KVAZAR

KVAZAR are a Norwegian band who have a WOBBLER / LANDBERK / ANEKDOTEN flavour. Vocals are in English and the music has a melancholic vibe to it. Are you sure these guys aren't from Sweden ? Haha.

"Ballet" is a stunning track with that trippy beat. I've really fallen for this track. It's a little heavier a minute in (reminds me of WOBBLER) and then settles with vocals before 2 minutes.The guitar 3 1/2 minutes in is excellent. Nice drum work after 6 minutes as the organ then guitar comes in.That incredible sounding opening soundscape returns 8 minutes in. Amazing ! "Mirror Mask" opens with synths.This is dreamy with keys and drums with vocal melodies. It kicks in with some power. Vocals a minute in as it settles. I like the subtle tempo shifts on this one as the heaviness is contrasted with the mellower sections. Fantastic song. The untitled third track is an instrumental. Strummed guitar, bass and drums lead the way. "Lost Years" opens with some atmosphere and guest cello. Almost whispered vocals come in. An interesting sound to this one as vocals come and go. A little heavier before 3 minutes then it settles down as cello returns and reserved vocals. Full sound is back 4 1/2 minutes in. "18" is more uptempo as drums, organ and guitar lead the way. Vocals come in quickly. It settles down then picks back up. These tempo changes continue. A nice heavy sound 2 minutes in then it relaxes again.These contrasts continue.

"Mother Of Existence" is a fairly restrained tune that breaks out once in a while. I like it. Song seven is a short untitled instrumental. It builds slowly with marching styled drums. "Whispering Forest" sounds really good early as vocals join in. Almost a dead calm after a minute with acoustic guitar. It builds as cello and drums come in. It settles again before we get a full sound 3 minutes in. Tempo and mood shifts continue with regularity. Song nine is another short instrumental. It builds as well slowly. "Dream" is the longest track at almost 10 minutes. Drums,gentle guitar and cello open things as reserved vocals come in. A full sound before 1 1/2 minutes. Organ and spoken words follow. Kind of psychedelic here.The song continues to change and themes are repeated.The last track is another untitled instrumental. This is the longest instrumental at 3 minutes.This one has a groovy sound to it. Nice guitar to as it builds. It settles back before kicking in again. An outstanding way to finish the album.

I'm a little surprised at the negative reviews for this one on other sites. Part of it might be the ANEKDOTEN-like vocals (which I love). Glad to see it rated highly on this site though. It's a really good album in my opinion.