My love of Norway’s Progressive and Heavy Rock scene still
keeps me going. With bands such as White Willow, Wobbler, Hedvig Mollestad
Trio, Motorpsycho, Elephant9, Gazpacho, and Gentle Knife, they have always kept
my ears going and seeing where I would call it the Yellow Brick Road takes them
into. One of the bands that peaked my interest since 2012 when I was in
College, was a group called Tusmorke. They have been around since their
formation in 1997, and they are a very interesting band with essences of Prog,
Occult Rock, and Acid Folk music.
Their third album released on the Svart Records label this
year, Fort Bak Lyset which translates
to Left Behind the Light is one of
the most surreal and haunting albums I’ve listened to. When you put your
headphones on, listening to Tusmorke’s new album, is like stories straight out
of the Fairy Tales in Norway that have a cross between a darker version of
J.R.R. Tolkien, HP Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury.
With the essence of Psychedelic and Prog in their
inspirations of the band’s music and sung in Norwegian, this will take a few
listens and five centerpieces to delve in to enjoy. Mind you, you might want to
get into the covers or not to delve into the haunting tales that they would
give you.
Et Djevelsk Mareitt (A
Fiendish Nightmare) give us a question. Is the mysterious reality of
whether we are in Hell or is it a nightmare? It tells the story of humoristic demons
various forms as the music is a cross between Baris Manco, Trees, Goblin, and
Camel’s Mirage-era filled with
synths, picked bass, and the pied piper taking us through to meet the creatures
with it’s improvisation midsection.
The spiritual journey where the locations of the lighthouse
is lit as its future lies within with a desolated scenario combined with a
space rock adventure into the unknown of De
Reiser Fra Oss (They Are Leaving Us) while the elements of Krieg’s Hall of the Mountain King motif gets us
into the haunting side of the Oslo ghetto filled with horror. The song that
opens the album, Ekebergkongen (The King
of Oak Mountain) is like a story told through a campfire, but with a
warning that the King is like the puppet master and they will pull the strings
back very quickly for the evil spirits to know they are not fooling around.
Nordmarka (Nordmarka
Forest) I can hear the essence of Italian Prog bands Banco and the Storia Di Un Minuto-era of Premiata
Forneria Marconi followed by Purson. There is a 3/4 waltz section in the middle
followed by the Mellotron with ascending melodies. And then the last minute and
48 seconds features an improvisation between the psych-fuzz groove of the
Wah-Wah pedal of the Bass and Drums with a heavier groove.
Vinterblot (Winter
Solstice Sacrifice) is a twist of Genesis meets The Moody Blues meets
Gentle Giant meets Herbie Hancock. Imagine a soaring interesting adventure of
the Space Rock voyage, but with a Canterbury Jazz combination. With wah-wah
keyboards, and a mysterious section between the Flute, Bass, and Glockenspiel.
I have to admit I was very impressed from the second to fourth time I’ve
listened to Fort Bak Lyset.
It’s not a great album and while there are a few setbacks, it is a fine follow-up to 2014's Riset Bak Speilet. And I can’t wait to hear more
of what will Tusmorke will do next. A haunting Progressive
Acid-Folk-Psychedelic gothic rock adventure at it’s best. So be prepare to
be told through the stories as I’ve mentioned earlier in my review, to be told through a campfire because
it’s not for the faint of heart.
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