MOTORPSYCHO & STÅLE STORLØKKEN: THE DEATH DEFYING UNICORN

Motorpsycho had gone through the years proving time and again that they were a team of musicians that could make an impression of some kind in different styles of rock. Starting with stoner rock and moving through various sub-genres like country rock, alternative, fusion and now finally making their mark with progressive rock. And with the 2 CD album "The Death Defying Unicorn: A Fanciful and Fairly Far-out Musical Fable", they did it in a big way. So big, in fact, that they created a masterpiece. For anyone that doubted they could do it, they proved them wrong.

"The Death Defying Unicorn" is a progressive rock lovers dream come true with a fascinating story and a musical score that pretty much defied anything else that came out that year. On this album, Motorpsycho teamed with Stale Storlokken, the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and the small string orchestra Trondheimsolistene to create a bombastic, yet top-notch album full of heavy rock instruments meshed with orchestra and jazz instruments, and left the critics, fans and the public with their jaws hanging open in awe.

Originally, this music was a long-forgotten by Motorpsycho as an idea they had toyed around with and then shelved without further development. After it was brought back out into the light, it ended up being commissioned by Molde International Jazzfestival to be performed on their main stage for their 50th anniversary in 2010. The music afterwards was re-arranged, fine tuned and recorded from the beginning with Stale Storlokken, one of Norway's top keyboardists, doing the arrangements for the ensemble work. What we ended up with is an amazing multi-movement work with a lot of power and amazing musicianship.

The first CD contains the first 7 movements of the album, starting out with the overture "Out of the Woods" which features mostly strings playing the first main theme and developing it, preparing for the next part "The Hollow Lands" which continues the developed motif with the sudden inclusion of Motorpsycho and an explosion of guitars, keys and drums playing right along, and what an opening and what an impression they make right off the bat. As you find yourself enveloped in this amazing music, you eventually come to the lyrics, dynamics being utilized to emphasize the first part of the story, and the addition of the jazz orchestra. But it all really comes together in the epic "Through the Veil" which sees all of the musicians come together in a miasma of sound and awesomeness. Here is a 16 minute track that combines the craziness of jazz/rock fusion classic "20th Century Schizoid Man" of which it has been compared to. At this point, the listener knows that they have entered a world of amazingness and that this album is to be remembered and be recognized as a rock masterwork. The music has to be experienced, it is that awesome. Everything to this point represents the main character being brought onto an ill-fated ship and the ensuing storm that rips the boat to shreds, leaving it floating aimlessly in the aftermath. Things cool down after those first three tracks, but the music isn't any less interesting, in fact, it proves that this is not just a one-trick pony, but that it can be dynamic also. "Doldrums" gives you a cooling off period before another long epic track "Into the Gyre" which ranges from lighter fare to spurts of guitar and rock magic, all 3 styles of progressive rock, jazz and classical music working together wonderfully. "Flotsam" ends the first disc with a more reflective number, atmospheric and still quite intriguing, the music representing sailors lost at sea.

Disc Two begins with "Oh Proteus, A Prayer" and continues with the story of the sailors lost at sea and mysterious and atmospheric music with harmonized layered vocals and heavy strings. The melody is loose and listless, wandering around like the ship. After 3 minutes in, it increases in volume, a dark undertone is brought about by churning guitars (waves) as the wandering vocals continue. The darkness continues to drone on after the vocals end as the layers of instruments meld together. "Sculls in Limbo" utilizes effects to make eerie and unreal effects, staying mostly minimal in sound. "La Lethe" fades in slowly with the jazz orchestra building the music slowly, but with a soft beat and rhythm that gives a surreal feeling, almost as dreams of past memories. The music builds and a sense of danger and unease come with the build. Again, a drone-like sound creates the dark undertow of the water, while the hazy jazz orchestra continues to play, but in a more experimental way, contributing to the mental fog surrounding the ship's crew, what is real and what is not. Wordless vocals are harmonized, but mixed deeply, and somehow a melodic sax solo emerges from the dark nightmarish instrument haze, and even that seems unsure of itself as the music builds, then suddenly lets go and softens, then suddenly increases in a dramatic orchestral passage. This section ends with a short reprise of "Oh Proteus" subtitled as "A Lament" this time. This brings back decipherable vocals, but now the crew seems to be losing their sanity.

The last three tracks deal with the crew slipping into insanity starting with "Sharks". The title might suggest the meat-eating fish, but in reality deals with the sharks of the mind. Soft, slightly unhinged singing and minimal music that sounds like something from Roger Waters mind begins the track. Soft pizzicato strings underlie a bowed violin playing a loose melody. After a while, the brass comes in very quietly, then more vocals, a little more upfront this time. Dissonant chords from the strings bring in more unease, then things increase in intensity and drama as the music crescendos. A male chorus sings and the darkness becomes more evident. It's an excellent payoff for the patient listener as the drama builds and flows into the excellent "Mutiny". Now we go into full progressive rock mode as a frantic feeling takes over with excellent vocals and complex musicianship follows. A wild instrumental break led by guitar and bass take it up to another level and the music sounds inspired by the introduction to Yes' "Changes", but with a layered and hazy feel with heavy guitars. It's all quite awesome. When it reaches the climax, it all seems to come crashing down, then suddenly recovers bringing back vocals, mellotron and more guitars. But it's all so well-layered that it still sounds like a full orchestra. Finally, it all calms for a softer vocal ending, and this segue's into the finale "Into the Mystic", which is not the Van Morrison song by the way. This one takes right off into heavy, dark guitars and a screaming violin solo over the top of it all. This ending is one of the best endings to a concept story-based albums I have heard. Talk about a rousing and climactic ending.

This album is so amazingly well done that it deserves to be up there with the masterpieces of prog, and if it had been made in the 70's, we would be singing its praises just like we do for the other masterpieces of that time like "Close to the Edge", "Pawn Hearts", "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", and "Dark Side of the Moon", it is that good. Like I said at the beginning, if you only hear one Motorpsycho album, let it be this one, and I'm sure you'll be soon wishing you could hear some of their other albums. This is a genius masterpiece, an essential album that will make those that believe there is no good progressive rock after the 70s back into believing that it is still alive and well. This is it folks, one of the best progressive rock albums from the 2010s. Simply amazing and inspiring, it should be considered one of the all-time greats of progressive music that is meant to be heard from start to finish, not one track at a time. It's one of my rare 6-star albums.

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