Himmellegeme - Myth Of Earth album review

Is there some unidentified mind-expanding substance in the fjords of Norway? The country seems to be an incubator for a new generation of genre-blending progressive bands – Shaman Elephant, Motorpsycho, the Hedwig Mollestad Trio, and now Himmellegeme. The group’s approach pulls in psychedelia, blues, prog and post-rock to create a massive, musical black hole. Aleksander Vormestrand, who sings in Norwegian, has a high, clear voice full of unfulfilled yearning, akin to Thom Yorke when Radiohead still cared about melodies, matched by the soaring lead guitar of Hein Alexander Olson. The surging title track is a showcase for the band’s instincts for drama and dynamics. Breath In The Air Like Fire envelops the listener in swirling currents, while Kyss Mine Blodige Hender (Kiss My Bloody Hands in English) grows from its subdued start into a psychedelic blues behemoth. The epic Fallvind begins with a simple piano line but comes untethered in the midsection to be swept up like Dorothy leaving Kansas. Myth Of Earth is the soundtrack to a northern winter, drenched in the melancholy of months of darkness, buffeted by the winds, but with the resurgent power of spring lurking just beneath the surface. Enthralling.