LIFE'S ROAD

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Swedish trio THREE SEASONS was formed not too long ago, consisting of members from Siena Root and Mouth of Clay. Life's Road is their debut album, and was released on Swedish label Transubstans Records in February 2011.

The band themselves describe their music as "in a 70's kind of mood, heavy blues rock is mixed up with more jam-oriented, experimental and psychedelic parts...", which is a good as description as any. As one wanders through this production a plethora of names will pop up, and the better you know your harder edged and psychedelic rock of the 70's the more of them there will be. Black Sabbath, Mountain, Led Zeppelin, Robin Trower and to some extent good old Pink Floyd are strong candidates as far as sound and possible influences go, others might pull up a totally different set of names. The most important part of it is that these guys doesn't sound like they are copying or replicating specific sounds or bands. They manage to sound fresh and new, despite sporting a distinctly retro-oriented expression firmly rooted in the early 70's.

Guitar and organ combinations are used extensively throughout, be it as lighter-toned, reverberating heavy psych riffs combining with the pipes or as heavier-set riffs and organ in majestic constellations closer to Deep Purple or even Atomic Rooster in expression. Occasionally the keys will be out of the picture in part or in whole while the band takes a scorching run through territories closer to Mountain's spirited brand of hard rock or the slower, thundering vintage stoner rock of Tony Iommi and his compatriots, and on one occasion we're even treated to a gritty and elongated jazz-laden improvisation. Gentler passages closing in on the pastoral sporting violin and flute details combined with gentle vocals and light wandering guitar is another part of this trio's repertoire, and if I'm not much mistaken those who love the Mellotron will find the odd theme here and there where this vintage instrument is preferred over the organ or the occasional vintage keyboard textures. With twists and turns aplenty, to the point of inspiring a touch of vertigo at times, but always excellently and compellingly performed. Flow and momentum are upheld quite nicely, and the compositions have a strong nerve throughout.

"LIfe's Road" is a veritable smorgasbord for those who love harder edged rock of the early 70's variety, the happiest marriage of heavy prog and heavy psych I've encountered in quite some time. Sophisticated, rather innovative and most certainly with a fair few moment of originality. And as such, a highly recommended production for anyone with an affection for music of this kind that initially gained popularity some 40 years ago.

2011 has turned out to be a very good year in the field of heavy prog. Releases from the likes of Haken, Sky Architect, Uriah Heep, and many others appeared throughout the year. Along with the veterans, semi-veterans, and not-so-veterans were hoards of newbies crowding the scene. As a fan and team member on the heavy team, I was happy to see so many new bands picking up the Hammond and overdriven guitar as well as the more modern post-punk and prog style. One of the former types was Swedish newbies Three Seasons, formed of former members of 90s heavy proggers Siena Root. Formed in 2010, the trio was quick to write and record their debut album, Life's Road. The album was a dynamic display of hard-hitting blues rock and prog rock, a standard placard for many 70s heavy prog bands. The band's overdriven guitar led sound has a heavy stoner/psych rock and jam band feel, making for a great debut from this Swedish band.

For anyone familiar with fellow Swedish rockers Siena Root, Three Season's style is relatively similar. The bombastic mix of blues rock, chunky rhythms, blocky guitar and Hammond riffs, and a near funky undertone make for a great retro-prog albums with a more vintage flair than a modern one - a sound that comes straight from the early 70s prog hard rock scene. The dense, strong willed songs really soar in their pure, crunchy sound on the album. Each song also has enough character and flair to stand up on their own as well, not relying on the entire album as a whole to prop them up.

The instrumental side of the album is fun and upbeat, making for a really great listen. The Hammond and guitar harmonies are really nice, and the organic tone of the Hammond present on the album really meshes well with the crunchy guitar tone. This, combined with Sartez Faraj's great vocal quality (as well as the vocal effect added on) makes for a truly great heavy prog musical journey. And luckily the whole album is not entirely a massive bluesy jam session; the album presents many moments of mellow, quasi-acoustic emotional bouts of prog to the listener, making the diverse and dynamic album all the more enjoyable.

