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Vulkan - Technatura CD (album) cover

TECHNATURA

Vulkan

Heavy Prog

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ssmarcus
3 stars 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.

Report this review (#2439155)
Posted Tuesday, August 18, 2020 | Review Permalink
kurtrongey
4 stars These guys from Karlstad, Sweden have put together about as close to a perfect heavy prog album as I've heard in a long time, gracefully executed and free of the hokiness that taints the genre. The songs are conceptually substantial and sonically meaty. Great vocals in both English and Swedish. A well-rounded band with a strong rhythm section that's metrically inventive without being contrived or convoluted. Wonderful intermingling of keyboards and guitar, with numerous moments of fairly breathtaking beauty. If you're into this style, this could be your album of the year. I love it. Although the album's uniformly good, I'd go with "Bewildering Conception Of Truth" and "Sp'kskepp" as standout tracks.
Report this review (#2448319)
Posted Thursday, September 17, 2020 | Review Permalink
Soul2Create
4 stars Vulkan is back! I loved their debut, but their second album left me cold, so I didn't know what to expect about this one. And now I can say: I am really liking it. If their first album reminded of The Mars Volta debut, and their second one used more organic rythms a la Tool, this one could be a fusion between those styles plus Haken and some psychedelic experimentation. Even if only the vocalist from the original line up is here, the band manages to create an excellent work that continues the path established in their first albums. Highly recommended to all fans of experimental heavy prog like Haken or Anekdoten. This band should be definetively more known in this site.
Report this review (#2480822)
Posted Saturday, November 28, 2020 | Review Permalink

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