THE SONGS & TALES OF AIROEA

The indicator that progressive rock is in good hands and that inspiration for creating timeless and high-quality music will never disappear is definitely the project The Chronicles of Father Robin, which was formed back in 1993 at a time when prog rock was experiencing a rebirth. Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo, Jon André Nilsen and Henrik Harmer formed the band and that's when the story and creation of the basis and concept for the Father Robin trilogy begins. So before us are people who have shown their power to create incredible prog rock in bands like Wobbler, Tusmørke, Jordsjø and The Samuel Jackson Five. YES, the cream of the Norwegian scene is together and they have created something that is simply unforgettable. The very mention of these bands already gives an idea of what to expect, but believe me, you will get much more, here the mix between symphonic prog, folk, heavy prog, jazz and eclecticism takes on a new meaning, music that is not from this world, but a divine journey through mystical lands. This is a supergroup where different styles converge in search of an original musical language. Original, complex and extremely particular in the melodic/harmonic textures, this musical story consists of three parts: Book I - The Tale of Father Robin (State of Nature), Book II - Ocean Traveler (Metamorphosis) and Book III - Magical Chronicle (Ascension).

The arrangements are fantastic, very rich in variations and with a continuous use of a multitude of instruments. The space "granted" to the musicians is often resolved in fugues and continuous interventions that give color and atmosphere to the compositions, as if they were a game of mirrors that change the perspective, or small doors that open onto small secret rooms, one behind the other, along the way.

The music is supported by a marvelous acoustic guitar from which arpeggios of extraordinary beauty and the inevitable sweet sound of the flute spring; subsequently the inspired main themes unfold on which the various members of the group try their hand, especially on the fabulous keyboards. Hymn-like passages with a good deal of pathos and bombast stand alongside filigree, fragile, lyrical moments. You always discover something new with every new listen and depending on your mood, you can always experience the album anew. Not only that the musicians manage to push the boundaries of time in such a way that it is almost impossible to assign this album to a musical era, but they also manage to reconstruct and adapt the essence of their influences and create a formidable brew from it with ease. From the musical point of view, we can hear the quintessence of what can be considered the best European prog, with some references to the great classics of the past and that brilliant Scandinavian prog of the 90s. The perfection of the construction of the album in this case is expressive, clear and shocking. It is presented continuously, very complicated, with tempo changes and brilliant openings. The expressive verb is that of progressive "in purity", without contamination: instrumental sound alchemy, brilliant and mystical texts, evoked with various keyboards, guitar refinements, pulsations, rhythms with odd times which, even if handled with dexterity and skill, never yields emotion to virtuosity as an end in itself.

There are frequent changes of rhythm, tempo, or mood - the band passes smoothly from stronger fragments, sometimes with a dissonant texture, to subtle moments, played in perfect harmony (and vice versa). And with all this diversity, also resulting from the band's extensive inspirations, they managed to create an extremely coherent work, perfectly thought out in every respect. At the same time, there is no unnecessary prolongation, dragging one thread for too long, or unnecessary sounds. There is no shortage of delightful moments when the instrumentalists climb to the heights of their performance skills, present interesting arrangement ideas, or show the ability to create really neat melodies.

Somewhere at the crossroads of psychedelic rock and prog at the end of the sixties, the classic period of the seventies, and the brilliance of prog in the nineties, this concept lies. Various keyboards bring precise and fantastic sounds that merge into one perfect whole and represent the main support in creating magical atmospheres. Andreas, as he does now in Wobbler, tells his tales fantastically, a vocalist who is definitely the best at telling a prog story. Emotion, strength, everything works at the highest level. The rhythm section goes right to the point, everything is in place, and the bass, in addition to grounding and supporting heavy moments, flows quite melodically through this album.

Convulsive and vigorous passages follow one another, the tempos when necessary are complex, and the bass and guitar riffs are powerful. Electric chords are also the excellence of the band. The guitar riffs in the compositions are always sharp, and alienating, calculating every compositional choice down to the second. The clear influence of local folklore combined with psychedelic and progressive sounds is like a spiritual affinity and from time to time creates a pastoral mood. The album delivers beautiful melody lines, chromatically sequenced chord accompaniment, and complicated arrangements. Despite the folk influences, there is no shallow tinkling, precisely because the whole thing was dressed in a brilliant prog rock robe. Most importantly: everything is skilfully interconnected, so conceptually thought out and properly arranged.

