TUBE ALLOYS

I remember I had read some raving reviews about this album when it came out and I decided to hear it and see for myself. Judging by the cover I thought it would either lean into the stoner genre or it would be deep-knee into 70s. Turned out it was the second. Be forewarned, if you definitely want guitars to be present, then don't waste any time at all because there are none. The dominant instrument here is Fredrik Andersson's keyboards. When the album was over, I found I had no issue with that, but what really mattered to me was that the album was way too late 60s/early 70s (I guess, one has to be a really experienced listener to tell if the album was released back then or if it is a more recent recording) to the point I got me wondering what was the point of making such an album in 2018. I found nothing really interesting to latch on to. Neither the song structures nor the solos in them raised my interest a bit. I do believe that the music is more at home when played live, but personally I wouldn't reach for it and spin it. Still, I'd like to stress that fans of Hammond and Organ and Keith Emerson, Jon Lord and Ken Hensley should give it a chance because they may well find something that will keep them engaged.