TECHNATURA

Vulkan is a talented and energetic Swedish progressive hard rock and metal act that, given their talent and how long they've been around, should be more popular than they are. Their sound on Technatura can be described as alternative metal but with the technical and compositional chops of proper metal and prog acts. Their singer Jimmy Linblad is definitely the stand out element.

With all that said, there are a couple of flaws with the record that prevent me from giving it a higher rating. For starters, the songs really all start to sound the same after 'Sp'kskepp.' The instrumental psychedelic interludes are all forgettable. And while I give the group a lot of credit for opting to sing some tracks in their native language, the lyrics in English that I do understand really come off tone deaf in the current environment. Corona virus and the lockdowns it has instigated has emphasized to humanity the extent to which nature is still out to kill us and how much information technology (i.e. the 'second life in what we call a screen' in the record's opener) can help us maintain some normalcy despite the lock down. I really have no interest in their brand of "wake up sheeple" edginess given what's at steak at the moment.