Swifan Eolh & The Mudra Choir - The Key. 2019 Norway

Over 30 years ago, there was a new band from Norway that appeared on an also new LP-only imprint called Colours. That group was known as Utopian Fields, who managed two albums, and both of those have just recently received a CD reissue on the Norsk Classic Albums label. Swifan Eolh & The Mudra Choir (these monikers...) is version 2.0 of Utopian Fields, among others. All the newer bands from Norway are very well studied, and the music they produce is excellent, if not necessarily ear catching. You could read what I said about Tusmorke's latest, and apply it here. Unfortunately these Norwegian albums tend to all blur together (excepting Wobbler of course). I probably need a few hours of intense listening to begin to sift them all through my mind. For The Key, I listened to each side twice, but no specific words emerged. I didn't care for 'Tides are Turning' and liked the opener 'Wounded Dreamers' best. ProgArchives for their part make a point to call this "eclectic prog". I wouldn't have a clue what that meant, but Swifan Eolh & The Mudra Choir do seem a perfect fit for such a wide ranging genre. As for that defunct label Colours, Utopian Fields could be seen as the most obscure on the imprint, considering no less luminaries than Anglagard, Anekdoten, and Landberk all debuted there. Swifan Eolh & The Mudra Choir will be even more obscure in the annals of time.

Ownership: LP: 2019 Apollon. Gatefold. Lyric inner sleeve. I have to say that the packaging of all these new albums is very nice.

5/9/22 (new entry)

Love Gang - Dead Man's Game. 2019 USA-Colorado

I don't even know where to begin on this one. It checks off so many boxes, it's crazy. Down the line: 1) retro hard rock - check; 2) progressive hard rock - check; 3) early metal - check;  4) organ (possibly Hammond) - check; 5) flute(!) - check; 6) local grooves - check; 7) great cover - check; 8) overall coolness - check.

No way would have I ever heard of this were it not for my friends at What's Left here in the Springs. I was looking for something to spend my trade credit on, and they mentioned this album. They know my tastes lean towards the progressive and the retro - and far away from death metal. And they're from Denver? I said why not, I've got nothing to lose. And... all to gain. As is the case here.

It would appear to me that this album may be marketed to the wrong folks. Based on whatever reviews I can find, they seem to be from the metal camp. And that's OK, but for example I saw one person comment it reminded him exactly of Motorhead. Excuse me, but can you remind me again which Motorhead album has flute, sax, and organ? No - this needs to marketed to prog, krautrock, and hard rock fans.

The person we have to circle in the band here is Leo Munoz. Take him out, and you have a cool - but somewhat standard - hard rock band, albeit an interesting one. Munoz is the one responsible for the organ, flute, and sax. You just don't see too many bands today with that kind of talent on hand. He's the X factor for sure. Kam Wentworth is the guitarist, lyricist, singer, and is clearly the front man here. His singing is the one place where Lemmy comes to mind. Though honestly, I hear just as much Paul Di'Anno and even Ron Royce (Coroner). From an overall attitude, sound, and music perspective, I'm most reminded of Fort Worth's Blood of the Sun, though again the flute creates some separation. And considering the latter instrument, the Spanish band Ñu also comes to mind here.

All the tracks are satisfying on some level, though I appreciate the ones with more instrumental breaks. Side 2 is definitely the more adventurous of the two. The closer 'Endless Road' is the best for my tastes. If you're a fan of the late 70s /early 80s hard rock/metal/prog combination - you'll want this.

Ownership: LP: 2019 Colfax. Single sleeve. Caramel (whiskey?) colored vinyl. Lyric inner with old fashioned band pic. I needed to clean up the Discogs entry, which was a complete mess (and added new photos). For anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes in Denver, you'll understand the label meaning. Thanks to What's Left Records for this rec! Along with Crypt Sermon, best new band discovery in some time for me.

Group details: Facebook; Bandcamp

12/9/20 (new entry)

On the Raw - Climbing the Air. 2019 Spain

Modern albums who make a claim to jazz fusion usually don't interest me much these days. But On the Raw play a type of instrumental progressive rock with jazz fusion influences. It's interesting that I had just digested the Scope albums again via the new CD reissues, as On the Raw takes a similar approach. They used to call this music "Euro Rock" back in the late 70s and 80s. The compositions have a focus on melody as well as complexity. On the Raw are a full five piece including saxophone and flute, along with some guests on trumpet, violin, and female vocals, so the palette set is varied. While certainly a retro mindset prevails, and the instrumentation is decidedly from a past era, the album doesn't really sound like it's from the 70s. I'm scrambling to come up with a modern band that has traversed the same territory as On the Raw has done here. It rocks harder than fellow countrymen Herba d'Hameli for example. Maybe the debut album by Ingranaggi della Valle is a good guidepost. Sure, we're in obscuroland, but that's where On the Raw resides.

Ownership: CD: 2019 Redphone. Nice digipak with cool industrial photography in the booklet.

8/6/20 (new entry)

Thieves' Kitchen - Genius Loci. 2019 England

Thieves' Kitchen are back with their 7th album in roughly 20 years. Still in tow are some former members of Änglagård, and so the expectation is we'll be treated to another analog prog delight. As far as the analog part goes, this remains true. But the music on 'Genius Loci' is far more mellow than what we've come to expect from Thieves' Kitchen. It's dare I say - almost an Adult Contemporary take on classic Änglagård. Had I read that somewhere, I may have taken a pass here. Except that would have been a mistake. It's still Phil Mercy and Änglagård, so it's not really radio friendly. But it's very peaceful. The breathy vocals of Amy Darby remain (she'll never change), but it does fit the soothing nature of the music. Multiple plays reveal more each time. There are moments  of the past sprinkled throughout to keep a biting edge. It's a bit of a departure overall, but one I enjoyed. Not sure we need more of it, but as a one time experiment, it is worthy.

Ownership: CD: 2019 private. Comes in a digifile package with a fine lyrical booklet and reflections from Phil Mercy.

6/18/20 (new entry)

Arch / Matheos - Winter Ethereal. 2019 USA

One of the most exciting concepts on the theory of a multiverse is the idea of parallel lives in different worlds. John Arch and Jim Matheos give us one example of that - in a single universe. When John Arch left Fates Warning in 1987, the band chose Ray Alder as their front man and continued on their path, that continues to this day (very successfully I might add). Fast forward to 2003 and Arch and Matheos reunite again. Then in 2011 the partnership grew into an operational recording, though not touring, concern. It's remarkable how much this duo have been able to maintain the Awaken the Guardian sound, but pushed forward to our current day. It's as if Matheos has successfully been able to alter one path of his life in a delayed fashion.

Well there's really not that much else to say here. I've always enjoyed Fates Warning's rough-around-the-edges approach, as compared to the Berklee trained Dream Theater school. So if you are a fan of the classic early Fates Warning composition - and vocal - style, and are curious where it could have ended up - you have your answer here (and with 2011's Sympathetic Resonance, which is arguably even better).

CD: 2019 Metal Blade

CD comes in a fine digipak with a full booklet that contains lyrics and photos.