A self-confessed “quiet soul” from Eskilstuna in Sweden, Michael Crimson spent his childhood living, breathing and digesting the contents of an expansive record collection. His biography names them – Page and Plant, Gilmour, Bowie, Dylan, Cohen, The Doors, Iggy Pop – but really there was no need, because Medusa, the full-length debut from this singer, guitarist, writer and producer, is colourful enough to suggest that those hours of bedroom study were not wasted.
From the Queen-esque stacked vocal harmonies of opener Seashell Eyes to the Floyd-flavoured instrumental A Season In Hell and the husky In The Winter, the album ebbs and flows while honouring its theme of “compelling characters and captivating tales from Greek mythology”.
An opening statement this eloquent and absorbing does Michael Crimson enormous credit. A bigger still long-term challenge will, of course, be whether or not he equals or even manages to surpass it.
