MOTORPSYCHO & STÅLE STORLØKKEN: THE DEATH DEFYING UNICORN

Motorpsycho is a band that I've been wanting to explore the discography of for a really long time at this point, predominantly for the simple reason that The Death Defying Unicorn is not only one of the best prog albums of the decade, but one of the best prog albums ever created in general. The Death Defying Unicorn is an album that feels as if it manages to get almost everything right that it sets out to do. The story told is evocative and plays perfectly into being able to support some very strong atmosphere, which the album capitalises upon very frequently to the point where so much of what is explored can be understood purely through the music. The vast array of instrumentation brought into the fray further reinforces how strong the imagery can be and how intense things can get as well, with both a brass and string orchestra being integrated through the psychedelic, dense compositions to give them further depth and dramatic flair. With this album, it's not just a case of how much it feels that it does that makes it so impressive, but the fact that every element of it goes so far beyond what one could typically expect from such ideas, ensuring that not a single element of their craft feels underutilised or even merely just good, all culminating in one of the finest albums out there.

The album immediately kicks off and represents how utterly inspired and intense it is with the intro track Out of the Woods, with the very first note being a high pitched, shaky clarinet tone that carries on for an extremely long time, creating an uneasy tone with a sense of underlying beauty and chaos that's only elevated once the horns and strings come in. I love the way it almost sounds as if these instruments are battling against one another as the strings in the background add some theatricality and majesty to it all, with an increasingly huge amount of layers being piled on top, the most satisfying being once you get to hear the melodic intro of The Hollow Lands. This works not only because of immediately creating a throughline between the two tracks and having them transition nicely, but also allows what essentially feels like 3 minutes of buildup to completely erupt into a flurry of power from everything, the drums going all over the place, playing in such a way that barely holds any sense of rhythm and instead more closely resembles the aggressive crashing of waves to immediately establish the nautical theme the album takes on. This chaotic intro is balanced nicely with some more stripped back sections that introduce the vocals, which throughout are sung and harmonised by 2 of the band members and give off a rather unique effect that makes them sound constantly drowned out, yet with a distinct sense of intensity. I feel this represents the tumultuous mental state of the main character rather well as he's forced to embark on a journey he never wanted to be a part of, with the crashing drums creating some very evocative imagery of the threats to allow the listener to further sympathise, with the atmosphere and soundscapes being that of danger and exploration of the unknown. This song does an utterly fantastic job at setting the tone and direction quite a bit of the album takes on, and even ends with a moment of beautiful melancholy with some soft string arrangements that further adds to the storytelling.

With all of this said however, the peak of the album's exploration of inner turmoil and fear is Through the Veil. While the song is 16 minutes long, I'm confident that every moment of it serves to contribute both to itself and the album as a whole, from the gradually building intro to the remorseful conclusion. One of my favourite things about the song however is its main riff, as not only does it sound extremely groovy and memorable, but it gives off some really strong Black Sabbath vibes that I absolutely love in this, adding yet another dimension of sound to something that's already got 5 different things going on at all times. Much of the chaos that The Hollow Lands brought forth is toned down in favour of being an increasingly intense display of regret, which ends up giving off a subtle, yet undoubtedly noticeable tonal difference as well, with the song tapering off at multiple points and bringing forth these long, fast-paced passages, almost as if the vocals are being interrupted by powerful outside forces. Stuff like this is part of what I find makes this album so special, just the way that so much attention is paid to these details to make the music work as a storytelling device without sacrificing anything at all, still sounding phenomenal at basically any point. The track also comes to a close in a pretty clever way after the music reaches some insane climactic moments, shifting this anger at the situation that was created into one of quiet resignation and acceptance, the repeated line of "I can never go back there" being particularly chilling for this reason, as well as foreshadowing the direction a lot of what's left of the album ends up taking. This progression from having the loud, intense moments of music representing a character to instead representing the harsh surroundings the story takes place in ends up giving the album all the more character along with the ability to craft some even more full-on passages.

