Issue 2025-070
Anders Buaas — Trollringen
Thomas Otten
Andres Buaas is a Norwegian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. Besides releasing music under his own name, he is also active in the Norwegian heavy metal scene and known for working as tour guitarist for musicians such as Paul DiAnno (Iron Maiden), and Tim Owens (Judas Priest). This fact is even more interesting given that Trollringen has nothing whatsoever to do with this genre of music.
Trollringen is Anders' sixth solo release since 2017, when he started with his trilogy The Witches Of Finnmark. Trollringen marks a paradigm shift in that it is his first album to also include vocals. Four tracks out of the ten show the warm, soulful, gentle, thoughtful, and delicate voices of guest singers Tanya Wells, Tim Condor, and Miriam Kjølen.
Lyrically, Trollringen can be interpreted as a concept album. As Anders explains: "All the songs were written between 2019 and 2025. While there was no concept in mind initially, they ended up fitting the story perfectly." This story is based on the novel by the same name by Norwegian writer Sigurd Hoel: a historical saga with mystery and tragic elements, centring around a farmer and his fight against sectarianism and conformity.
Contrary to what one might expect given this fairly gloomy story, the music, although not lacking some Scandinavian melancholy here and there, is rather upbeat, gentle and light, delicate, and subtle. The artwork of the cover, the painting L'Angélus by the French painter Jean-Francois Millet, is more representative of the story, showing a couple (the farmer and a maidservant?), immersed in prayer.
Immersed in music on this album, on the other hand, besides Anders (guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass, percussion) are Steinar Børve (soprano saxophone), Joakim Biondi (piano), Henrik Madsen (drums), and Rune Erling Pedersen (percussion).
Musically, Trollringen is a successful blend of different genres. Folk and prog as a common denominator, it also includes pop, singer/songwriter, indie rock, flamenco, bluegrass, film music elements, and jazzy snippets, thus showing a high degree of originality and making the sound difficult to pigeonhole: so much the better! The different styles ensure musical diversity but make it difficult to establish a connection between the underlying story and the music that goes with it. It is up to the listeners to find the common thread here – if necessary at all.
Looked at from a general point of view, it is a guitar-oriented album, composed by a guitarist. Keyboards are primarily used for musical accompaniment and remain discreet in the background, but they do so in such a subtle and delicate way that they blend with the guitars to form a coherent whole. The piano arpeggios accompanying the acoustic guitar and the saxophone solo in Trollringen are prime examples of this. The frequent use and the predominance of the guitar in its acoustic form is another striking feature of Anders' music and gives Trollringen a decent "unplugged" touch.
Whenever electric guitars come into play in the form of soloing, then there is something of Mike Oldfield (Opening Credits), David Gilmour (As I Draw My Last Breath, together with Trollringen the most prog-sounding, and ambitious track), and Mark Knopfler (the earworm Ending Credits, strongly reminding me of the title track in the beautiful movie Local Hero) in there.
Noteworthy also is the variety of Anders' music, with none of the songs sounding alike. Gentle, delicate folk music (Prologue), bluegrass-style, foot-tapping nusic (Sunrise), Spanish flamenco oriented acoustic guitar extravaganzas, reminiscent of some of the Austrian/German guitar virtuosos such as Peter Horton, Sigi Schwab, and Kolbe/Illenberger (The Last Drop), singing-songwriting (The Balance Of Being One), experimental prog tracks with jazzy snippets (Trollringen), oriental-sounding vocals (Best I Can Be), cinematic soundscapes (Intermission) - they all go hand in hand on this album. The result is atmospheric, poetic, delicate, versatile, mostly dreamy and gentle music, not totally unlike Gazpacho and Steven Wilson on occasions. The excellent production and the crystal-clear sound quality really bring out the subtleties in Anders' music.
