Trettioåriga Kriget - Krigssång


Year of Release: 2004
Label: Mellotronen
Catalog Number: MELLOCD 017
Format: CD
Total Time: 52:21:00

In 1975, Trettioåriga Kriget (Thirty Years War) recorded their second album, Kriggsång (War Song), though it didn't actually see release until early 1976. As with Trettioåriga Kriget, Mellotronen has reissued this album on CD, in a digipack version with complete liner notes, again written by Olle Thörnvall; lyrics for all the songs, including the 3 bonus tracks; and more pictures.

Though the music is still relatively dark, it isn't quite as thick sounding - more areas of light in the arrangements, making the whole seem brighter. More shimmery guitar (Christer Åkerberg) phrases, use of percussion (Dag Lundquist), and a lighter feel to the bass (Stefan Fredin) than on the first. The one consistent is the quality of vocals (Robert Zima), strong and expressive, never going over the top (and less use of falsetto). All this certainly defines the title track. The piece is closed out by a brief, but emotive guitar solo. "Metamorfoser" is a bit restrained, acoustic in feel ... and vaguely Pink Floyd-ish and vaguely King Crimson-ish, but neither is a very strong element. More something in the richness of the arrangement and the complexity (and maybe the hint of mellotron that hints at TCOTKC period KC...). Beautiful guitar work from Åkerberg here, too.

"Jag Och Jag Och 'Jag'" has lighter, lyrical feel - delicate classical guitar phrases beneath the combined vocals of Zima, Fredin and Lundquist. The instrumental "Murar" ("Walls") puts a fat, smart and sassy bass up front, though a soloing guitar also is quite prominent... it may not be "pretty," but there's a palpable energy to it that makes it leap out of the speakers. Towards the end, you hear violin and guitar in duet...

The album's epic is the 17-plus minute "Krigssång II" - a funky, tart, jazzy piece. It was written because the band needed material to fill side two. The addition of swelling mellotron gives this a symphonic aspect. It traverses many moods, becoming a bit moody (certainly the bass does) at about half way through, but launching into a brighter, energetic passage shortly thereafter. Here to, a few moments later, we get some quick and light guitar work a tad reminiscent of Steve Howe. Though moments are also a bit early-Genesis-like.... Genesis in sound, Yes in execution... Later on, a passage twists along like a tango; except for the hard consonants, it also sounds a bit like Italian prog; Le Orme popped into mind, just as a sort of reference. Except that's it prog, so of course there's lots of variety (well, when done right), one might think a track of this length would get repetitive, or would lose a listeners interest. Nope; lots going on compositionally for one thing.

Three bonus tracks are included on this reissue - the mysterious, strutting (plucked bass) "En Kväll Hos X" starts things out, a bit tight and dark, but soon it's swinging loose, the addition of sax adding just a bit of fun sauciness. At times, during those strutting sections, I thought of 80s German pop... angular and quirky ("Der Kommisar," for instance). And we get another singing, searing guitar solo from Åkerberg, to boot. "Dagspress -76" is a groovy, moving number, putting Lundquist's drums right up in the mix, beneath tart guitar phrases from Åkerberg. "Moln" is the third bonus track, and is more somber affair, lead by often melancholy but not morose guitar -- sad but not defeated. This piece spawned two later pieces, "Moln På Marken" (Clouds On The Ground") which is on Hej På Er!, their third album, and "Molnbudet" ("The Cloud Messenger"), which "was written when this bonus track was rediscovered after twenty-five years, and forms the title suite of [...] Elden Av År" (their 8th album, released 2004).

As good as their first was, this album shows further development of the band, and, as I said, brighter, lighter arrangements. Still not airy-light or wimpy-light, nor would we want it to be, but not as thick sounding as the first, and this opens up the arrangements more.


Tracklisting:
Krigssång (4:40) / Metamorfoser (4:40) / Jag Och Jag Och

Musicians:
Stefan Fredin - bass, vocals
Dag Lundquist - drums, percussion, vocals
Robert Zima - vocals
Christer Åkerberg - electric and acoustic guitar
Olle Thörnvall - lyrics

Mats Lindberg - keyboards, sax (7, 8)

Discography:
Trettioåriga Kriget (1974/2004)
Kriss&aing;ng (1976/1992/2004)
Hej P? Er (1978)
Mot Alla Odds (1979)
Kriget (1980)
War Memories (1992)
Om Kriget Kommer (1996)
Glorious war - Recordings from 1970-1971 (2004)
Elden Av År (2004)
I Börgen Och Slutet (2007)
Efter Efter (After After) (2011)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin SE

Added: April 2nd 2006
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.trettioarigakriget.com
Hits: 2589
Language: english

  

[ Back to Reviews Index | Post Comment ]