EVERY PIXIE SELLS A STORY

I have this one sitting pretty but quietly, like a shy girl at a timid prom just waiting for an invite to dance. Well "Whiter Shade of Pale" this isn't I can guarantee you , rather way beyond the Pale if you catch my cosmic drift! This obscure Swedish band is an immense enigma at first listen, leaving the listener somewhat unable to rapidly get one's bearings, I mean is it Alternative , is it Industrial like Ministry, gothic like Bauhaus or harsh electronic like Killing Joke? Or is it just old fashioned space prog, albeit with a deranged twist ? All of the above really, the music is austere with constant bursts of raging mellotron, angular guitar and driving beats. Peder Jansson is the crafty guitarist, Kenneth Magnusson the 'tronman and synthesist as well as the Moorochestra on dual drums, dual bass (Stefan Renström of future Simon Says is a star) a second guitarist and a sax blower. They all relish in the role of hawkfans and play accordingly : brutally frank and unrelenting . But the true deviator is the gruesome and bleak vocals from Hans Moll, who can recite one moment and growl the next. On the sizzling opener "Consider Death" (see what I mean by macabre?) ambient synth scapes often enter the fray as if to somehow anesthetize the foreboding and morbid onslaught. Once you start getting into it, the genius shines through like when the bass rumbles through the haze, the sparkling guitar right behind and poised for the soar. "Neo- Futurist Fantasy "(now that's what I call a title!) slings the enjoyment in a totally late 80s groove, reminiscent of weird groups such as A Split Second, Cassandra Crossing and Moev, full of nasty lyrics about "unshaven legs, small tits and big asses" and a few f*** bombs thrown in for good measure! Gloomy fun! "Candlelight" is closer (oops!) to Joy Division with synths, a haunting mellotron sweeping through the fray, monolithic pounding and a supremely detached voice that has some Robert Calvert leanings (which is a very good thing). "Now" features a gripping axe solo, lusty and abrasive towards the plaintive voice, a sheer document on delirium of the wildest kind, while "Night & Day" is nearer territories covered by odd 90s bands like Trisomie 21 and Front Line Assembly, who where more electro-punk than progressive , relying almost exclusively on synths and computers to wreak their brand of havoc. But when church organ appears out of nowhere and ushers in even more grandiose mellotron (especially the choir samples for which I am a total gaga sucker), how can you not be enthralled, enraptured and flung into a very original style of prog. The Hawkwind vibe appears very evident on "Angels of Death" (another cheery title!) since it was penned by Hawkman Dave Brock and there is nothing here but celestial bliss, a screaming rocket groove that even has those Moev style vocals as Moll intones "We Are Warriors on the Edge of Time", absolute fun if you are not expecting complexity but just sonic delight as with the whistling synth solo that careens frantically over the horizon, the merciless binary beat unforgiving. Superb song! "Mines of Moria " is a brief ambient interlude that lays the groundwork for the epic "Alien Statement", a 10 minute + galactic crusade where Moll recounts how "My craft is loaded with vicious anti-matter" (laughter track!) and where the mighty Magnusson mellotron rules again supreme in most brilliant fashion , verging almost into the experimental and the symphonic. Unexpected after all the relative minimalist onslaught. While perhaps not everyone's cup of tea but under certain circumstances, this album will provide a lot of enjoyment as well as a slick conversion tool towards prog from fans of the above mentioned. You never know, they may actually succumb to the heady sounds and endless voyages! I cannot wait to hear about some of your comments, as Space/Psychedelic fans, as well as Heavy progsters will love this stuff, as long as they have an open mind. Give it a try ! 4.5 wading bogs

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