SYNDENES MAGI

Arabs in Aspic is one of the great bands of the Norwegian prog revolution, and today they could safely be considered veterans of the symphonic prog genre. I find it incredible how many good bands have come from the Nordic country and have absolutely dominated the prog charts of the recent years. Their fifth studio album 'Syndenes Magi' (Norwegian for 'The Magic of Sin') is a thrilling journey into the lands of grim symphonic rock, embellished with quirky keyboards, angular guitars, and all sorts of wacky percussion instruments. Apparently the album focuses on topics such as black magic, in a more metaphorical way and how it penetrates both the collective and the personal.

It is quite interesting how the band is directly quoting King Crimson's 'Starless' in the very beginning of the opening title track, a 12-minute carousel of heavy and melodic, vile and symphonic, melancholic and occasionally aggressive, great song! Then come parts 2 and 3 of their 'Morket' suite, both pieces are quite extravagant, thoroughly enjoyable and compelling, and fans of symphonic prog would gush over the excellent sounds in these songs. This is an incredibly well balanced album, pretty much following the classic album format, with passages of instrumental madness and rock glory flowing in-between some grim and obscure musical explorations.

The perverse and magical artwork surely complements the music of Arabs in Aspic on this great album, as the listener is constantly jumbling back and forth between the lands of the serene and the surreal. Nevertheless, the singing in Norwegian is one of the pretty fascinating aspects on here, adding another dimension to the album experience.