GOTHIC IMPRESSIONS

Most of the nowadays prog scene bands are quite satisfied with themselves just by imitating the great maestros of yesterday, repeating over and over again the same formula that's made them famous, waiting to pass unperceived, trying to reach the top of fame sacrificing their own identity, creativity and originality. Not being this position the one related to PÄR LINDH PROJECT (PLP), in 1994 the multi-instrument player and songwriter Pär LINDH, Swedish by origins, creates PLP. This group counts in between its lines with top class musicians, which mix influences from classical periods such as the renaissance music, baroque, post-romantic and impressionist; the music of BACH, VIVALDI and MOUSSORGSKY; and the symphonic music of the seventies rock bands with the avante garde. As result of this mixture of styles and periods, PLP, presents us this kind of unique, brilliant, fresh and original music.

Although when PLP focuses on virtuous keyboardist Pär LINDH as main sound of its pieces, the cohesion and maturity existing among the musicians is the true key to the bands success. The operatic voice of Magdalena HAGBERG, the sudden guitar solos by Jocke RAMSELL, the outrageous drum and bass strikes by Nisse BIELFED and Marcus JADERHOLM respectively, make this group of gifted musicians assure its position among the greatest due their indisputable originality.

Tons of critics rush into comparing the band to ELP and Rick WAKEMAN due the magnificent work performed by Pär on keyboards, nevertheless this comparisons are quite far from reality. PLP has a more pure classical influence than ELP and it's way too much rockier than WAKEMAN and virtuosity upon PLP's work is as good as many of the performances presented by the phenomenal keyboardist early mentioned. Most of the "Gothic Impressions", PLP's debut album, was recorded during the 70's. Nonetheless, due the lack of support provided by the labels of that time and the financial situation of the band, it wasn't until 1994 when the CD comes out finally to the light. Through the six pieces of this CD, PLP allows us to travel into eternity and takes us five centuries back in time and introduces us to the paths of classical music, not without transporting us throughout the explosive progressive rock of the seventies before.

In this recording you can perceive all the masterful skills of Pär on keyboards. and well, when I mean keyboards I specifically refer to the church organ, the harpsichord, the Grand piano and several electric keyboards, but if you just don't consider this the ultimate challenge for this multi-instrument player and talented musician, he also played bass, drums and percussion in this album. This CD is a clear example of creativeness and originality, in which two opuses stand out from the rest of the pieces due their structure and incomparable execution: "The Cathedral" and MOUSSORGSKY's adaptation to "Night on Bare Mountain".

In this work, several Scandinavian prog rock icons we've all learned to love and respect participated, such as: Roine STOLT ("THE FLOWER KINGS" guitarist), Anna HOLMGREN - Flute, Johan HOGBERG - Bass, Jonas ENGDEGARD - Lead guitar, Mattias OLSSON - Drums and percussions (these all four excellent guests musicians from ÄNGLAGÅRD). The importance of Pär LINDH is not only found within his band. This character founded in 1991 "The Swedish Art Rock Society", which helped Swedish prog rock reemerge. During the Fall of 1991, he organized the first association festival in which the most important representative bands of Sweden participated (ANEKDOTEN, ÄNGLAGÅRD and LANDBERK).