Description

Black vinyl

Shaman Elephant, from Bergen in Norway, is a worthy progressive rock album to the thriving scene of Norway. The title track carries a captivating main riff that will remind you of Sabbath’s most uplifting moments and despite its 8+ mins duration its a track you would easily call trippy and would accommodate you on your drives. Shaman in the Woods plays with late 60’s psychedelia on a lethargic, druidic tempo; Woodstock, elephants, purple haze and you get the picture. IAB is back on elevated grooves with semi-distorted riffs crossing Hendrix and indie rock infused with enough keyboards to differentiate it from the typical heavy rock sound. Tusco bears the highest resemblance to Seven Impale; the keys and slight distortion give it away while the track floats on a delightful and melodic smooth jazzy pattern of Mahavishnu Orchestra meets The Tangent. A creeping, doomy riff appears in the first 2 minutes of The Jazz before giving way to a psych mid-tempo which would make Atomic Rooster proud of their legacy. Perhaps the only complaint is the rather unecessary couple of last minutes. The closer Stoned Conceptions is a heavy blues epic in the vein of Led Zeppelin (…Since I’ve Been Loving You…) that attempts to, but only really does, kick off with a slight quickening and guitar solo in the last 3 minutes, resembling to the opener and thus finely completes the circle. I can’t really see why a prog fan would not enjoy this groovy roadtrip; particulary recommended to fans of Seven Impale albeit with a more straightforward, heavy psych and proto-prog vibe. A band to watch out for.

Track list:
1. Crystals
2. Shaman In The Woods
3. I.A.B
4. Tusko
5. The Jazz
6. Stoned Conceptions