FEATURED CD : Seven Impale - City of the Sun

[Poisoned Youth]

Here's a young band from Norway that have put out a few impressive albums over the last few years. There sound is familiar, yet new, retro, yet modern. King Crimson's edge seems to be the most obvious starting point and some VdGG, but their reliance on metal, jazz, and 90s sound like Landberk, Anekdoten and other influences makes this record one that grows on you with repeated listens.



Review by ProgArchives:

Imagine that '21st Century Schizoid Man' is a strip of photographic film. You know film, right? Most progheads should remember film. So imagine this classic song and some of King Crimson's other early heavy stuff is also part of this strip of film and now expose it to 'Nucleus'-era Anekdoten, develop it in The Mars Volta, and wash it with Pinkroom and voila! You have Seven Impale's 'City of the Sun'.

This is an easy album for me to get into because of all the heavy prog passages that crop up in every song. And I actually really love how the saxophone takes the lead throughout most of the album. We get a lot of slower and gentler passages and sections and at times a bit of piano or organ, and then suddenly there will be this total badass heavy prog section with bombastic guitar, saxophone, and one of those prog-a-licious odd rhythm meters. I just soak this stuff up!

I had a hard time placing Stian Okland's voice. It's soft and from the back of the throat like Anekdoten's male vocalist on 'Nucleus' but when it gets a bit gutsy it made me think of the singer on Colosseum's debut album except that that guy can sing from the abdomen. Then the Mars Volta similarity occurred to me, minus the louder screaming aspect. In any case, I think it works.

Only five songs here and one over fourteen minutes long with a total running time of about 46 minutes. That makes this album pretty easy to digest and after the first listen I already had a strongly favourable opinion forming. At this point I can't think of much else to say. It hinges on weird like The Mars Volta and Anekdoten hinge on weird. It also gets heavy like Anekdoten and Pinkroom get heavy. And it has its lighter side as well. Quite simply, if you haven't heard this PA 2014 top 20 pick (number 11) and you like the bands I mentioned above, then I recommend checking this one out. It's not quite five stars for me, more like 4.3. I'm sure there are plenty of members on this site who'd dig it. - FragileKings

[Sputnik]

Love this album. Recently gave it a fresh spin as a reminder since I'd been playing their new one and wanted to compare them. For me, City of the Sun makes all the right moves. Definitely a VDGG vibe, along with the other bands mentioned above. But Seven Impale put a fresh spin on things and have a really nice way of weaving in technical stuff without it sounding overbearing. Definitely one of my favorite 2014 releases.

I was really looking forward to Contrabasso, but so far it hasn't captured me like City of the Sun did. I just don't find the writing as crisp or as intricately thought out, and I don't like the addition of a second vocalist who has this odd semi-operatic style. I don't hate Contrabasso, there's certainly stuff on it I like, but I just vastly prefer City of the Sun, which I think is a real gem.

Bill

[Scrotum Scissor]

I love them, and this album entered my Norwegian-top-10 sentiment almost on first listen. Of course, I'd already seen the band in action by then. Fabulous live act with a sincere sense of dedication to both the historical and creative dimension implied. Along with Wobbler, they're IMHO the single finest "retro-prog" animal ever from these lands (I never really viewed White Willow as overtly retro, except for perhaps their debut), although there's a lot of contemporary influence to boot (from nú-jazz, post-metal etc.).

Their brand new release is solid as well, but falls a tad shorter than CotS, mostly because there's too little risk at play. There's even more compositional finesse than earlier, tho'.

[TheH]

Totally brilliant stuff, I love this album. It kind of reminds me of a weirder version of Discipline, and they won me over at the very first listen.

I also like the new one but not as much as CotS. (if you prefer the new one try the second Ingranaggi della Valle that goes in a similar direction).

Going to spin this one very soon again..

[100423]

Hmmm... Sounds like I need to check this band out.

[TheH]

Hmmm... Sounds like I need to check this band out.

Oh you have to, this one is an official "Kaufbefehl"!

[Kcrimso]

Great album! Brilliant combination of jazz, prog and metal. I am not as enthuastic about their latest album but maybe I just haven't listened it enough yet.

[TheLongshot]

This came up on Glenn Harveston's (organizer of Progpower) top 50 a couple of years back. The non-metal albums always get my attention and picked this one up. No regrets. It is a very good album.

Sent from my LGUS991 using Tapatalk

[Rarebird]

Sounds interesting. I've put it on my wishlist. The vocals need to get used to.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The vocals need to get used to.

Not really. Although I was anticipating the first comment on it.

You either like and/or accept something or you don't, and there's no golden standard of template as concerns singing voices in this kind of rock music. The notion that certain things somehow sound "strange" or "alien" once it becomes apparent that they don't seek to comply with such an imaginary standard, is arguably the main reason why most folks don't want to know about new names, titles or approaches to begin with. Music or art in general doesn't owe our identities an ounce of affirmation; we get to grips and grow with it or we lose out.