Into the Gyre represents this change rather well, as despite the fact that the song's about a ship getting completely destroyed by the sea in a very violent way, the first half of things are extremely light and minimalistic, which mirrors this sense of quiet resignation about the situation. With that said, not only does this end up being the magnum opus of an album full of masterpieces, but it just feels like it manages to go even a step further than everything else. With this said, my favourite moment here is those first few minutes, with everything being played so softly that you can here the clarinet players breathing through their instruments and the subtle differences in airflow thanks to the reeds being opened and closed, with other elements like interwoven tambourines and the central flute melody contributing even further to the feeling of lushness. I particularly like the way that this force of nature isn't even musically represented in what could be considered an evil way or anything as well, instead bring framed in a threatening, yet completely beautiful and majestic light, with passages of sweeping strings completely engulfing everything. The next portion of the album, from Flotsam to Sharks all carries a very similar feel to it, but it's one that I find really admirable and interesting. Not much really happens here, everything has a tendency to just feel very, very sparse. This sets up a tone that feels truly hopeless, with the only moments of heightened emotion coming in the form of desperate cries for help that you already know will be answered by nobody, really capturing this feeling of being totally alone in what feels like a truly impossible situation. With this said, I do understand that some might not really enjoy this, especially in the case of La Lethe, with is basically 8 minutes of sparse instrumentation that sounds akin to small waves slowly rocking assorted pieces of driftwood and rafts, but I just think that it adds to much to the album to get this extended period of total isolation.

Sharks is where the album starts to pick up again, but also manages to start off at the album's emotional low point with the simple but effective technique of simply having only one of the vocalists take part at first. This immediately makes everything feel incredibly empty and has the eventual buildup and first moment of energy in about 25 minutes feel absolutely gargantuan, with the alternating horns and strings being incredible at conveying a growing sense of resentment and desire to do literally anything about what still feels hopeless. This moves into Mutiny! flawlessly and ends up being yet another of the many moments here that I consider perfect. The ascending strings, the bass, everything about the song just has a driven feel to it completely devoid of any uncertainty or tentative feelings, a moment of complete triumph within what's been a largely miserable experience, and it just doesn't stop for the entire duration of the song and just, wow, what an incredible release and moment of positivity from within an album that constantly conveys things going horribly wrong. The true genius however, is the fact that Into The Mystic exists, taking this fury and triumph, and then revealing that it literally didn't change the situation at all, everyone left is still going to die, there's still nobody to find their wreck, it's still the end of the road for them. Despite this, the track which is mostly a reprise of The Hollow Lands, just with different lyrics, ends off on a far more positive note, with the melancholic strings being replaced with a far more energetic arrangement with some lovely mellotron, which at first could seem a bit strange, until it's all revealed where so much of this fear and frustration that's been perpetuated throughout stems from. In the end, the main cause of so much strife is that of lacking any control or agency, making what could seem like a fruitless endeavour to some end up becoming such a pure moment of hope. Sure, the protagonist ends up being alone at sea, but he still feels as if he can accept it optimistically now, knowing that he did all in his power and took back his life in those final moments, a moral victory like no other, and leaves the album on a profoundly bittersweet note that I'm a huge fan of.

Overall, while there may be some small issues throughout The Death Defying Unicorn, it is nonetheless one of the boldest and most exciting prog album I've heard. The blending of psychedelic rock and prog with such bombastic string and horn arrangements give the album something special, especially with how perfectly integrated they really are, making them feel like more than just another flavour of the standard prog formula, instead sounding just like itself and like barely anything else to quite the same effect. Albums like this prove that even if progressive rock might not have the same popularity or universal appeal as it once did, but it's by no means dead, with some of the genre's best material still coming out these days. If there's one prog album to check out from the 2010s, then it's definitely this one in my opinion, there's just so much right with it and so little that I could consider a flaw, insane stuff.

Best tracks: Through the Veil, Into the Gyre, Mutiny!, Into the Mystic

Weakest tracks: Doldrums