TANGLE EDGE

One of the lesser known bands of the 80s Norwegian underground, the ethno-psychedelic prog band TANGLE EDGE emerged alongside similarly minded bands such as Ozric Tentacles, Violeta de OUtano and Djam Karet only these bands emerged world's apart and presumably totally unaware of the other's existence (no internet in the 80s!). TANGLE EDGE arose from well above the Arctic circle in the small town of Narvik, Norway in 1981 when Ronald Nygård and Hasse Horrigmoe discovered the world of psychedelic music to be the perfect outlet for escaping the vast Arctic wilderness which kept the long sunless days in northern Norway from becoming insufferable.

Over the years TANGLE EDGE released a few cassette-only releases but after adding Ronald Nygård, as a trio recorded and released the debut IN SEARCH OF A NEW DAWN in 1989 on the band's own Mushroom Productions label. This all-instrumental psychedelic delicatessen of a debut showcased the band's diverse delivery of psychedelia throughout the ages ranging from guitar driven rock to keyboard saturated Krautrock, Indo-raga rock and extended jams. With nine tracks that add up to over 48 minutes of playing time, TANGLE EDGE showcased a veritable blend of developed progressive rock techniques in the context of ethnically tinged space rock.

Ranging from the echoey placidity of the opening "Isis at the Invisible Frontispiece" to the raga rock escapism of "A Secret Inside Clopedia," TANGLE EDGE demonstrates its range of world music inspirations as well as its biting guitar attacks as in the Amon Duul II inspired "Caesar's Integrated Flaw" as well as the lysergically inspired Hawkwind styles of "The Approaching Triptykhon Sunset" that feature wild an demanding guitar antics usually not associated with psychedelic space rock. The album flows from soft pastoral detached moments to heavy eruptions of distorted guitar rock. The juxtaposition of the placid and startling keeps this album from falling into any particular mood set and in many ways showcases the ups and downs of life in general.

TANGLE EDGE also excels at demonstrating its command of various ethnic fusion techniques by incorporating Scandinavian, Mediterranean and Balkan folk influences as well as Indian ragas, small doses of jazz and most of all the trippy escapist techniques delivered by the German Krautrock scene and healthy doses of electronic embellishments. Some notable bands that find a nod or two include Amon Duul II, Golem, Eloy, Popol Vuh and Between. The band also excels at lush folky guitar passages with occasional classical references as well. The overall trip is a mind-blowing roster of diversity that is all tied together by a detached spaced out effect. The electric guitar playing is top notch too bringing Ozric Tentacles to mind however even the heavier guitar parts have a wide range as some are based on bluesy hard rock jamming while others evoke the more dissonant approaches of 1970s King Crimson.

The album's entire run is brilliant but the knotty short acoustic piece "Mushy Shadows from a Lost Caravan" followed by the 15-minute "Sorlorgy" have to be a highlight as together they demonstrate some of the best guitar workouts on the album. The incessant flow of the beefy bass grooves and the busy percussive drive also makes "Sorlorgy" the heaviest track on board with crazy guitar soloing workouts and despite all the demanding technicalities never diverts from its overall mission as a space rock act. Considering this is a mere trio, the musical flow is excellently performed with an impeccable instrumental interplay, a wide array of influences and an especially satisfying display of dynamics that shift from the most serene moments of placidity to true scorching guitar driven heft. Seriously, they must have some REALLY good mushrooms growing up in the Arctic! I absolutely adore this one.

When you're keen on extended yet predominantly inspired jam sessions which are deriving from a more eclectic playground, yeah, then you certainly are on the challenging side of life here. TANGLE EDGE are a trio from Norway, constituted in the early 1980s. I'm not sure if they are still active anymore nowadays. I mean in the sense of developing new stuff and trying to schedule gigs. Anyway, since 2020 Ronald Nygård, Hasse Horrigmoe and Kjell Oluf Johansen are re-arranging their widespread discography. Which in most cases is leading into digital re-releases. This is an exception anyhow, because also distributed as double vinyl via Space Rock Recordings.

'Cispirius' showcases a compilation of tracks originally recorded in the last half of the 1990s, and they are partially re-mixed. Accompanied by the lively opener Cañcalam the album basically consists of one extended suite entitled Beyond The Hills Of Inhibition, more than 50 minutes playing time, devided in four parts. While having all the time in the world available you're free to plunge into this stuff, to leave everything behind for some time. Virtuoso and varied instrumental playing guaranteed. Acoustic guitars as well as nice percussion work included. Jazzy and groovy sections are alternating with psychedelic, space and ambient behaviour. 3.5 stars. This is definitely worth a listen, if you like bands with an extreme improvisational approach.

