BLISSARD

One of the ugliest artworks ever (a blurry teddy bear's head) and a meaningless (IMHO) multi- page booklet , Into The Void We Have To Travel (AKA Blissard) is the four or fifth album of the by- now quartet, although there is this Deathprod character listed as member, playing Theremin and other electronic gizmos. This album is definitely a product of its time (second half of the 90's) and tries to hide its influences in a sea of blurry mist of mystery with enigmatic clues or vague hints to help understand their music.

Maybe the fact that the group became a quartet of playing musicians provoked the sound to soften up a bit, with the addition of Ragervik on keys and vibes, but rhythm guitar as well, but the group's captain is still definitely bassist & singer Saether and the lieutenant guitarist Ryan, still responsible for general sound of the group. On the other hand the sound palette is infinitely richer than on early albums such as Lobotomizer, but also less metallic as well, even if the album has still the right kind of energy? In some ways, with some of these tracks, we're not far from alternative/indie rock ala Radiohead and REM (Nerve Tattoo), sometimes with a post rock atmosphere (True Middle). Obviously the album's centrepiece is the almost 10-mis Sonic Teenage Guinevere (STG for short in the track list) where the group unleashes their respective fingers on the no-less respective instruments with a really quiet middle section/break, definitely the album's proggier moment too. With Blissard, you're holding one of MP's more enigmatic release, but also one of the more frustrating, because iot sounds forced at times, as if they were trying to do something different, but it wasn't coming easy to them, so they looked around for inspirations.