"Feel-good music to dream to and let your thoughts wander" — that is what I thought about Trollringen upon first listening. I am pleased to have been given the opportunity to discover this album of a musician I had not heard of before. Trollringen contains music for numerous occasions and moments. Be it in your car whilst driving or waiting (it both makes you appreciate beautiful landscapes even more, but also improves your mood standing in traffic jams), with a glass of your favourite drink in your hand after a hard day's work, to calm down, but also to cheer up, to listen to alone with your headphones on, but also to appreciate together with a beloved one. I believe this music meets the needs of many listeners, however, without having to curry favour. Simply beautiful, border-blurring music, well played, arranged, and produced, straightforward, yet demanding, varied, with strong melodies. Check it out!
Crayon Phase — Synthetic Mind
Andy Read
This German quintet return to the scene twelve years after their debut album, Within My Recollection, and six years after their sophomore release, Two Hundred Pages.
Their second album was awarded an enthusiastic nine-out-of-ten review by my colleague Jan Buddenberg. I know that Jan shares my enjoyment of bands that combine melodic hard rock melodies with neo-prog soundscapes. So reading his comparisons between this band and the likes of Galahad, Nightwinds and Twelfth Night, I thought that Crayon Phase's third effort might be worth exploring.
And I'm very glad that I did. This is an excellent album that sits somewhere in the musical land known as heavy-prog.
To give credit where it is due the line-up of Crayon Phase is: Raphael Gazal (vocals), Wolfgang Bähr (guitar), Arne Gröschel (drums), Frank Wendel (keyboards and synths) and bassist Peter Damm. It is very much a band effort, with all members being given space to have an input. Gazal's mid-range, melodic voice fits the music perfectly.
The music across the album is very consistent in style. The complex structures and cinematic arrangements are balanced cleverly by a song-oriented approach, where memorable vocal lines produce quick familiarity to the songs.
The music is led by the guitars, giving it a decent heaviness. However, I would not call this progressive metal. Equally, whilst the keys and synths lay down plenty of atmosphere and frequently take a lead role, I would not call this neo-prog nor progressive-rock. There is a complexity, an extended song-length and a concept album format, that do make it most definitely progressive.
I ought to qualify that 'concept album' description a little. This is very much a collection of six individual compositions. However, all the lyrics circle around the topic of threats to human existence (social polarisation, AI and robotics etec). Combined with the repeated style of the arrangements, it does give me the feel of a multipart suite. It is certainly an album best enjoyed in one complete sitting.
In terms of comparisons, I am often reminded of something sitting between the early neo-prog storytelling of Pallas with the melodic prog-metal-lite of Sweden's Dead End Space whose three albums I have enthusiastically reviewed on this site.
So, if your musical tastes join mine in a love of melodic heavy prog combined with an interesting storyline, then I heartily recommend that you give this a listen.
Fallen Letters — Mindfractures
Calum Gibson
Mindfractures is the debut album from Indian prog band Fallen Letters. Described as drawing influences from groups such as Opeth, Deftones and Katatonia — it certainly sounds promising. But will these newcomers to the genre of alt/prog be able to stand toe-to-toe with the greats they admire?
From the opening discordance, the influences are clear. Vast riffs and murky vocals form the bedrock of the album, with effects layered over the vocals in a method similar to Deftones, while the prog influences are woven throughout the structures. Mature songwriting is the backbone of this album, with introspective instrumentation, emotive lyrical delivery and complex, thought-provoking rhythms to accompany it.
A range of styles are shown through the album. From heavy post-metal to smooth and chilled prog that focusing on atmosphere and melody. Some tracks approach the realm of doom metal and flirt with some gothic sounds, while others lean heavily into harmonious threads of melancholy or the energy of groove and speed metal.
All of it is accompanied by a cinematic feel, polished and clean but still with enough of a touch of raw passion to stop it having a clinical sound. Their influences definitely shine through their songwriting and musicianship, but not so overbearingly as to sound like a tribute band. The group have taken the sounds, and tweaked them into something similar, but different enough to be fresh and attention-grabbing. For a debut album, homage to influences is to be expected, but here it is done with a rarely seen level of respect and imaginative creation.
Unsurprisingly, fans of Opeth, Deftones and Katatonia will enjoy these folks.