"In Search Of A New Dawn" was the debut of Norway's own TANGLE EDGE. I had forgotten that I had reviewed their 2006 album called "Serpentry Quarters" which did little for me back then. This album does a lot for me. In fact I've been so intrigued with their sound as they offer up some ethnic sounding music bordering on Raga Rock but also a lot of fantastic sounding guitar led music. Lots of angular guitar here as well and I like how experimental this gets at times. There's a Psychedelic and Jazz vibe too at times in this all instrumental album. The compositions were split evenly between the lead guitarist and the synth/ bass/ acoustic guitar player.

"Isis At The Invisible Frontispiece" is the 2 minute opener with mostly acoustic guitar but the style of playing gives this a strong ethnic vibe. "Caesar's Integrated Flaw" is one I like better and it's a top five for me as we get this uptempo rocker with some impressive electric guitar as drums and bass support. This really comes across as a great sounding guitar track.

"Nephthys" has acoustic guitar along with electric angular guitar. It turns fuller just before a minute as acoustic guitars take over. Angular guitar is back after 2 1/2 minutes. I like the depth of sound when the bass comes to the fore a minute later. It's almost spacey with acoustic guitar to end it. "A Secret Inside Clopedia" features bowed guitar with acoustic guitar again giving off this ethnic vibe but here Raga Rock really comes to mind. Tablas and percussion too.

"The Approaching Triptykhon Sunset" is a top five and it sounds good to start, quite melodic before it turns experimental rather quickly. It settles back after 2 minutes then it kicks back in again with atmosphere, acoustic guitar and a beat. Nice. It turns lighter but it's still experimental. "The Centipede's Tune" has this melancholic electric guitar that brings fellow Norwegian Terje Rypdal to mind. There's acoustic guitar and atmosphere as well. That melancholic angular guitar comes to the for before 4 minutes. A top five.

"Later Then The Pinworm-Era" is another top five and this one is a more powerful song with electric guitar, bass and drums standing out. "Mushy Shadows From A Lost Caravan" is led by beautiful acoustic guitar melodies. "Solorgy" is my favourite and the 15 minute closer. Water sounds to begin with along with acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar gets abrasive before 1 1/2 minutes then it kicks in with drums, bass and more. So good! Water sounds continue after 2 minutes as it settles before kicking in again. Love this! The electric guitar pretty much solos over to almost the end as this plays out. Water sounds only late before spoken words end it.

Without question one of the best from 1989, easily in my top ten for that year. Adventerous music that continues to intrigue me.

Great spirit here! Not long ago I stumbled across this band from Norway which is still on the road nowadays. They just (2010) have released an album consisting of 'old' recordings from 1982/83. 'Tarka' comprises a relaxed psych/space ambience, coupled with a reasonable jazz/fusion and krautrock/ethno touch though. This ís carefully produced while provided with a balanced proportion of composition and improvisation - due to some overdubs very entertaining although this a three-headed group only. So first to say, the music is not randomly issued I'm sure, it's a well thought out concept to state.

The album is wrapped, rounded by the two Vata tracks showing thumb piano excursions and ambient/spacey synth patterns. Stygian Walls on the other hand has been worked out with the typical nordic melancholic mood in the likes of Terje Rypdal. The lengthy centerpiece Yatantah is divided in three sections and more of a jammig outfit with a haunting repetitive bass line. Where Part 1 and Part 3 are primarily heavier edged, the middle section comes more with a jazzy/spacey vibe - irresistible guitar work provided by Ronald Nygård, electric as well as acoustic. Causa Sui are able to deliver such an impressing vibe too.

Furthermore they take some steps towards more experimental fields including some emphasis on diverse cymbal instruments. Where the meandierung Hesperus works with an eclectic touch reminiscent to King Crimson Cinta is full of melancholy, even other-worldly somehow, like common krautrock stuff. Durra Durra then holds an oriental percussion drive, basically relaxed but then - fascinating - it gets out of control a bit in between, Hasse Horrigmoe's bass loses his bearing so to say. No problem though because at some point they get together again.

Reminding me of Weather Report, spheric impressions on Verbina are opening for the relaxed grooving Eidolon - once again provided with tribal percussion and excellent cosmic guitars. 'Tarka' offers roundabout one hour of entertaining, varied music - Terje Rypdal's spirit is present here and there, a lot of interesting stuff to explore. Although ... or maybe even because I have noted many references to other artists this is an impressing album according to my taste - 4.5 stars.

TANGLE EDGE are a three piece band from Norway who play instrumental Psychedelic music. A lot of repetitive, hypnotic music on here as drums and bass keep the beat while the guitar tries to keep it interesting.

"Emerald Mound" opens with some backward guitar before a gong signals the start of this trippy tune. Guitar plays over top of the bass and drums throughout. "Transcendental Virtue Part I : Serene Procession" is almost 19 minutes long and opens with cymbals and other sounds as a beat starts to build. The guitar starts to make some noise 2 minutes in before turning into angular melodies quickly. Drums and bass continue as the angular guitar plays over top until before 14 minutes in when it changes back to making some noise. The beat ends after 16 minutes as the song continues to wind down to nothing.

