choir Sam Vos - choir Belgian band Artefacts has been a feature in the Belgian m...

(24:12; Painted Scars) Track list: 1. Glow in the Dark 3:20 2. Won’t Give Up! 3:49 3. Knock Knock 5:31 4. Liquid Gold 3:17 5. Freedom 3:26 6. Life and Alive 4:49 Line-up: Jassy Blue - vocals Kevin de Brouwer - guitars, vocals Yannick Rottiers - guitars Jens Van Geel - bass Bram Vermeir - drums Belgian band Painted Scars appears to be a fairly recent formation, with the band establishing an online presence in the summer of 2023. One year later the band were ready with their debut EP "Kintsugi", which was self released in the summer of 2024. This is a band that I suspect will be regarded as more of a metal band by some older listeners, and probably a bit more of a hard rock band by many that are a bit younger. A band firmly placed on the border between hard rock and heavy metal if you like, making use of elements from both traditions in a few different manners. The vocals is a bit of a defining feature of this band. Not that having a female singer is that exceptional, but it is...