BRIMSTONE - Mannsverk

Kategorie: CD-Reviews | Genre: Artrock, Psychedelic/Space Rock | Heft: eclipsed Nr. 160 / 5-2014, Jahrgang 2014 | VÖ-Jahr: 2014 | Wertung: 8.5/10 | Label: Karisma | Autor: BSV


At the eclipsed-Festival in November 2005 the Brimstone Solar Radiation Band had a lot of fun on stage. The audience, too. The Norwegians saved their good mood up to the hotel, where they just missed the disturbance. Forgive them. Those days are long gone. The Brimstone Solar Radiation Band became Brimstone in 2014. A sign that the band has grown up. Already on "Smorgasbord" from 2009 the band had reduced their playful-naive psychedelic of the first two albums in favour of a larger variety of styles. Brimstone are now consistently continuing on this path with "Mannsverk". Don't worry, the quartet hasn't lost its humor. The Schalk, the Schelm and the joke stand out from all eight songs. The shrewdness in the voice of guitarist/singer R. Edwards is greater than ever. Even the psychedelic is still up to no good. But Brimstone have matured. With sovereignty and ease they combine art rock, jazz rock, psych, funk and progressive into a harmonious flow that produces countless beautiful melodies: be it in vocals, guitar lines or organ passages. All new tracks have a special kick: for example the clattering groove with the sinewy guitar in the middle of "Sjø & Land" (which ends as an unparalleled anthem), the creaking funk basses in "Voodoo", the ghost sounds (a theremin?) in "A Norwegian Requiem", the furious instrumental part in "Flapping Lips At Ankle Height" or the feverishly shimmering keyboards in "This Is The Universe". With "Mannsverk" Brimstone have taken their songwriting and arranging to a new level. And most importantly, they have still retained their childlike play instinct.

Top track: Sjø & Land

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