MYSTIC SPIRIT

Kerrs Pink is a Norwegian prog band which has done six studio records since 1980 and "Mystic Spirit" is their sixth record. I suppose the band has changed their sound a lot since then because this doesn't feel like traditional prog. The cover picture is dramatic and shows beautiful bare tree and a dynamic sky. The band is madu up by Eirikur Hauksson (lead vocals), Harald Lytomt(guitars), Per Langsholt(bass and bass pedals), Glenn Fosser(keyboards) and Magne Johansen(drums and percussion).

Firstly I fell i love with the first song "Final Curtain"(9/10) which feels almost like folk prog. The dramatic and emotional melody feels like something known inside me, perhaps a Swedish film theme or something. There is a beautiful melody however and I enjoyed the singers voice. The sound of accordion was among the most lovely features. I would have loved more accordion. The unfortunately nothing stands up to the same level of beauty. The short "Until I know"(7,5/10) is a short and lovely symphonic piece with acoustic parts and the almost instrumental "Secluded"(7,5/10) is close to very good with great keyboards and vocals sounding like Phil Collins. I also like "Slaves of the west"(7/10) which perhaps is the most symphonic of the records tracks with hints of Camel, even if it's too heavy. In "The Storm" I notified a nice bass line(7/10) and the sweeping melody of "In Immorality"(7/10) reminded me of the Swedish opera work "Tonerna" which most famous performance feautured Jussi Björling. I can't help feeling the similarity. Kerrs Pink has some classical lines also sounding little like film music. The rest of the songs aren't so interesting.

I would say this record is too long to really be enjoyed, a big problem among new releases! I would also have appreciated more folk elements in the music. My problem with Kerrs Pink is that I think they're too heavy sometimes and I think they're not going to a level they could have gone with their capacity. I like the vocals which sometimes sounds like Phil Collins so I will also explore Magic Pie's music. A good record with some tracks I enjoy but not any prog monsters in my opinion. Three stars!

Wow, what a thrill it is discovering a new album that one cannot get enough of. Such is the case with Kerrs Pink latest effort, Mystic Spirit. Honestly I was totally unaware that this band has been around for over 30 years as this is the first I have heard from them.

This website classifies them as prog-folk, but I would have to disagree with that classification. I would call this more crossover or symphonic. as it is driven mostly by electric guitar and keyboards with solid bass lines.

Starting with "Final Curtain", one would think, "oh this is nice", with strong melody, guitar patterns, and excellent vocals. But then, one song after another is equally as good or better. Just solid melodic prog from start to finish. This is an album that just gets better with each listen and will easily make my top 10 for 2013.

My challenge now is to check out their back catalog.

Real "progressed" music for the band

Listening to their music from the first album, I can say that this 6th is really progressed music for the band. It is obvious that the vocal changed the atmosphere of their music, but still you can hear that norwegian trad melody in the guitar solo which is their trademark. In short, their music has become some of the global prog standard especially in musical structure. In this sense, young prog listeners may get deep into it than the senior prog fans. I am part of the later, but I am repeating the album now. My score is 4.5 stars.

It's something of a tribute to this very long lived group that each album is quite readily recognizable as theirs, especially since the vocalist seems to change with every release. Harald Lytomt's lead guitars, in a CAMEL-esque vein, and the blend of symphonic prog and Norwegian folk melodies, provide the continuity. One improvement over "Tidings" from eleven years earlier is that the termini of each song are no longer the province of wailing female vocalists. The two opening numbers are especially strong, with Eirikur Hauksson of MAGIC PIE supplying very GENESIS- like vocals and pleasant changes of pace and atmosphere, and the brief "Unwanted" is simply divine, while "Creepy You Crawl" is a harder rock number that contrasts favorably with the overabundance of moody or mellow offerings.

Unfortunately, apart from the aforementioned and a few notable passages in the longer tracks (see "Earth to Earth"), the beneficial effect is somewhat dampened due to excessive run time, similarity of musical motifs and rhythms, and prevalence of lyrical themes around person legacy and immortality. Lytomt has been exploring these vexing questions since at least the prior album, but here enters an interminable loop only saved by a hard stop. Had "Mystic Spirit" been pared down to 45 minutes, it might have offered the listener the opportunity to transcend the mundane rather than go mad trying. 3 stars for the controlled release version.