Detailed Reviews [Breidablik - 2022 - "Alduorka"]

Prolusion. Norwegian project Breidablik have been a recording unit since 2017, and have been quite the active and creative venture in the five years that have passed since the debut album appeared.. "Alduorka" is the most recent production by this project, and is set to be released through the label Apollon Records in February 2022.

Analysis. It doesn't take too many seconds before you get to grips with the type of music explored by this project. Progressive electronic music is the name of the game here, complete with sequencers and a wide array of keyboards and synthesizers. Perhaps more important, however, is the inclusion of bass, guitars and real drums to the proceedings. Which does add a bit more character to the material here. The greater majority of the compositions stay true to the electronic progressive idioms here however, with sequencers setting the pace and the synthesizer and keyboard sounds surging and fluctuating pretty much as you would expect them to do. The opening cut 'Alda' is perhaps the most impressive creation here, using careful effects to create arrangements that have a harsher, harder and colder sound to them, creating associations that fits the album's cover image quite nicely and at least for my sake as a Norwegian creating associations towards a hard winter and challenging weather at a barren coast. The use of guitars, bass and drums adds a bit more of an organic and warmer quality to the following compositions, to a lesser or greater extent, with a few of these creations striking me as being perhaps just as close to the ambient excursions of a band like Hawkwind as they are to German pioneers such as Tangerine Dream. Good cases can probably be made for similarities to both of these and presumably a host of other well known and lesser known artists, but for those that know the references used a pretty good idea of how the landscapes sound like should have been provided. The concluding cut 'Orka II' represents the second highlight of this production as far as I'm concerned, with a groove-oriented bass and drums driven core that gives this song a drive and an energy not too far removed from the likes of Ozric Tentacles. Quite the spirited and fun creation, this one, until a sparse and cold short end phase brings this song and album to an end.

Conclusion. Breidablik as of 2022 strikes me as a band that have gained a fair degree of expertise in several related fields of music, with progressive electronic music, ambient music and space rock arguably the top three of those fields in terms of mastering the form. Those who have an interest in a band blending these three types of music and alternating between sticking to traditions and having a playful go at being a bit more expressive should find this album to be quite the fun production to get to know better I suspect.

Progmessor: February 2022
The Rating Room