MAESTRO

I am excited by the album I am about to listen to for the first time today, Magic Pie's new album "Maestro". Kim Stenberg and company last released an album back in 2019, so we are quite ready to delve into some new musical adventures from them.

Disclosure for transparency. After posting my Spotlight on Magic Pie 2 months ago in March of 2025 (Which I will post below the review), Anne-Claire of BadDog productions reached out to me to review and feature some of her artists, but there is no compensation outside of digital files of the music for review purposes, and I choose what I want to write about, and express my opinions freely. I am free to post about any artist, regardless of whether they are represented by her or not.

With that out of the way, let's get a taste of some new Magic Pie! (As usual, this is a cold listen, with the exception of Everyday Hero, which I have heard once.)

Here is the line-up for this outing:

- Kim Stenberg / guitars, vocals - Lars Petter Holstad / bass, vocals - Eirikur Hauksson / lead vocals - Martin Utby / drums - Eirik Hanssen / vocals - Erling Henanger / keyboards, vocals

This is the same lineup as the 2019 album, with the exception of Utby taking over on drums from Jan Johannessen.

Track 1 - Opus Imperfectus Pt. 1, The Missing Chord

Yay! We jump right in with an 18:29 epic. (The album ends with the much shorter Part 2 of this song.) We begin with a low drone, and brass instruments and some subtle cymbal taps. Do we have a full orchestra here? String sounds join in as well, joined by harmony vocals in a choir like manner. A crescendo brings the full band in shortly after the one-minute mark. They play a glorious introduction with some great drum fills from Martin Utby. I believe they are establishing a theme that we will return to throughout the track. There is an amazing unison run on guitar and keys at around the two minute mark. A cool odd-meter groove begins around 2:15. Great piano at around 3 minutes. We go back to a moderately slow 4-4 at around 3:30. Some more lovely piano playing at around 4:00 leads in the vocals for the first time which begin at around 4:15. I love how prog intros often outlast entire standard songs! The first verse has acoustic strumming with 4 on the floor bass drumbeats. Gradually more instruments enter, along with vocal harmonies. The style is best described as such: if Dream Theater, Spock's Beard and the Flower Kings each represent points of a triangle, Magic Pie is in the center of the triangle. There is a nice instrumental turn around between verses at around 5:30. At about the 7-minute point, the tempo slows down and there is a brief instrumental feature. That leads to a very quiet section with vocals and string sounds (perhaps mellotron). The keys continue as Stenberg's guitar takes the spotlight with long sustained chords. The band kicks in heavier at around 8:45. There is a cool siren effect that brings the vocals back in. Eirikur Hauksson has a powerful and slightly gruff tone; he carries the melody well. I like the heavy riff in this section. Cool accent at around 10:10. A new groove begins around 10:45. It gets a bit jazzy, with an electric piano solo. Utby and Holstad keep a tight rhythm for the soloists, as Stenberg returns on guitar. Nice shredding at 13:30 as the groove begins to rock out again. By 14:50 we are getting seriously proggy, and getting a bit more into the DT part of the triangle. Don't get me wrong, everything is pure Magic Pie magic, but I am just providing a point of comparison. In the section around 16 minutes and beyond, there are deep, rich, harmony vocals that remind me of a men's choir. The key changes on the final vocal harmony chord, and synth tones fade out, bringing the amazing opening epic to a close.

Track 2 - By the Smoker's Pole

A few sustained guitar notes begin the song, and the lead vocals soon join in with accompaniment from electric guitar and electric piano each making use of a tremolo effect. Very bluesy at the beginning. More instruments, including bass enter at around 1 minute for the second verse. Nice harmonies around 1:20. They return around 1:50. The drums kick in around the 2-minute mark, but only briefly. They kick back in heavier at 2:45. A melodic guitar solo follows. Nice choir-like effect on the keys! Amazing scale runs at around 3:45. Sustained notes close out this relatively short track. Nice song!

