FOREVER COMES TO AN END

A gloomy, rather ''depressive'' mood veils Bjorn Riis' second album, aptly titled 'Forever Comes to an End'. Lyrics are equally moody and dark. Here, the Airbag mastermind blends the main influences of his core band with some post-rock structures and occasional heavier riffs. The end result is not very dissimilar in nature though. The ghost of Pink Floyd is ever-apparent.

The album kicks off with an unexpected catchy heavy post-rock riff. Unfortunately the verse vocal melody is rather indifferent but luckily saved by the refrain, reminding Anathema's 'Judgement' days. 'Absence' and 'Calm' are instrumental short fillers, preceding the rather lengthy 'The Waves', 'Winter' respectively, which, along with and the closing 'Where are you Now', all display the same pattern: low-tempo, ballad-like compositions, based on ambience and a piano/acoustic guitar background. Unfortunately all are longer than required without a striking feature that would lift them of their slumber mode, despite the pleaseant melodies. 'Getaway' is the exception to the rule; although being instrumental and running for 8 minutes on a standard mid-tempo, keeps the interest high with its simple-yet-catchy keyboard melody and ''trippy'' vibe.

Sadly there is not much more on which to elaborate. Fans of post-2000 Anathema, David Guilmour and of course Airbag might find a lot to appreciate here. 2 stars