JORM

A mysterious group from Sweden, that started as a joke through bandcamp being a lost 70's pearl, but appears to have its roots in the 00's.For the first self-titled album the line-up consisted of Jonathan Andersson on vocals, flute and acoustic guitars, Christian Skogh on bass, Stefan Hackman on lead guitar, Tony Kajblom on keyboards and Billy Brunflo on drums.

The truth is that the recording quality is reminiscent of a 70's album with a muddy but listenable production supporting Jorm's music.The style is a melodic Psychedelic Proto-Prog with some BEATLES-esque vocal harmonies flavored with pure Symphonic Rock in the vein of GENESIS and YES.Some tracks have a lovely and nostalgic late-60's vibe with acoustic guitars, organ and melodic vocals in the forefront, although the electric solos and some use of synths give the impression the band already was moving towards a more demanding direction.There are plenty of symphonic-oriented arrangements with some beautiful keyboard parts, light flute work and catchy melodies, while the guitar playing becomes more complicated and the structures more adventurous, characterized by excellent switches between Mellotron, organ and synthesizers and long, dreamy instrumental themes.The Classical influence is also obvious in a few keyboard parts, while the more orchestral pieces are flirting also with THE MOODY BLUES sound.The result is an album full of pleasant, vintage nuances and enough complexity to reward the Progressive Rock fan ,they sometimes remind me of another long forgotten Swedish act, SUSPEKT ASPEKT.

It is never late to discover another overlooked, retro-styled Progressive Rock album.''Jorm'' is exactly that and the bandcamp post of this work gives you a really good chance to listen to their great music.Recommended, especially if you are deep into the Classic Prog era.