Track 3- Name It to Tame It

This one is a bit longer at 7:10. This starts right out with the full band rockin'! Excellent solo from Stenberg. This one is giving me Deep Purple vibes. Great guitar fills between phrases. Henanger also gives us some fill on the keys. This one rocks hard! Until about 2:40 when it suddenly gets quieter and the keys are featured over a tricky groove. Harmony vocals take over on top of the same groove. We get heavy again at around 3:25. A keyboard solo happens around 3:45, followed by a shredding guitar solo from Stenberg. The riff at 4:20 is awesome! Lots of energy in this one! After a bridge, Stenberg continues his guitar masterclass. What a rocker! Great track!! File this one under heavy prog!

Track 4 - Kiddo?

This is by far the shortest track at only 2:12. It begins with a slow fade-in of wind effects. Keys join, then an acoustic guitar starts strumming along with flute-like sounds. The vocals enter at around the 1-minute mark asking, "Who are you kiddo?". Beautiful harmonies around 1:25. This seems to be warning young people to be wary of "multi- media influencers". Nice short track that leads to?

Track 5 - Someone Else's Wannabe

This is the second longest track at around seven and a half minutes. We begin with a power chord then a swirling keyboard part. More power chords lead to harmony vocals. A very complex run at around 20 seconds leads to a new section. What a dynamic intro! Around the 1-minute mark the first verse begins. Cool groove at around 1:30! Then amazing, panned left and right backing vocals that seem to float above the music somehow! I love the turnaround parts between verses. This is another high-energy song! I am loving this. There is a quieter bridge to give some contrast. This is followed by a smokin' organ solo! Then he switches to synth for some odd-meter prog- tastic playing with Stenberg on guitar. Another quiet section follows as we approach the 5-minute mark. There is a spoken voice saying something I can't make out in the background. Maybe a band member might be kind enough to shed a little light on that? Another spectacular guitar solo follows. Then a closing chorus followed by a keyboard part that fades the song to a close.

Track 6 - Everyday Hero

As the lead-off single, this is the one track I have previously heard. The intro reminds me of "Desperate Times" from Kansas' "Freaks of Nature" album. The vocals come in soon after. This one has a feel somewhere between classic hard rock and 80s commercial metal. Fantastic, stacked harmonies in the pre-chorus. The vocals at 2:10 have a new-wave vibe. I can pick-up some Styx in there too! Stenberg continues to dazzle on guitar as does Henanger on the keys. I just figured out why I keep getting Deep Purple vibes too?Hauksson's voice reminds me a little of Ian Gillan. Superb guitar tag at the end! Another great track!

Track 7 - Opus Imperfectus Pt. 2?Maestro

And we close the album by returning to the last 4:17 of the opening epic. Echoey sustained guitar notes lead the vocals in. More great harmony singing at around 30 seconds and a drum fill leads the rest of the band in. The lyrics "Maestro, your masterpiece remains your legacy for future generations, for all time!" seem quite appropriate here, as Magic Pie have delivered an amazing album, that might even be their best one yet! And I have enjoyed every album they have put out up to this point. The arrangement of this song is incredible. Stenberg needs more recognition as a top-notch guitarist! He continues to impress, as does the rest of the band. I love the harmonized guitar parts with the big half time feel as we reach the close, they land on a minor chord after the triumphant major key segment, and keyboard parts close the album out. Wow, what an amazing finale to an incredible album.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

As I mentioned above, Magic Pie have delivered a masterpiece that shows them worthy of being mentioned alongside fellow Scandinavians The Flower Kings, as one of the great modern prog bands! I loved every moment of this album. I would be remiss if I did not mention Jacob Holm-Lupo's masterful mix-job, well done! If you enjoy a hard rock edge to your prog, I recommend checking this album out without reservation; I'll even encourage it. 2025 is a great year so far to be a prog fan, with so many major releases. But definitely make sure this one is on your list to buy or stream! This is an easy 5 out of 5 stars.

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