STARSTUFF

What a sworn unity, I mean this band, the line up as a constant as such, and those high quality standards in the same way. That is Mark Ilaug (guitars), Chris Malmgren (keyboards), Kyle Lund (bass) and drummer Rikki Davenport. Since 2012 they are delivering instrumental progressive rock at its best. And, come what may, f*** Covid-19, as the songs were written between January and July 2020, fortunately they do not stop. My former experiences with this band all were highly positive. Due to complexity and diversity their music bears a proper eclectic mood and ambiance. And now the good news, 'StarStuff' proves that the general spirit is quite evident, still. Thus now my sole fear stays, that I yet will misspell that band name at some point :-) Released via Rock Slacks Music the concept obviously also included a vinyl release on this occasion, that said here we have roundabout 40 minutes playing time, divided in 7 pieces.

With Firelight they immediately set an exclamation mark, OVRFWRD (correct?) is on fire, powerful, with dramatic organ and proper groove. Let It Burn (King George) then sees Paula Gudmundson with some nice flute contribution, and of course Mark Ilaug's haunting guitar solo excursion later on. The title track proves the band's skills that much. Just serves another very melancholic and psychedelic mood, also featuring spheric synths. This album again guarantees an entertaining experience. All over the course Chris Malmgren is underway with an extensive equipment, speaking of organ, piano, Moog and Mellotron. Means a lot to me, regarding approach and execution the OVRFWRD crew belongs to the finest contemporary prog bands deriving from the US.