BEARDFISH

No track on this disc is bad or mediocre. It is a high quality in everything. Beardfish had honed their music til that day. There are a lot to enjoy here, and to listen to again and again. My problem is the lenght of this record. They could have hamde it even more perfect with cut som minutes away and concentrated on the best songs. This is all good but prolonged. It's too much time to give this record five stars but it's really worth four. Yes you can find interesting parts in every composition here and you won't be disappointed. This is a record and a group I would recommend every day. Best song: "Until you comply/entropy". The singer has also a nice voice.

Regarding Part Two: The guitars are inspired and make a good relationship with keyboards. The bass guitar is very rhythmic and protagonist, like drums. This is clearly seen in the instrumental Cashflow, to give an example.

The centerpiece is varied and entertaining, with great musicianship, remarkable. The vocal and lyrical of Sjöblom (Gungfly) are great, especially in this part.

Into the Night and The Downward Spiral are very good, too. South of the Border is not to my taste I do not find the meaning, and the whole album has a definite retro spirit. Fifteen minutes less would have been better.

Not reached the status of masterpiece, but it is a comprehensive work more than acceptable to my ears.

Unfortunately, after the group was inclined to a more direct sound and more heavy, with a lyrical more insulting. Not my cup of tea.

So finally I got around to playing it on a proper stereo and really focusing on the music. The greatness of this album was then revealed to me. Sonically this is a bit of a departure from previous albums. It's not really tremendously heavier than previous albums and hearing this all at once on a proper system made me realize that it's a more coherent work than my initial impressions had indicated.

Another aspect that drew me in was the lyrics. Really well done lyrics that made me want to read more. This is the first album in ages where I connected with the lyrics.

I do use 5-star ratings sparingly. I think this may be my first such rating on this site. It's the "whole package" that makes this album deserving of the 5-star rating in my opinion. Very few albums have all the bases covered like this one does. At once classic Beardfish and yet something new.

I bought this album knowing nothing about the band was automatically blown away. The intro is amazing in its self and sets a great theme. 5/5

The first song Voluntary Slavery. Its pretty heavy but you can hear the prog. Really good jam I guess you could say. The vocals are mostly clean and I don't mind when they get a little heavy. The first verse really caught my eye. I love the lyrics here. 5/5

The second song, Turn To Gravel, continues with the same style. Great bass. An excellent second song. The chorus here is my favorite part. 5/5

The third song is They Whisper. This was once my favorite song but after many listens, I view all the songs as being equal. The pace slows down a little and loses the heavy approach. The vocals are again stunning. Lyrics are pretty good as well. 5/5

On This Matter Of Mine, the heaviness returns. excellent guitar here and the drumming keeps right up. About half way it changes pace and goes into some really good lyrics and slower playing. The song then picks up again before fading out. 5/5

And now that we are really into the album, the songs change a little. I've noticed this on alot of concept albums, where the sound changes around half way. Seventeen Again is a piano driven instrumental. It then transitions into guitar and keyboards. It sounds almost quirky compared to the seriousness of the other songs. However it does not seem out of place. 4.5/5

Ludvig & Sverker follows next with a similar pace. Not so heavy but an amazing song. Again the lyrics strike home and blow my mind. 5/5

The next song is He Already Lives In You. I just couldn't get into this song. Others may enjoy it as it is a good song, I just don't care for it. 3/5

The Note picks right back up though continuing the softer approach. Another amazing song with great lyrics. The key boards are really good and the guitar plays right along.

Where The Lights Are Low is more of a conclusion then a grand finale but it is still great. The ending guitar solo brings the album to a close and seals the book as a masterpiece album. 4/5

In the end it is an amazing album with many different sounds and striking lyrics. And where one song isn't as great as another, the amount of good songs make up for a small lapse. Truly one of the best albums of 2012 and I look forward to this band's future.

