Jupiter Society - First Contact // Last Warning

Year of Release: 2008
Label: Fosfor Creation
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 60:39:00

One day soon, I suppose that all forms of media entertainment will merge and we will have a total immersion in sound, sight and physical sensation. Along the way, various types of media will ally themselves together in attempts to bring new life to the arts. We don't even stop to think about the union of music with most forms of visual communication. Whether it is films, TV shows, video games or whatever, music helps make the visual arts much more effective and whoever can tie music to another form of visual art will move ahead of the crowd?.. for a while anyway.

One current link that makes a lot of sense is the union of science fiction and fantasy comics and graphic novels and progressive rock music. As is usual, let me say that I am about the one millionth person to come to this opinion and I must also admit that a lot of people are already approaching this idea from a multitude of angles. Prog is used as the soundtrack to some sci-fi based video games and it is just natural that some musicians have begun to produce music that bridges the gap between what is heard and what is seen.

Arjen Lucassen has produced several "space operas" with his Ayreon discs and now from the mind of Carl Westholm, best known for the bands Carptree and Krux, comes First Contact // Last Warning. This ominous sounding title is the first release from Jupiter Society, Westholm's newest band project which features the Carptree mastermind supported by a multitude of Swedish progressive musicians.

The first thing to make an impression on me was the cinematic quality of the 8 tracks presented on the disc. Most tracks begin with spacey ambient keyboard effects that set the stage for the song that follows. The next element of these tracks that stands out is the frequent use of pedal tones. Many of these compositions feature static bass lines while the keyboards move above the simple bass patterns. The guitars usually double the bass lines which leaves most of the melodic development to Westholm's keyboards and the cast of vocalists he assembled for this project. Everything revolves around the album's lyrics and First Contact // Last Warning tells the tale of a starship's crew attacked by an unknown enemy. Musically dark, cold and distant, the Jupiter Society's music is not meant to warm one's heart, but rather to send a chill down the listener's spine. It shares the same fine attention to detail that Carptree's discs display, but none of the pop elements that are essential to that band's character. The Jupiter Society takes a far heavier approach to their sound and the players and singers are well suited to the task.

The vocalists gathered for this disc include Nils Erickson, Oivan Tronstad, Cia Backman, Mats Leven (Krux, Yngwie Malmsteen) and Declan Burke (Darwins Radio, Frost). With all this vocal talent on display it's hard to choose a favorite but I have to give extra kudos to Leven, who reminds this listener of David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days. Also contributing to the Society's debut disc are Leif Edling (Candlemass, Krux) on bass, Ulf Edelonn on guitars and Jonas Kallsback behind the drum kit, among others.

Jupiter Society will be sure to capture the ears and attention of many prog fans and maybe even a few unrepentant metal heads as well. Anyone who appreciates well written material with outstanding production values and stellar vocal performances should give this disc a spin.

Tracklisting:
The Pilot / Bismarck Explorer / Cold Rigid And Remote / Abduction / The Enemy / Solitude Unites Us / 8511 / Presumed Dying

Musicians:
Nils Erickson, Oivan Tronstad, Cia Backman, Mats Leven, Declan Burke - vocals
Jonas Waldefeldt - percussion
Leif Edling, Sven Lindvall, Stefan Fanden - bass
Ulf Edelonn - guitars
Jonas Kallsback, Lars Skold - drums
Carl Westholm - piano, synthesizers, vocoder, whispering
Jan Hellman - acoustic baritone guitar

Discography:
First Contact // Last Warning (2008)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin SE

Added: June 10th 2008
Reviewer: Tom Karr
Score:
Artist website: www.jupitersociety.se
Hits: 4869
Language: english