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Thread: FEATURED CD - Johansson : The Last Viking

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    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    FEATURED CD - Johansson : The Last Viking



    Forget about their power metal credentials - give this one by the Johansson brothers a chance. Per PA:
    The two brothers, keyboardist Jens and drummer Anders Johansson, has so far made three albums together (plus one together with guitarist Allan Holdsworth). The Last Viking was the last one they did and this one is quite different from the others. The Last Viking is clearly less jazzy and also, at least on the surface, less progressive than the two other Johansson Brothers albums and even more so compared to the straightforward Jazz-Rock of Heavy Machinery (the one they did with Holdsworth). But The Last Viking is also more consistent and, on the whole, much better in my opinion.

    For those of you who don't know the history of these guys, they both used to play in Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force in the 80's. For this album they enlisted Mike Romeo from Symphony X on guitars and Göran Edholm on vocals. The former is strongly influenced by Malmsteen's playing and the latter also used to sing for Malmsteen. But even if The Last Viking has some minor similarities with Yngwie Malmsteen's music, and also to that of Symphony X, these influences are not too apparent. The Last Viking has a much warmer and melodic sound that would be foreign to these metal bands, and the Johansson brothers have a much wider set of influences that stretches far beyond the narrow boundaries of metal music. This can be seen on their (especially Jens') extremely diverse output.

    The Johansson brothers are obviously very skilled on their respective instruments and Romeo is a great guitar player, but this is not an album based on shredding and showing off chops. On the contrary, these songs are strongly based on melody and not on instrumental workout. They do burst out in many short, often extremely fast paced and impressive keyboard and guitar solos, but these are always appropriate within the context of the songs and never excessive. It is also clear that the three instrumentalists work together, and it is never a matter of just providing a backdrop for only one of them to show off. The instrumentalists share about equal space in the sound, which I like a lot.

    We find here a very nice balance between up tempo songs, ballads and instrumentals. The material is very melodic. The ballads and the two instrumentals are great counterpoints to the more fast paced metal songs. On the surface this is rather conventional 80's metal, but at the same time it is not conventional at all. Below the surface we find a rich sonic palette and a strong sense of melody. The Jazz and Blues influences of earlier Johansson Brothers albums are almost gone, as are the more experimental edge, but there are still strong Classical influences here. Many would probably find this music a bit cheesy, but I find it cute and charming. I must say that I like this album a lot more than I like Symphony X or most of Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force's output.

    Many progressive rock and metal fans probably notice that the songs here are rather short, but song length is not a necessary feature of progressive rock music. Is this Prog? Prog Metal? Or just conventional 80's metal with some progressive influences? I'm not sure, but I am pretty sure that this can appeal to many fans of these genres.

    The vocals are very good and In The Mirror especially has excellent harmony vocals. The lyrics are perhaps not too interesting and are often about love and man's relation with nature (and Vikings?!). Again, some would find this cheesy, but I find it rather charming. You cannot take it too seriously, as I'm sure they don't do themselves! The keyboards sound like organs, pianos and harpsichords (even if I'm pretty sure that everything is produced with electronic keyboards). Everything has a sound that I do not recognize from somewhere else.

    I enjoy this album! Give it a try!
    http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=8990



    Last edited by Duncan Glenday; 11-22-2015 at 05:29 PM.
    Regards,

    Duncan

  2. #2
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    I traded to get this on a whim since I like Heavy Machinery and the albums by Jens
    not really a fan of this kind of stuff though... the vocals kill it for me
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

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    Quote Originally Posted by MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER View Post
    the vocals kill it for me
    I'd have to agree.

    Very "professional", in a sort of Steve Perry "power tenor" mode. The melodies aren't bad. But that overwrought delivery! And those clanking lyrics - while they don't quite sound written by someone who could barely speak English, they have that "off" quality found in ABBA, of English not being the lyricist's usual language, of getting the tone wrong, and of hackneyed rhymes and phrases not recognized as such.

    Those vocals are cheesier than the town of Tillamook - hell, they're cheesier than the whole state of Wisconsin!

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    the day is coming to an end, and
    darkness is my only friend, only friend

    adrift in the ocean, I'm lost in emotion,
    the ship is my cradle, I long for the
    stars, I'll trade my life, I just want to see
    the stars!

    an old and tired Viking, I'm soon to join
    the sea, the darkness will embrace me,
    the frost will set me free
    I'm burning in my broken ship, my sails
    are full of sorrow,
    beyond is Valhall, vast and void, where
    the gods will drink with me

    the moon is floating in the rain, the
    gods are laughing at my pain, at my
    pain

    a final decision, to meet with my
    makers, they clouded my vision, I look
    for the stars, I'll trade my life, I just want
    to see the stars!

    an old and tired Viking, I'm soon to join
    the sea, the darkness will embrace me,
    the frost will set me free I'm burning in
    my broken ship, my sails are full of
    sorrow, beyond is Valhall, vast and void,
    where the gods will drink with me

  5. #5
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    there's also a town in England called Cheddar
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

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    Jens Johansson have way more "progressive" albums than this.
    While I liked "Fission" and "Heavy Machinary", my favorite by him would be his less talked first solo album "Fjaderlosa Tvafotingar.
    It sounded very fresh then, like an update on the Prog Keyboard Trio sound, sort of an extension to the instrumental side of U.K.
    and I think it is still an exciting album to listen to (though the digital sounding drums did not aged well).https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOn1-EyGfUQ

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    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nnknsh View Post
    my favorite by him would be his less talked first solo album "Fjaderlosa Tvafotingar.
    It sounded very fresh then, like an update on the Prog Keyboard Trio sound, sort of an extension to the instrumental side of U.K.
    .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOn1-EyGfUQ
    Yes, its my favorite too!

    But I will also recommed this heavy/funk album with the brothers + Jonas Hellborg:


  8. #8
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    And this



    Jonas Hellborg: Bass
    Mattias "IA" Eklund: Guitar
    V. Selvaganesh: Kanjira
    Jens Johansson: Keyboards
    Anders Johansson: Drums

  9. #9
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nnknsh View Post
    While I liked "Fission" and "Heavy Machinary", my favorite by him would be his less talked first solo album "Fjaderlosa Tvafotingar.
    It sounded very fresh then, like an update on the Prog Keyboard Trio sound, sort of an extension to the instrumental side of U.K.
    Big ditto on that.

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