"Introduction" is a narration piece spoken by none other than Andy Tillison as he relates to us up the concept in 30 seconds. "Voluntary Slavery" hits us with outbursts of drums as the guitar grinds away. Heavy stuff. It's almost doom-like a minute in then the vocals come in including a growly "Do you believe in alchemy ?" after 2 minutes. This is BEARDFISH ? Great sounding track ! Gotta love the instrumental section starting around 4 minutes. A calm a minute later with reserved vocals. "Turn To Gravel" continues with the low end guitar and doomy sound as the vocals join in. So good. It does settle back and turns lighter 1 1/2 minutes in as contrasts continue. The lyrics are so good here. Killer track. "They Whisper" sounds like classic BEARDFISH to me. It's melodic with those familiar vocals. Some passionate vocals at times. "This Matter Of Mine" opens with some nasty guitar as the rest of the band kicks in hard. Great sound ! Vocals before a minute as it settles back a little. I keep thinking of how good this would all sound in a live setting. Nice laid back section before 4 minutes that lasts almost a minute. "Seventeen Again" is completely different with prominant piano and bass as the drums beat away. Almost jazzy really. This is an instrumental by the way. The organ leads for an extended period. An okay track but my least favourite.

"Ludwig & Sverker" makes up for it. An 8 minute ride that is so blissful. They actually include a piano version of this as a bonus track because it's so good. "He Already Lives In You" opens with the sound of water as keyboards join in then it builds. It turns heavier around a minute then the organ becomes prominant. A calm with vocals follow as contrasts continue. Sampled words 3 minutes in from a preacher. Then it kicks in hard with organ leading the way. "Note" is the longest track at over 16 minutes. It opens with the sound of someone writing then it kicks in with vocals. A very cool uptempo tune. "So I find myself staring straight into the sun" is a line repeated often. Such a proggy tune with deep bass lines. Love this song. "Where The Lights Are Low" opens with some interesting guitar before the vocals come in which sound different because it's the keyboardist singing at first before the main vocalist arrives. A few F-bombs in this relaxed track. A great way to end the album.

Man this is such a good album, close to being 4.5 stars for me. A solid 4 stars for now though.

The Void doesn't turn out to be the prog metal album some may have been expecting but it does feature moments which are metal and is certainly their heaviest album to date. The guitars sound dirtier than in the past and it's probably their most complex music so far. Beardfish have improved as musicians - not that they were bad before - but it has to be said they haven't, or make that Rikard Sjöblom hasn't improved as a songwriter. In the interests of progression they've lost something in the process, which in the main boils down to weaker hooks and melodies. There's even the very occasional use of death metal growls here! Now don't get me wrong, The Void isn't a bad album by any means, in fact it's quite a good one and opening track proper Voluntary Slavery, which incidentally features some of the heaviest playing here is pretty captivating. There's still elements of old Beardfish which could sit on their earlier albums like the tellingly titled instrumental Seventeen Again which is great and features some excellent playing from all including the trademark Beardfish organ sound which is easily identifiable with the band. Ludvig & Sverker is one of the stronger vocal melodies and could almost sit on Sleeping In Traffic: Part One being subtler, at least in parts.

Some may be put off by the slightly dirgy production which helps drag inferior tracks such as He Already Lives In You down further, which after a promising start seems to drift into nothingness with little of redeeming qualities. At almost sixteen minutes Note is the longest piece on the album and does bear a bit more of a resemblance to older Beardfish in terms of the overall sound and feel but not in quality despite the beautiful guitar solo over piano arpeggios thirteen minutes in.

Whilst I admire Beardfish for not staying still and attempting to progress I think they need to look at their earlier albums to remind them of what made them so great. The Void is a good album which in parts is very enjoyable but for me there's too many moments where I find my interest waning and at 76 minutes is a bit too long. I'd say they'll have to come up with something stronger than this if they want to reach a wider audience.

So I have listened to and been a fan of Progressive Rock for a long time and have listened to many, many albums. But I only recently began to review albums, and while I had thought about giving it a shot many times before, I always thought I didn't really have anything new to say. But what eventually pushed me into writing my first review was when I saw a horrible review of an album I loved, and it was the only review on the site for this album. The reviewer's only reason for giving a very low rating of this album and trash talking it seemed to be that he felt the band wasn't truly "Progressive" because they had some, in his opinion, obvious influences and thus were not doing anything new. Now, this is a huge peeve of mine, because I think this is a misunderstanding of what the "Progressive" genre is truly about. You see, I don't believe the genre, or any musical genre, can be defined by such an ambiguous idea as being "new" or having never been done before. It's music ? nothing is new! Every piece of music is influenced by some other pieces of music going back all the way to the time when the caveman Ugh Nok Ok picked up a seashell and blew into it, playing the very first notes. If your music has notes, it was influenced by this event! You think King Crimson was "new"? You think Yes was doing something that had never been done before? No! They were influenced by classical composers as well as the rock music of their time and they were just combining influences! So it is a peeve of mine when I see reviewers defining the Progressive genre by this ambiguous idea of possessing "newness" and taking this concept to the conclusion that anything that does not possess this indefinable and immeasurable idea must not be good. No, what makes an album "good" is indefinable as well, and different from person to person, but usually has to do with a certain level of musical skill, and creating a combination of sounds that is pleasing in some way to the listener as well as presenting an idea to the listener in a way that makes a connection with that listener. And so, as I have pondered how to go about defining my ratings of albums in my reviews, I have realized that I cannot pretend to be presenting the true measurement of an album's worth but can only represent my own enjoyment of an album, nothing more.

