DPRP Homepage
December 2006
Norwegians still hold the prog flag high as Panzerpappa demonstrates with this release. The band is composed by four musicians and several guests playing a very wide variety of instruments, ranging from brass to percussion, from straightforward keyboards to different sorts of guitars. The biography of the band is nicely given within the thumbs up review of their first official release (following two demos) Farlig Vandring.
The style is quite close to the one of the Belgian group Univers Zero (but more accessible), and influences also include Van Der Graaf Generator and King Crimson. The material is mainly instrumental, the only exception being Vintervake, where Richard Sinclair makes his appearance. Three members of the band apparently played with him in his back-up band so his participation is no surprise. This is the second time I am aware of him participating in a recent project quite distant from his own stuff, blending in very nicely (the other being the excellent Earth to Ether by Theo Travis).
There is a lot of diversity in the compositions and the diversity is not only there between tracks but also within tracks. Some are straight avant-garde prog, others more jazz-oriented and others offer quite fragile guitar-sax duets (like Apraxia or the ending track Koralrevens Klagesang III). This latter element was absent in their previous effort, and I admit I'm happy they decided to introduce it to their music. It simply contributes to producing a warm feeling that usually releases of this kind lack a bit. Quirky stuff is also present in Snill Sang Pa Band, which shifts from jazz to up tempo brass-driven rhythms, nicely flavoured by accordion and banjo. Arrangements and textures are very rich, smartly switching from soft and tender (wisely using mellotron and flute) to more aggressive and progressive. Actually, technically speaking the group does a very good job, and the percussion and drumming is really something to notice. They also wisely chose to avoid overloading their sound (with, for example, strings), which would make the material rather heavy. Interestingly though, some tracks do give a symphonic feeling. Proggers should not miss the highly experimental track Frenetisk Frenologi, featuring the heaviest guitar riffs in the album and wild mood and tempo swings.
The music is a long and adventurous journey in the universe of sounds, tempos and moods. The band in this release also offers some more mellow moments, a nice direction to depart from their previous material. As a tiny criticism, I would like to say that I am not utterly convinced that the very solemn (and slightly misleading) opening track Koralrevens Klagesang I fits very well with the rest of the material. Same goes for the track at the other end of the scale (Snill Sang Pa Band). Had they managed to fit those better into the whole, the outcome would be simply excellent. Anyway, despite this, this is great and promising stuff for lovers of the avant-garde progressive scene. Apart from fans of VDGG, Univers Zero and Crimson, fans of Gong or Zappa or even Gentle Giant will definitely enjoy too. For the rest, I'll stress the fact that this release is both accessible and enjoyable and, to me, well-worth checking out!
Conclusion: 8 out of 10
CHRISTOS AMPATZIS
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