Overall, Three Seasons's Life's Road, while not being the most experimental or forward thinking album available, presents a wonderfully orchestrated look at retro heavy prog. The crunchy pulsating lines of bluesy psych prog makes for a great listen for any avid heavy prog fan, and the album's mix of dynamic and diversity makes it a great prog album overall. The new trio's debut is surely to make ripples in the prog community, and the band is likely to continue making some fine, quality prog. A great listen and great release from this new Swedish outfit. 4 stars.

Great modern-psych fiesta!

This young Swedish trio released in 2011 their debut album entitled "Life's Road", a title that is well represented in the songs, later I´ll tell you why. The cover art is very attractive, representing the three seasons in the same number of trees, and persons, which are the band's members, I assume. The album consists of nine compositions ranging from 5 to 11 minutes, making a total time of 64 minutes.

"Too Many Choices" is the opener track, with an aggressive blend of stoner and psychedelic rock. The vocals have an intense and great sound, with lyrics in English. They are greatly complemented by those addictive guitar and bass lines playing at the same time, while a soft but chaotic atmospheric keyboards make the background. A nice short keyboard solo comes, and later the song returns to its original rhythm with the addition of different guitar figures and more emotional vocals.

"Cold to the Bone" is a very good lighter track, which never loses the psychedelic touch. It has some nice changes in mood and tempo, with slower and more pacific moments that contrast with the rockier ones. After three minutes we have a nice jam in which bass makes creative lines, keyboard produces wonderful nuances and the guitar shares trippy riffs; when we are in our trip, the band make a drastic change and return to the original form of the song. "Down to the Bottom" starts with spacey keys and drums in the first seconds, but a bit later the strings join as well as the vocals. The music is like Led Zeppelin meets Dungen meets The Dead Weather, with that great mix between 70s and 90s sound, and the result is pretty cool.

"Each to their Own" is the first out of three over-ten-minute track. It starts in a much softer way with an acid folk tune, but it is greatly progressing, joining different elements such as harmonica and a sitar-like sound. The song itself is provoking, inviting us to join their trip and take the train to Three Seasons' realm. What I like of this album, is that the music correspond to their title, which at the same time make us imagine a life's road, just as the name of the record suggests. The jam after four minutes is wonderful, truly enjoyable.

"Feel Alive" starts as a nice stoner and funky song with excellent guitars and bass lines, always accompanied by the rhythmical drums. Seconds later it slows down with delicate vocals, but this is just a short passage, because later the same voices produce a more intense sound. This is a shorter, but very good track. It is followed by "An Endless Delusion" is a well-crafted and very original track which adds new elements such as a flute. Though it does not follow the previous tracks' line, this must be one of the best compositions of the album. It shares a different sound, with a mixture of moods, rhythms, colors and nuances. After five minutes it changes, implementing a wonderful dynamism, with great guitar riffs and that psychedelic rock that characterizes them. As you noticed, this is an instrumental track. A true highlight!

"Since Our First Day" has a melancholic, disarming sound made by strings and the voice, it lasts almost three minutes, then lyrics appear and the structure is being built up little by little until it explodes and creates a strong and emotional sound. There is a cool moment where the guitar takes the lead and produces its solos, complemented by repetitive but addictive bass and drums. What I like of the band, is that none of their songs and passages are boring, no matter the rhythm or mood, they have always something creative and enjoyable to share. This song is a clear example of that.

The last couple of tracks are "Moving On" and "Life's Road". The first has a soft tone which is increasing with the pass of the seconds. The lyrics are pretty good, and the feeling is disarming and touching. The second one is another mid-tempo track, but here I really love the sound of the keyboards in its different faces. After three minutes the intensity increases, accompanied by a great psych keyboard solo; later it vanishes for some seconds, and soft guitars (acoustic and electric) and voice appear. Then it returns to the original form, progresses and finishes in its climax.

What a great debut of Three Seasons, if they keep this good rhythm, I am sure we will be hearing their name much often in the near future. Highly recommended!

Enjoy it!

This album is quite a throwback. With it's stong guitar riffs and heavy Hammond organ, the entire album could have been recorded forty years ago, in the classic days of prog. Even the tone of the album sounds like the early seventies.

To my ears, there is a leaning toward the sound of Deep Purple, mostly caused by the leaning on the organ a lot, but arguments can be made for other bands as well (Robin Trower also comes to mind).

While, in my opinion, this style of music was barely prog even when it was new, the performances are good enough to make this an enjoyable excursion.