Now, what does this have to do with Beardfish's album, The Void? Well, let's start exploring this question by taking a look at the first track of the album, the Intro, in which Andy Tillison states:

"The magician looked into the future and saw nothing but the past, repeating itself. With caution he turned his eyes to the present and found himself staring into a void. He disappeared in the dark. Time passed, and one day he returned, with a vision. Once he talked to the first stranger he met it was clear that in his absence nothing had changed, but him?"

Now right away, we have a very powerful and mysterious statement. But as the album progresses, I believe the band explores this concept through their music. Now, I have always been intrigued by Beardfish ? they have a unique style that incorporates a very retro sound that seems to be influenced by Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis, incorporating progressive musical structures, quick fingered riffs, changing time signatures, sometimes odd crashing jangles, and a quirky sophistication. But when this album first came out I heard rumblings that seemed to frighten some away while only drawing me in: "Psst! Beardfish is going metal! Run away!" This is the warning it seemed some were giving out. So of course I had to check it out. And as I listened I thought that I could hear where these people were coming from, but it seemed clear to me that this was not a release that nicely and neatly fit right in to the "Metal" categorization in any way. Yes, the guitars have a bit more distorted crunch to them, there is some riffing that is more aggressive in previous Beardfish albums, and there are the occasional growly vocals present. But it is clear that the retro sound we're used to hearing from Beardfish is still present as well as plenty of jazz influences. But as I listened to this album again later on I felt that I began to understand the musical statement as I realized there seemed to be many, many musical influences present in this album. By incorporating and representing musical influences from many genres and time periods, I believe Beardfish is musically presenting the statement put forth by King Solomon thousands of years ago: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look! This is something new'? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time."

As I realized the presence of Classic Prog, Progressive Metal, Sludge, Math-Rock, Jazz, Classic Rock, Blues, and Classical influences (and possibly many more) that were present in this release, and thought about the statement made in the intro, I began to realize how beautifully and profoundly they were presenting this idea of the future merely repeating the past, and the spiritual and philosophical quandary that we are faced with as we ponder this and what it means for our lives. And as I began to understand this statement, I began to truly enjoy this album as it touched me and affected my perspective. And that is what this album is all about, I believe: the mystery of life in which there is nothing new and that as we deal with loss, love, life and death and struggle to heal from emotional wounds, the illusion of change, and how the only thing which truly changes in time is our own perspective.

Originally written for www.seaoftranquility.org

There will be some who have thrown their hands up in horror of Beardfish actually progressing in a musical sense, but isn't that what it is all about? True, the guitars at time have a wonderfully fuzzed out distorted sound that one would associate more with Kyuss than Yes but who cares? This is an album that should pick up fans who would not normally touch anything associated with the word 'prog' and all power to the guys for moving into what is for them uncharted territory. Hopefully they will not lose the people who bought the previous six albums, and there is still plenty on here for the 'traditional' Beardfish fan to enjoy with loads of different styles throw into the mix.

While Destined Solitaire was a pretty big departure that found them exploring the outer reaches of the prog universe with some truly out-there songwriting, it still stayed largely in the realm of the eclectic. With Mammoth (my personal favorite, though it's so hard to choose), Beardfish sounded like a band in transition into something more heavy and metallic. The album was shorter, punchier, and a bit more experimental than the rest.

The Void is arguably their biggest departure to date, and continues and perhaps finishes this transition they started with Mammoth. Here we find Beardfish embracing some of their more metallic tendencies. However, this is not a full-blown metal album like I and others had suspected. Nope, this is just Beardfish being Beardfish, reinventing their sound with wild success while sounding a bit more schizophrenic than usual.

