GAPVIS

Looking up into the prog galaxy, there are so many shining stars to marvel at, some are blazing comets, here today and gone the next, amid colossal planets that majestically maintain their orbit and on occasion, we discover a scintillating pulsar that emits radio waves at regular intervals, transmitting pulsating messages for all to contemplate. That is how I envision this unique artist from that enchanted alpine land, who is now up to his seventh album, each one a marvel of distinctive experimental content that still proposes lush melodic explorations that pleases the ear, challenges the senses and ultimately, soothes the soul. "Gapvis" is the anagram of the first letter of each track, clever!

The scene is set with a reflective sonic mirror of legitimacy on "Genuine", an absorbing incursion into gentle collisions, nothing too strident, yet nevertheless audacious, galvanized by a blazing solo that sears one moment and soars the next. Delving into the deepest form of introspective exploration, the nearly 11-minute-long expanse on "Autistic" comes across as a boundary challenging exercise, where mechanical electric threads are garnished with Middle Eastern acoustic accoutrements, sliding in brief clusters of buzzsaw tactics, a bellicose bass rumble and a definite impression of beyond the norm intensity that rewards the inquisitive listener. At times resolutely illuminating as well as veering into cacophonic domains that boggle the mind, nothing is ever gratuitous or perfunctory. Relaxed horizons appear on the diaphanous "Perception", a subtle track that imposes an elusive sense of hypnosis, inexorably expanding in intensity when required. There is a crystalline, almost Kraftwerk-like mechanism at play, perhaps within all the clanging percussion and twanging guitar motifs, a soldering lead guitar solo that caps the seal.

Another epic piece that stretches beyond the 10-minute mark, "Views" is harder-edged, at times infected and unwavering, much like the rabidly opinionated world we currently live in. The layered guitar incision is like one more red nightmare to deal with, a wake-up call that shows a wide variety of shifting moods, namely the brilliantly plucked acoustic section. The thrill deviates into quite an agitated sonic cataclysm, a whirlwind of colliding notes and collapsing shifts that keep the listener on its toes. This really pushes the envelope further into the unheard and unknown.

Clattering along the internal pathway that leads to the "Inside", the inspiration stretches beyond the pale, with a dedication to softly aggressive meditation, echoing deeply into the caverns of one's soul. Shimmering flurries, glittering sprinkles and simmering soundscapes combine to fling the piece into an inner world that each person will interpret as they wish. A corkscrew guitar vortex ends the process.

Kalimba and oblique guitar ruminations unite on "Secrets", an obsessive journey shrouded in complex rhythmic interjections, percussive percolations in abundance, and a resounding sense of controlled desperation that impresses beyond mere words. There is zero predictability displayed , nothing leisurely vapid or ambient, relentless enticing , created and played by a most original artist who defies comparisons.

Roland dedicates this album to the Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, who saved 62,000 Hungarian Jewish lives during WW2 in Budapest where he was serving at the time, in concert with the famous Raoul Wallenberg.

4.5 daunting encounters