Flame Dream — Elements
Jan Buddenberg
Perfectly on time, Flame Dream continue their run of official back-catalogue releases with the second of their albums, Elements from 1979. Reduced at the time to a line-up consisting out of Urs Hochuli (bass, bass pedals, voice), Pit Furrer (drums, percussion), Roland Ruckstuhl (grand piano, organ, keyboards, tapes) and Peter Wolf (voice, flute, oboe, saxophones, percussion), this album conceptually narrates the four elements of nature. And in imitation to Out In The Dark and their outstanding return album Silent Transition comes in a stylish digi-pack that replicates the album's original artwork with incorporated photographs and lyrics.
Except the funky Canterbury instrumental outro of Savate? Nose? and the opening statement of Sun Fire with words by Wolf, the songs all feature poetry by, in order, Edmund Spenser, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and John Davies. This in itself is a remarkable achievement, since these poems do not lend themselves easily for implementation in the adventurous symphonic prog compositions presented on Elements. Ruckstuhl, apart from a collaborating effort with Wolf on Earth Song, overtook sole responsibility for music, arrangements, and orchestrations.
Opening with crackling sounds of a warming fireplace, Sun Fire brings Flame Dream's futuristic sound into action with solid bass leads, odd drum patterns, and lush synth-driven melodies that take one back to a time of UK. Adventurously eclectic in nature, and with variegated synths and intricate structures highlighted by oboe, it soon makes way for impressions of Druid. Mellotron, flute, saxophone, vocals slowly awakens a sense of Gabriel's Genesis. A subdued performance is energised by a bright spectacle of refined piano, followed by enchanting synth flows in finest Neuschwanstein tradition. This song furthermore showcases funky melodic transitions that the band would also explore on later albums. And it contains a high level of formidable Gentle Giant-inspired musicality, complemented by fizzing jazz chemistry.
The groovilicious Earthsong expresses this playful Gentle Giant influence as well. As one of the earliest examples of Flame Dream's prog-infused synth pop style, and designed with plenty of mood swings, this dynamic composition also exhibits delightful melodic similarities to Anyone's Daughter. A style that is further explored on subsequent albums. The lively arrangements with frivolous synths and grounding saxophone are an example of that extra bit of originality which sets the band apart from the usual Yes and Genesis associations they were known for at time of their Calatea debut.
A marvellous illustration of that Genesis influence is found in the key-driven A Poem Of Dancing. It opens with fairy-tale atmospheres through graceful piano play. In agile spirit of Matthias Ulmer (Anyone's Daughter) this easily rivals that of Tony Banks and Rick Wakeman. This song's engaging melodies intricately build towards a dynamic bridge of groovy jazz-infused prog. Bass funk and flute enchant with Trick Of The Tail appeal. It then turns pirouettes into an astonishing Renaissance movement of dazzling classical piano balladry, that nimbly swirls onward with harmonies of luxurious synth flows, oboe, flute, and sensitive bass. It revisit its opening themes, and the concluding verse of symphonic prog glows with Kansas.
The enterprising Sea Monsters starts with a refreshing waterfall of classical piano and smooth bobbing melodies guided by vocals and flute. Little by little, it gains authentic funky Flame Dream momentum with melodic developments that tumultuously splash on with exalting saxophone and tantalising synth-driven symphonic prog tidings. Dipping into calm flute, steered Canterbury, and piano-guided vocal harmonies, the eclectic siren song then spirals into an exuberant rhythmic stream of elaborate synth-driven fusion that on occasion brings early Kansas to mind. Ruckstuhl weaves classical piano melodies into a dazzling display of virtuosity, blending the flair of Keith Emerson with the mastery of Vladimir Horowitz. The coda with recurring themes and musical motifs hints at Genesis and UK one final time.
In light of the live-action photos presented in the booklet, I've in the meantime grown very curious about how the band brought all these complex arrangements and adventurous symphonic compositions to the stage. Hopefully actual live recordings do exist which the band can add to these very welcome CD-reissues at some stage. For now though, it is most excellent to enjoy this outstanding album once again in pristine remastered sound clarity.
