FREMMEDE TONER

An old Norwegian metal band that uses folk traditions and some folk instruments. This is only their fourth album (since 2002) and first since 2007!

1. "Det Døde Barn" (4:50) I'm having trouble connecting with this song and, therefore, the band's music. Are they coming from a folk orientation or metal? It feels as if the lead singer and rest of the band have differing styles of choice--that each has to hold back a part of their own true inclinations in order to make the music work. (8.7510)

2. "En Harmoni" (5:11) Same trouble: can't connect/engage with this won. (8.5/10)

3. "Avskjed" (2:32) What is this supposed to be? (4/5)

4. "Under Linden" (4:29) the use of more acoustic instruments seems much more fitting to Mari's folkie voice. It helps even when the music ramps up to full on prog metal for the choruses and the instrumental passage third minute. I just wish the band's melodic sensibilities were more engaging and familiar. (8.66667/10)

5. "Fiolen" (2:20) piano band sounds like a Billy Joel jazz- or polka-lounge piece. The folk instrument palette is almost bluegrass. (4.25/5)

6. "Dagen Er Endt" (8:30) with Mari singing in a lower, more relaxed voice I find myself more engaged and contented. There's a little CICCADA/Evangelia Kozoni in this song--in Mari's performance. Too bad the dual guitars didn't ramp up for their dual solo around the three minute mark. Great vocal and band passage follows to complete the fourth minute and carry forward into the fifth. The prolonged instrumental sendoff is tasty. A top three song for me. (17.5/20)

7. "Das Tote Kind" (6:13) Mari's ghost-like vocalise pans around the soundfield as symths, finger-picked acoustic guitars, and Mellotron begin to fill the soundscape until at 1:15 the full band burst in with some uncomplicated metal instruments and riffs. Mari begins singing in a powerful metal ballad style made familiar to us by many other Norse/Nordic female vocalists of the past 30 years. However, she's just not quite as powerful as the good ones (like Simone Simon, Floor Jansen, or Noa Gruman). (8.75/10)

8. "A Match" (4:30) sounds like the continuation of the previous song, with arpeggiated electric guitar providing the only performance of the chord sequence, but using the same pacing and cadence--but here we have a male vocalist-- singing, rather pleasantly (theatrically) in English! When Mari joins in for the second verse she doubles up the lead vocal duties with her male partner. Very nice! At 2:30 everything comes to a stop as the two electric guitars and violin begin a little weave to drive the song along, bass, drums and male vocalist (now more aggressive with a theatric graininess in his voice). Mari and macho male dual out their conversation to the song's end. Interesting. (8.75/10)

9. "Abschied" (4:19) simple, bare-bones heavy prog baseline over which Mari sings--auf Deutsch! Unfortunately, there is nothing new or exciting here, just competence. (8.5/10)

10. "Under Der Linden" (4:10) another song sung in German, this one starts out very simply, almost like an iamthemorning song, but with the second verse it gets heavier support from guitars and drums, forcing Mari to amp up her own vocal performance. Around 1:25 the music enters a metallic instrumental passage of some kind of folk melody. When we return for the next vocal verse I get very strong reminders of the Dutch duo SCARLET STORIES--both musically and female vocally. (8.75/10)

11. "Das Veilchen" (3:44) yet another song sung in German (is Mari German?) near-classical piano support with rock band support flares up a little between or behind the vocal passages with delicate (and some not-so-delicate) electric guitar flourishes. The chorus motif sees the band move into a more standard rock strummed chord progression--and then straight into a nice lead guitar solo passage (with lush keyboard and expert support from the second guitar). Another top three song. (8.875/10)

12. "The Day Is Done" (8:24) piano and same theatric (think Phantom or JC Superstar) male vocalist open this one-- until, that is, a Rick Wakeman-like organ theme takes over in the second half of the second minute--which then turns into a classic prog-like motif of bombast reminding me of something by GLASS HAMMER with its aggressive male and gentle female vocals being traded and then combined (for the chorus). Nice instrumental passage using the same organ-based motif starts at 4:20 but then goes gentle and pastoral as piano takes over the organ's arpeggi while electric guitar and Michael Giles-like cymbal play provide the lead entertainment for a bit. By the six-minute mark the full band has reappeared in full prog bombast to support the tasteful lead guitar solo. At 6:50 we drop back to piano and bass as the male vocalist delivers a Peter Gabriel-like poetic vocal for a few measures, but then he (and the rest of the band) burst out into an impressively powerful outburst to finish the song. Impressive! Reminds me a lot of some of the NeoProg bands to come out of Italy in the 90s or Naughties--like Citizen Cain, The Watch, La Maschera Di Cena, or even Glass Hammer (who is, obviously, not Italian). Easily the best, my favorite, most proggy song on the album. (18.5/20)

Total Time 59:12

One of the most beautiful album covers I've seen in a long time. If only the music could match up, but no, this album has been in my review queue for some time but I've not been able to get engaged in the half dozen attempts I've made to review it: the music is just too simple and innocuous--all instrumental performances totally set up to support/enhance the vocal performances of Mari Klingen. This might work if it were not for Mari's innocuous folk- tinged vocals feeling totally mismatched with the heavily-restrained metal-disposed band who feel as if they are always ready (and bursting at the gut) to try to break loose into some full-on metal music.

B/four stars; an excellent, if confusing, collection of enigmatic and often ambiguous songs. I recommend that you to try it out for yourselves in order to form your own opinions.