If there are any songs I could recommend to prime people for this it would be Green Waves and Without Saying Anything, both from Mammoth. They hint at the direction this album takes, but nothing can fully prepare the listener for any new Beardfish effort. Here's a track- by-track breakdown:

Introduction - An interesting bit of spoken word that hints at the meaning of this album.

Voluntary Slavery - The Void kicks off with a swift kick to the face. A chugging hook, crunchy guitars, some vocal aggression thrown in for good measure. This track is BAD. ASS. As a metal fan, this track tickled me greatly when I heard them play it live in New Jersey back in May. I like it just as much here, and find myself rocking out to it with gusto. A definite head- banger of a track. Rikard can't growl or scream like the best of them, but he's still solid here. You can tell he's been working at it.

Turn to Gravel - Another heavy-hitter. Not as smashing as Voluntary Slavery, but a good rockin' tune. Probably the closest they've ever come to a flat-out rock song with very few progressive sensibilities. It's a stand out track in that regard, but I'm not sure if its necessarily a good thing. It certainly sounds solid though, and fits the overall mood of the album.

They Whisper - This song. This song destroyed me the first time I heard it. The 'tron makes its first appearance and reminds us that this is still Beardfish. The driving melody is full of emotion and nuance, and marks the first big change that The Void has made me notice in Beardfish's sound. It's the first song that has a lot of genuinely stirring emotion in the music. It's something about the in-your-faceness of the melody, the notes he hits, and the instrumentation that just moves me, man. This is a song that SOUNDS like Beardfish, but FEELS like nothing they've ever done before.

This Matter of Mine - The brutality is back. This song is a kick in the testicles from the beginning, and absolutely the most metal tune out of everything on here. The driving guitar riff is bone-crushing, and will absolutely delight fans of progressive metal. At around the 4:30 mark, things switch up a bit and a little more classic Beardfish riffing comes out before the mellow end.

Seventeen Again - Unbelievable. I've noticed that Beardfish's instrumental tunes are always their most musically diverse, and Seventeen Again is no exception. Bouncing around from smooth, loungey jazz, to good ol' prog rock, and jumping any and everywhere in between. This is a classic Beardfish romp.

Ludvig & Sverker - Another tune that recalls the Beardfish we all know and love. It's a beautiful piece, with some enchanting lyrics and emotional riffing. I don't have much else to say about it. It's just wonderful.

He Already Lives in You - Lounge metal is the best way I can describe this. It's a slow, groovy, dark track with some bluesy lyrics to fit the mood.

Note - The epic. A nearly 16-minute monster. I can't lie, I was kinda hoping for another bombastic masterpiece like "...And The Stone Said; If I Could Speak," but with Beardfish I've found that it's best to just check your hopes and dreams at the door. Note is in a league of its own. It has all the hallmarks of a good epic. It moves smooth as silk throughout its long runtime, never once getting boring or stale, shifting movements while revisiting themes, and just in general being a very engaging piece of work.

There aren't a whole lot of wild shifts going on here. It keeps its tone the same pretty much all throughout while experimenting with some different riffs and melodies. However, a little more than halfway through, Rikard delights us with a heart-wrenching piano solo, which is arguably the most emotionally profound moment of this band's career. When the rest of the band kicks in and joins him, it just amplifies the greatness. My ears were in heaven listening to this.

I'm not very good at describing music in intricate detail. I've listened to this song alone 15 times and I still have trouble really hammering out what I love so much about it. It's just sublime progressive rock brought to life in a way only Beardfish can. While the only thing it shares with And The Stone Said is its runtime, it's no less of a masterpiece. It's easily scaled the ranks as one of my favorite Beardfish songs, and an absolutely essential piece of listening. Even if the rest of The Void sucked, it would have been worth buying for this song alone.

Where the Lights are Low - A mellow finish to the album. Probably my least favorite track, but still a pretty solid tune.

Ludvig & Sverker (Piano Version) - This is a track on the limited edition of the album. It's a sparse and beautiful rendition of an already beautiful proggy tune.

Overall, I can't really complain too much about The Void. I'm biased because I hold Beardfish in extremely high regard, but I think this is another terrific entry in their catalog. Not sure if it will reach the lofty heights that their other albums have for me, but that's something that will be revealed in time after dozens of listens. It's impossible to render such verdicts so soon after the album's release. What verdict I can render is that I am having an absolute blast listening to this, and look forward to every spin. I'll give it a 4 for now, but like some of their others, this may very easily become a 5 over time.