"Eleision Forest" in 12 minutes represents an incredible marriage of folk, hard rock and calibrated virtuosity intersecting to generate "mutant" structures, which look straight in the direction of the finest progressive rock. A rocking midtempo sustains the vocal harmonies, while the bass exudes lush, creative lines. A type of ballad that then transforms into a choral ride, driven by sharp rhythm guitars, dynamic, powerful and imaginative flute and bass harmonies. The instrumental sections and in particular the keyboard and guitar rise as real protagonists of the composition, together with that indefinable atmosphere that permeates the composition. "The Death Of The Fair Maiden" is a majestic, truly soothing composition which is mainly shaped by the elegant guitar which is often found in dialogue with the lush keyboard. Here we have the genetic predisposition to the "melodic side" of progressive: The focus is on fairy and elusive atmospheres, opting for a jazz-rock language, whose result is a music of elegant melancholy. Fifteen minutes of the "Twilight Fields" immediately make it clear that the band has accentuated its dark and heavy soul, through plots that, however, do not lose an ounce of dynamism. The vocal harmonies counterbalance this weighting, creating an engaging emotional light-dark passage. The epic and pressing raids of the instruments, with a percussive background gradually become the real noise of the soul and are opposed to the intimate and solitary phase, illuminated with melancholic light. The dramatic phrasing on the guitar transports us to corners of the mind that have never been explored. The arrangement and production of this work is impressive, and the composition "Green Refreshments" would be enough to demonstrate it: Flute, keyboards, eclectic guitar, bass and drums appear on the scene simultaneously and ominously. A sense of elusive lightness slowly creeps in, only to open the door to sudden explosions of acidity. The track is a journey, and it aims at captivating atmospheres consisting of hypnotic melodies and the purest progressive frenzy, but everything is presented as an organic union, both from a conceptual and compositional point of view. There is also room for dynamic and bombastic progressive rock, in this indescribable achievement. A small dose of avant-garde simply draws you into the world of brilliant sonic explosions, where rhythms are elaborated in crescendo, sometimes starting slowly and then exploding in delirious endings. A great example of this is the track "Unicorn". Jazzy but decidedly less frigid, melodic, but capable of lively turns, "Magical Chronicle" is presented by the perfect Canterbury influence. Same as in the mentioned song, the next one "Skyslumber" is also presented in a similar vein, everything transmits sensations and images that drag you into the dreamy valley that probably each of us would always like to visit. We are faced with a psychedelic origin skilfully supported by the entire band, but in the end, it is precisely the Canterbury style that dominates here. A truly fantastic psych prog ride is presented to us in "Empress Of The Sun", powerful passages with groovy sounds and a stormy guitar alternate with lyrical sequences accompanied by a keyboard and a fantastic rhythm section that marches phenomenally and emphasizes every part.

The band shines with all the colors of the musical rainbow: from subtle folk, marked by the sounds of the flute, to heavy prog, from the fast and dancing rhythm section to the slow and majestic Hammond organ and other keyboards. Compositions that are dressed in a lot more folky, sometimes even medieval influences, are arranged in a multi-layered manner, one is hardly overwhelmed thanks to the solidity of what is presented and the crystal-clear, organic production, but instead invites one to linger in this fascinating dream world. These compositions have something strangely dreamlike about them due to the tendency to go on musical wanderings through unreal soundscapes and also somewhat jazzy influences. In these moments the result is a totally deeply relaxed soundscape that never reveals any aggressive or harsh sounds. There is no boredom, because interesting and unusual elements loosen up the melancholic mood, and sometimes almost happy-sounding melodies contrast with the contemplative-dreamy atmosphere, which in no way appears depressive.

The album ranges widely from dark to light and vice versa, offering brilliant moments and other introspective ones- Above everything flies the irrepressible and communicative expressiveness of the vocalist, whose voice guides the entire story and undeniably gives one of the strongest trademarks of the album. Despite the fact that here we have a lot of music to listen to, the accessibility of this concept is remarkably large. This is mainly due to the richness of the thematic material because no matter how long the songs last, an important degree of structure remains. TCOFR step on the gas, rise to hymn-like bombast, but also set lyrical, atmospheric accents. All in all a very colorful, diverse revival of classic prog in a contemporary sound guise.