My conclusion is fairly elementary, my dear prog readers; I wholeheartedly recommend fans of 70s symphonic prog-rock to check this collection essential prog gem out.
Kinetic — Sentience EP
Calum Gibson
Back in 2022, a love for prog metal brought two friends together. Embracing this appreciation for groups like Tool and Gojira, they decided to channel this into a musical project packed with “raw energy and profound emotion”. Having rounded out their line up with synths, vocals and drums, the group known as Kinetic have now released their debut EP – Sentience.
The EP consists of two tracks, and we begin with the 20-minute-long Omega. Pink Floyd-like atmospherics and basslines gently pull us in before the distortion kicks off. Intricate patterns twist in and out as layers of instrumentation build. Harsh and clean vocals weave together to add more depth to the “epic” sound.
Beginnings follows next. Waves of sound and riffs crash down, merging seamlessly with the softer rhythms and textures. The Tool influence is very clear here, with homage paid to them in the chord progressions and bass. Lyrically cosmic, with musicality to suit and intrigue.
It is a short EP, but interesting. Grooving riffs and delicate cleans are molded together to create an ethereal and enigmatic sound, both light as a feather and heavy as stone with a strong presence. The band describes themselves as having thunderous rhythms, intricate melodies and ethereal atmospheres – And they are exactly right.
Fans of Perihelion Ship, Tool, Pink Floyd and Rishloo would enjoy this.
Lisa LaRue — Forged From Fire
Edwin Roosjen
Lisa LaRue is a composer and keyboard player from the Cherokee Nation. She is a progressive rock keyboard player and composer. She collaborated with a variety of musicians, amongst them John Payne (Asia), Michael Sadler (Saga) and Gilli Smyth (Gong). Lisa LaRue originates from Kansas. The state, that is, not the band, but the band Kansas for sure is an influence for her, just like Yes and ELP. With her keyboard playing, the link with Emerson Lake and Palmer is the most obvious to me. She also released some albums as Lisa Larue Project 2K9/2KX, World Class and Fast And Blue and she has another solo album named Origins.
Lisa LaRue plays the keyboards, John Baker guitar, and One Heart plays drums, bass and additional keys and guitars. Half of the songs are instrumental, and most of the vocal work is done by guitar player John Baker. On a CD bonus track, we can hear Jake Livgren from Proto-Kaw.
The album starts with the instrumental opener Phoenix Rising. This song shows exactly what the music of Lisa LaRue is about. A lot of synthesizer melodies and melodic guitar solos in an old fashion progressive rock sound. For many progressive rock fans, this music will just sink right in. Next is the CD bonus track Traces In Spaces with Jake Livgren on vocals. Very nice track that is not available on all releases but definitely worth it. Thick layers of organ sounds and the voice of Livgren give that song a Kansas vibe.
The Invisible Horizon is a more powerful song with a powerful vocal duet. There is a lot going on in this short song. Tornado Alley is another duet but is more dramatic. The first three songs on the album were more easily digestible, but this one needs some more attention. They Were Young is a small gentle keyboard instrumental song. Frame 13 is also instrumental but has a lot more changes. White Hair And Chocolate has John Baker on vocals. John's vocals are not very thick in the mix, turned a bit to the background. I feel at times the music needs to carry his voice but his vocals do just what is needed in each song. Under Their Influence is another instrumental song that will appeal to many ELP fans. Another song that is all over the place and has a lot of things to discover. Title track Forged From Fire closes the album. A powerful rocker that will be liked by fans of Kansas.
Forged By Fire is an album that will be liked by a lot of progressive rock fans. The many melodies and overall sound of the album will appeal to fans who like old-fashioned progressive rock bands like Kansas, Genesis and ELP. With Lisa LaRue on keyboards, the sound comes closest to Emerson Lake and Palmer. Forged By Fire is the first time I heard of Lisa LaRue, and I can now say that I am a fan. Forged By Fire is an album I can put on any time. If you like this new album, then her previous solo album Origins is also one to check out.