[mellotron storm]

You should hear the vocals on that Elephant Tok debut.

[Rarebird]

Not really. Although I was anticipating the first comment on it.

You either like and/or accept something or you don't, and there's no golden standard of template as concerns singing voices in this kind of rock music. The notion that certain things somehow sound "strange" or "alien" once it becomes apparent that they don't seek to comply with such an imaginary standard, is arguably the main reason why most folks don't want to know about new names, titles or approaches to begin with. Music or art in general doesn't owe our identities an ounce of affirmation; we get to grips and grow with it or we lose out.

I need to get used to the vocals. And I like some vocalists, who are an aquired taste, like Roger Chapman, Peter Hammill and the singer of Pavlovs Dog. I won't mention Geddy Lee, which I like as well.

[Scrotum Scissor]

You should hear the vocals on that Elephant Tok debut.

I enjoy it, perhaps even as much as anything since the One Shot debut release. I'm more in doubt about dose Bee Gees singin' "[...] I'm a woman's man, no time to talk" as castrate smurfs, but listeners seem to have adjusted - and thus forgotten all about how transcendently absurd those vocals sound.

[spacefreak]

An excellent band in which I got after Mr. Scrotum recommended City of the Sun on the retro-progressive thread, two years ago. Bought their new one in Oslo the previous week; this evening I'll take a deep, long listening session.

[100423]

I'm more in doubt about those Bee Gees singin' "[...] I'm a woman's man, no time to talk" as castrate smurfs, but listeners seem to have adjusted - and thus forgotten all about how transcendently absurd those vocals sound.

I would argue it takes some pretty big stones to trot out those kind of vocals and rock them the way they do.

[miamiscot]

Totally brilliant stuff, I love this album. It kind of reminds me of a weirder version of Discipline, and they won me over at the very first listen.

I also like the new one but not as much as CotS. (if you prefer the new one try the second Ingranaggi della Valle that goes in a similar direction).

Going to spin this one very soon again..

My thoughts exactly. Really like this one.

[bill g]

I'm liking the soundclips. Seems very fitting cover artwork to match the music.

[boilk]

I'm going to give this one a thorough listen. Ha, I am certainly in the minority when it comes to liking the new disc, over this. I really like the second added singer. He comes across a bit like Mont Campbell of Egg, as a friend of mine pointed out. And the compositions sound stellar to me, on Contrabasso. My main issue with CotS, is that this vocalist always seems to be straining near the top of his register, which I found trying over the course of an entire album, but I have only listened to CotS once, so I'll give it another go. Great young band. Are they doing well over there, in Norway/Europe? I mean, can I dare to dream that they might cross the pond to NA, one day? Ha.

neil

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ In Norway they're to be reckoned as fairly successful for "what they are", i.e. a seriously minded addition to a specific creative tradition in rock history which is no longer a part of established oeuvre. Meaning that while few around here would be able to perform this sort of thing any better (a band like Needlepoint are awesome, but all of the musicians there save for the drummer are jazz folx), there's not enough of a general discourse or even knowledge in circulation to actually levitate an act such as Seven Impale above niche level. Rock music as moderately challenging as this can neither hope to appeal through a "first principle" dynamic which would otherwise render it a sense of attractive valor for the channelling of (sub)cultural identity - they're simply not sufficiently "eccentric".

They seemingly gave a good gig at their recent release party at Revolver here in Oslo (the band itself is from Bergen, my initial hometown), but there's usually half a year or so between their concert appearances even in the capital. Somehow I wish there was still room for a festival or double bill event of some kind highlighting "prog", as they would probably come down a storm then. Which they most definitely didn't when I saw them during the Inferno metal week in Eastern of 2014.

[Trane]

amongst my fave Norwegian modern prog bands, along with Elephant 9 Gargamel and the very obscure Ravana ... And I'll include Wobbler to close the top 5

saw themlive lest spring in Soignies (PR fest)... loved the VdGG feel, though I found it less evident live.

[aith01]

This is one of those groups that has been on my radar for some time, and yet I've never taken the plunge. The sample bits I've heard were promising for sure. Sounds like City of the Sun is probably the best place for me to start...?

[Trane]

This is one of those groups that has been on my radar for some time, and yet I've never taken the plunge. The sample bits I've heard were promising for sure. Sounds like City of the Sun is probably the best place for me to start...?

Until last month, it was the only place to start (there was an EP beforehand), but now they have a second album out, apparently

Anyone heard it yet??
Edit: OK, that's outside Neil, Scrot and Bill, that is

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/al...e/contrapasso/
http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=52623

[Kcrimso]

Until last month, it was the only place to start (there was an EP beforehand), but now they have a second album out, apparently

Anyone heard it yet??
Edit: OK, that's outside Neil, Scrot and Bill, that is
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It is fine but I like City Of The Sun more.

[Staun]

It's a goodie.

[Yves]

Really like this one and the debut EP but had a hard time with the new one. Just too many vocals for me. I can only take their singer in small doses...