RÖKFLÖTE

'RökFlöte' is the twenty-third studio album by legendary classic rock band Jethro Tull as well as the second installment in the "New Testament" of the resurrected version of the group led by Ian Anderson, who is accompanied either by musicians who have been part of Tull prior to the 2012 disbandment, or completely new members. This very album is informed on Norse mythology, drawing inspiration from pagan rites perhaps, and while not necessarily a concept record, the thematic thread is rather interesting. Originally intended as an instrumental album centered around flute pieces by Anderson, the frontman had found himself writing lyrics and full songs soon after, resulting in another complete work of new recordings, essentially an homage to the 70s and quite similar to (yet overall better than) 'The Zealot Gene' from 2022.

Structured as a classic album, with its twelve track-tracklist, 'RökFlöte' presents an interesting resurgence of those traditional J-Tull antics and sounds, much beloved by fans of the band's late 60s/early 70s period, with leading flutes, swiveling all over the place, around which the other members virtually play the music of Ian Anderson, supporting him in the crafting of the various pieces. Stylistically, this album certainly qualifies as folk-rock with progressive tendencies, and quite frankly, there are plenty of joyous, marvelous and exquisitely well-written instrumental passages, eventually supporting the idea that this might have been a gorgeous instrumental Tull release. Songs like 'Ginnungagap', 'Hammer on Hammer', 'Wolf Unchained', 'Trickster', 'The Navigators' and 'Ithavoll' all offer a daring amalgamation of the heavy and acoustic guitar riffs, the lovely mandolin, and Anderson's spiky, warm flutes, generally reminiscent of albums like 'Heavy Horses', 'Aqualung', and even 1969's 'Stand Up'. But while the music is excellent all throughout, the vocals hardly impress as it had been noticed on 'The Zealot Gene', somehow collapsing the overall experience of this album, which is good, coherent and enjoyable at large.

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