Month: March 2025

Artist: Lars Fredrik Frøislie 
Title: Gamle Mester
Format: LP, CD, Digital
Label: Karisma Records
Distribution: Plastic Head Distribution
Genre: Progressive Rock
Release Date: 09/05/2025

On his second solo album, Gamle Mester (Old Master), Lars Fredrik Frøislie pays homage to the greats of the past. Drawing inspiration not only from the pioneers of progressive rock but also from art, literature, and mythology, the album reflects on timeless acts of creativity that still resonate today. The title is derived from the ancient oak tree “Den Gamle Mester“, found at Krødsherad Prestegård, which also inspired a poem of the same name by Jørgen Moe. This symbolic tree serves as a unifying theme throughout the album, representing wisdom, endurance, and the passage of time.

Opening with Demring (Dawn), the album embarks on a dynamic journey filled with masterful instrumentation and some of Frøislie’s most compelling songwriting to date. Jakten på det Kalydonske Villsvin (The Hunt for the Calydonian Boar) launches with a striking harpsichord riff before unfolding into an epic musical retelling of Rubens’ famous depiction of the myth. The piece narrates the tale of King Oeneus, who, after neglecting to honour the goddess Artemis, incurs her wrath in the form of a monstrous boar sent to devastate his lands.

The title track, Gamle Mester, is a captivating instrumental/choral piece, driven by a central keyboard motif that weaves together grandeur and melodic precision. From there, listeners are cast adrift on Medusas Flåte (The Raft of the Medusa). This evocative composition opens with a theme that captures the ocean’s vast majesty and peril, narrating the harrowing fate of the 150 souls left adrift after the wreck of the French frigate Medusa. Over 13 days, only 15 survived, enduring starvation, dehydration, and ultimately, cannibalism, a grim tale immortalized in Géricault‘s iconic painting.

The album reaches its crescendo with De tre gratier (The Three Graces), named after the daughters of Zeus. Spanning 12 minutes, this final opus encapsulates everything that makes Gamle Mester a triumph. Shifting between light and dark, the track is a treasure trove of rich keyboard textures, soaring flute melodies, dynamic percussion, and the virtuosic bass work of Nikolai Hængsle.

With Gamle Mester, Lars Fredrik Frøislie delivers an album steeped in history, mythology, and musical brilliance. A must-have for progressive rock enthusiasts and collectors alike.

Tracklist
1. Demring (Dawn)   
2. Jakten På Det Kalydonske Villsvin (The Hunt for the Calydonian Boar)
3. Gamle Mester (Old Master)
4. Medusas Flåte (The Raft of the Medusa)
5. De Tre Gratier (The Three Graces)
6. Skumring (Dusk)

Links
Bandcamp: https://lffstudios.bandcamp.com 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/larsfredrikfroislie 
Facebook: https://facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@fredfroi
Label: https://karismarecords.no

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Artist: Agabas
Title: Hard Anger
Format: LP, Digital
Label:  self-released
Distribution: n/a
Genre: Deathjazz/ Mathcore/ Progressive Metal
Release Date: 13/06/2025

Agabas’ highly anticipated third studio album Hard Anger, recorded in a small fjord cabin in Hardanger, Norway is set for release on the 13th of June. Expect brutally downtuned breakdowns mixed with ferocious jazz saxophone, blast beats for days, thundering bass tones, and the beautiful poetic sound of the Norwegian language aggressively spat in your face.

Agabas has already been pushing boundaries on their previous releases with their signature ‘deathjazz’ style, but this album pushes everything further by a landslide. Saxophones ran through fuzz pedals, intensely fast paced jazz solos cutting through dissonant chugs of double dropped guitars – this is deathjazz. Faster, heavier, crazier, and more brutal than ever.

Hard Anger features guest performances by blackjazz veterans Shining on the track Jævla menneske and New York subway legend Michael Wilbur on Vis meg alt. 

Agabas are renowned for their live energy and presence, a feat they’ve recently showcased on a support tour with Kvelertak in the fall of 2024. Translating this energy into a studio performance is no easy task, but the raging sounds of Hard Anger shows that it is possible. According to the band, there is something about the idyllic tranquility of the beautiful Hardanger fjords that really does bring out the most aggressive musical tendencies you can imagine. And that’s not the only influence of the crisp Hardanger nature on the album – during their time there, the band walked around recording samples of the natural sounds of the local area to use in the music. Calming waterfalls, creaking stairs of 800 year old houses, and eerie church bells struck by century old swords, all scattered across the songs of the album, layered in heaps of distortion of course.

The band documented their recording sessions on a series of Instagram reels, gathering over 1,6 million views and 35.000 new followers. On a mission to show the world that jazz can indeed be brutally heavy, Agabas is winning over metal fans with their charming sense of humor and self irony, as well as a dead serious devotion to their craft. As is blatantly apparent when listening to the bands music, these guys know how to play their instruments, and they treat both the metal influences and jazz influences in their music with the highest respect.

The 36-something minutes of Hard Anger takes you on a journey of death metal, hardcore, progressive metal, jazz, black metal, and at times even some punk. All sewn together masterfully and thoughtfully, without ever compromising on the pure chaos and energy of the music. Give this album a spin if you’ve ever wondered if jazz and metal could mix, or if you simply want to listen to a really good, really heavy record.

Tracklist
01. Kjærlighet for alle   
02. Jævla menneske (feat. Shining)   
03. En vakker himmel   
04. La blodet flomme   
05. Se det for deg   
06. Vis meg alt (feat. Michael Wilbur)   
07. Råte   
08. En enkel sjel   
09. Arv   
10. På åpent hav

Links  
Official: https://agabas.no
Bandcamp: https://agabas.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/agabas.band
Facebook: https://facebook.com/agabasband
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@agabastheband
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@agabas.band
Shop: http://agashop.no

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