"Transcendental Virtue Part II : Beyond Elevation" opens with electronic sounds as gentle guitar comes in and then a beat. The sound starts to build before 4 minutes. The guitar is very active 7 1/2 minutes in. It starts to unwind 14 minutes in. "The Seventh Tide" is 2 minutes of experimental sounds. "Daidalos Hunt" opens with cymbals and dissonant guitar sounds. Drums come in and build. The guitar is crying out almost before becoming melodic (well sort of). Just not that pleasant of a sound.

Very disappointed in this release. I found myself getting annoyed a lot when listening to this album. That rarely happens with me, but these guys did it way too often. I like angular guitar, but the way it was done here was grating my nerves. Just not the album for me I guess.

This is one of those albums that is loved primarily by other musicians. Like a lot of raga and jazz music, these songs are full of instruments with odd tunings, obscure and finger-contorting guitar chords, and time signatures that don’t often include even numbers. Really entertaining and challenging for some young turk with a guitar and time on his hands who is willing to sit down and figure out what these guys are doing from a technical perspective.

Me, I’m just a neophyte with an acoustic guitar and a tab book trying to keep my fingers from bleeding vibrations from one string to the next. This stuff is way beyond me. But that’s okay too, because in the end music is all about what appeals to your ears and your soul, and whether you can actually appreciate the virtuosity of the artists is really secondary.

This is an interesting debut album from a band that’s been around for nearly three decades but who doesn’t seem to have a very strong following, at least not internationally. I get the impression they are a well-kept secret among their discerning fans.

This album was originally released on vinyl in 1989, actually twice, with one pressing being on a pink label and the other on a green one. The artwork is quite complex and detailed, and I assume the original vinyl was housed in a gatefold from the looks of it. The influences in both the artwork and the music housed in it are middle-Eastern, Indic/far-Eastern, and far northern Europe (Nordic, Russian). I doubt if you’ll find one of these if you don’t already have one. On the other hand, the record was also released on CD in 1994 and that version is a bit more accessible although you’ll still have to look around a bit. The 1994 issue is also a remix with a couple additional musicians added to the duo who recorded the original tracks. Since I’ve never seen or heard the vinyl I can say what’s different, but the mixing and production of the CD is exceptional.

These are all compositions blending raga-like arrangements, slightly psychedelic guitar and sitar, eastern instrumentation, and trance rhythms. Hardcore psych thirty years after the stuff was in vogue. But these guys do what they do very well, and all of them are seriously accomplished musicians with totally mastery over the instruments.

Most of the tracks are shorter than one would expect for this type of music, and the record has the feel of a sampler or EP throughout most of it. But the closing, fourteen-minute near-raga “Solorgy” shows that the band has serious intentions and the ability to generate both complex and substantive art. The psych guitar set against a persistent and hypnotic tabla and hand drums is seductive and mesmerizing, while the occasional forays into screaming speed-demon guitar riffing in spots gives notice that this is modern day stuff, not simply rehashing the sounds of the sixties. This track alone would have made a great debut EP for Tangle Edge.

Their music is a bit hard to find, especially if you don’t live in northern Europe. But Tangle Edge are a consummately talent group of musicians and their music can be enjoyed by both hardcore and serious musicians, as well as simple fans who like to get their ears dusted off once and a while. Four stars and highly recommended to just about any progressive music fan.

peace

To be precise - it is 4,5 stars. BAnds like this (usually scandinavian) give some hope and keep my interest in last years' progrock. And how absolutely far it is from all these annoying Arena's, Dream Theatres and other impotent artists. Tangle edge is in my opinion just as good as Anekdoten or Landberg, but should not be connected with those bands. It has it's own, very unique style. Surely enough - we'll find here some influences from seventies - krautrock or spacerock perhaps. But it's hard to point out precisely what bands could be yhe influence. Sometimes we can here very kcrimson sounds - like in "Hesperus" (one of the best tracks here" - but still it's not a simple rip-off but tolerable influence: mostly in sound of the guitar, not in the form of tracks. In my opinion this album doesn't have any of the vices that progrock (especially neo- prog) sometimes have; and it's not only for prog-fans. The music here is purely instrumental, based on improvisations, somehow "monotoneus", but far from being boring. No - no boredom at al, and in my opinion it's not very easy to make an hour of instrumental music - played by trio - with no lenghts. There's a lot of the guitar playing here - but it shouldn't be considered as an aimless "endless guitar solo". It rather creates a very special mood, we get involved in, which doesn't disappear till the very end. Musicianship is excellent, melodies are at moments really beatiful, dramaturgy also. Sharp and inteligent music. From other albums I know only "In serach of a new dawn". This one seems a bit better.