HØST

Well, this is awesome music in every way and it's a cult record among fans of the seventies rock in Scandinavia. It contains some really spectacular songs of the class of masterpieces. "Fattig men fri" is an agitating anthem which starts everything. Directly I was caught by the great vocals of Jahren and the skillful musicians that did so many innovative stuff(10/10). The title track is also as lovely as it should be: "På sterke vinger" is a hard rock song, but it is progressive in every aspect and the viruosity shines through it all(10/10). It's the very best song on the album and also the best Norwegian song I have heard. It is wonderful that the band sings in Norwegian, one of the best languages actually. Even English singing Norwegian bands have a lot to be proud of I know. "Satans skorpe" and "Dit vi må"(both 9/10) are also almost perfected abnd the other three songs are more than good as well.

"Höst" (autumn/fall) plays progressive hard rock which appeal to me more than for example Rush does and the have earned their reputation of one of Norway's best bands. The music is lead by the clear guitars and the strong hard rock vocals, but this is not agressive and too heavy music. It is fine and withdrawn at the same time. Then I wonder why I hold back my five stars. My song to song rating ends at 4.43 and I believe I will higher my rating. Right now though I don't feel the album is so coherent and constant awesome that five is fair but this is, dear progers as close as five stars a four star rating will come. A realy good album! Best song: "På sterke vinger"

With two guitarist in the line-up the sound of Høst was built around the twin guitar leads of Rønning and Nilsen, while their style drew influences from British Hard Prog and Progressive Rock with a bit of a Scandinavian character on the poetic Norwegian vocals.To my ears the group sounds a lot like BLACK SABBATH jamming with KAIPA and THIN LIZZY.The tracks are not very complex, featuring extended guitar leads with some nice solos, measured organ and piano parts, while the good vocals of Jahren are also a basic component of the group's sound.The structures are rather simplistic with standard choruses, yet the overall approach is quite irritating with changing guitar themes and some good alternating tempos.The long eponymous closer is another story.Clocking at 10 minutes this composition is based on the shifting changes between melodic guitar parts ala KERRS PINK, poetic vocals in the vein of KAIPA and more doomy explorations in the vein of BLACK SABBATH.There are also some nice bass lines to be found around the middle, the presence of keyboards remains rather discreet, while the epic multi-vocal choirs at the end are pretty exciting.

The album has been reissue on CD by Pan Records, so anyone can listen to this work, which sounds sometimes close to the Proto-Metal sound of SCORPIONS.Nice and recommended effort.

The first six track are from a live concert in Karlstad, Sweden back in 1975. This concert was also broadcast on radio in Sweden.The singer talks in Norwegian between each track. The instrumental "Ase" is my favourite from this section. I like the songs they chose for this concert but the sound quality isn't as good as what we get with the rest of the album.

The next three tracks were from a re-union concert from 1991. Good sound on this one and that makes all the difference in the world.The bass and guitar really stand out on these three tracks.This is a glimpse at how powerful this band was."Fattig Men Fri" is my favourite from this section. Just the raw guitar and heavy sound as the drums pound away is so gratifying to me. Haha. I like when it settles too. Scalding guitar after 3 minutes. Huge bass later.

The last four tracks are previously unreleased and come from a period when the band had changed their name to ICE and started to sing in English. Only the vocalist and bass player remained. They were looking for some wide-world success but they broke up before even recording an album. There four tracks were recorded in 1978 from a Norwegian TV show. Not really a fan of these songs.

So 3 stars is all I can give, non-essential. Stick to their two outstanding studio releases.

"Fattig Men Fri" opens with 30 seconds of fury before it settles down as reserved vocals come in. I thought I heard mellotron but it's "string ensemble". The one guitarist also plays moog, clavinet, organ, and grand piano. Nice guitar solo after 3 minutes as well. Awesome opener and probably my favourite. "For Sent A Angre" opens with guitars as bass and drums join in followed by vocals. I really like the drumming on this one. More excellent guitar after 1 1/2 minutes. "I Ly Av Morket" opens with piano as drums then reserved vocals arrive. Tasteful guitar after 3 minutes. This is fairly mellow overall and my least favourite.

"Satans Skorpe" starts off slowly but gets better as it goes. Some vocal harmonies in this one too. Great sound after 1 1/2 minutes as it gets heavier. Guitar solo a minute later and check out the chunky bass. The tempo picks up late as the guitar rips it up. "Dit Vi Ma" is just so impressive, just sitting back and listening to these guys play is a joy. Nice fat bass in this one and some blistering guitar. "Samhold" is more aggresiive with some killer bass. Vocals a minute in. Scorching guitar after 2 minutes. The vocals really shine on this one. "Pa Sterke Vinger" opens with guitar as passionate vocals with floating background organ comes in. Very melodic guitar leads on this one. The ground shaking bass before 5 minutes is joined by guitar and drums.They seem to just jam at this point. Nice.The guitar lights it up after 7 minutes. Vocals are back a minute after that.

My kind of music ! A must for fans of Heavy Prog.

I like the vocal melody to open the instrumental "Ase" it's pretty funny. "Lektyre" is an orchestral song with vocals. "Sirkus" is the longest tune and one of my favs. I like the aggressive guitar playing and there is some violin and what sounds like the accordion to me. The opener is a good one, with crisp drumming and some beautiful guitar melodies. "Gorobin" opens with some intricate guitar before we get the full sound around the 2 minute mark.The drums and organ dominate although the guitar is again great !

My favourite song is "Nattergalen" as it all seems to come together beautifully. The guitar, drums and vocals are incredible while the flute solo is a nice touch. Organ play follows and then an amazing guitar solo. There are some good bass lines in the final song "Aeraeeo" and I swear Fezza can make his guitar talk. The vocals are theatrical and the organ and flute all add to an amazing sound.

This took a while to grow on me but right from the start there was no disputing the talent of this Norwegian band. A beauty from 1976.

My personal highlight on this album has got to be Satans Skorpe. A neverending groove with a highpitched howl from Geir Jahren at the end of the track. Truly an excellent hard rock track.

This album won't get full score from me, mostly because of "I Ly Av Mørket" and "Dit Vi Må". They aren't exactly fillers, but they fail to outconquer the great melodies which can be found on the other tracks. An excellent addition to any prog music collection! I would recommend this album to prog rockers, people who listen to metal and to the hard rock fans.

Truly a lost gem!

If I were to recommend similiar music out of Norway, I would say Popol Vuh (they later changed their name to Popol Ace). Their leadvocalist was Jahn Teigen who wields the same type of vocalstyle as Geir Jahren did. The music of Popol Vuh/Ace is quite a different story as they nod their heads a little bit more to the krautrockscene in Germany.

Overall; Great musicians, many great songs, though a couple of weaker ones too. The opener, "Profeters Ord" is the best track. A great and catchy opener that is not easy to dislike if you like 70's prog! I recommend this album strongly to Symphonic Rock/Art Rock fans. It's a bit heavier than most regular prog, but not at all disappointing! 4/5 minimum!