Album Type: Full Length
Date Released:
TBC
Label: Rise Above Records
"Ascending
(Live in Space)" CD/LP tracklisting:
1. So, You Have Chosen Death 04:42
2. Rokktori 04:43
3. Over the Influence 08:24
4. Leadersheep 04:25
5. Peasant 05:05
6. Tower of Terror 06:50
7. Last Man In Space 07:37
8. Moonstone 02:16
The Band:
Oscar Bo
Valentine Pehrson | Bass, Vocals, Organ
Robin
Tidebrink | Guitar, Vocals
Linkan
Lindgren | Guitar, Vocals
Ted Carlsen | Drums
Review:
Channelling
the heady sound of the late 60's early 70's Saturn rings you in and sends you
right out to space. Zeppelin-esque hard
rock abounds here with some spidery guitar work, driving bass, and pounding
drums. Weirdly the album begins with a
riff that channels some serious "Master of Puppets" vibe then swerves
hard for the 70s with some nice open space choruses. I love it when bands cut the instruments out
briefly and have the singer just sing a verse (example of this for those of you
not music nerds Black Sabbath "The Wizard," "War
Pigs"). "Leadersheep" has
some cool rhythm riffing that reminds me of a strange blend of
"Communication Breakdown" with vintage Spirit Caravan era Wino but
with better singing and a slick short Buck Dharma-esque Middle Eastern vibe
solo.
Love
the trippy slidework intro to Rokktori, I wish more people played slide but it
is somewhat difficult to play for some people (OPEN TUNINGS!?!? OH NOES). The univibe/Leslie opening riff on "Tower of Terror
The
final track "Moonstone" has some nice acoustic playing channeling
some of your favorite Zeppelin moments although it does seem to end somewhat
abruptly. "Moonstone" has some
very nice singing and centers as a showpiece for whomever is doing lead
vocals. Oddly the band lists both
guitarists and the bass player as being vocalists and don't denote a lead but
if they are changing, whoever is doing lead vocals I can't tell the difference
between them, which is crazy if they switch to have three people that good at
singing who sound that much alike in the same band. That being said the vox is good across the
board and the background vocals are great throughout.
I
can honestly say the only thing I didn't like about this album is the track
"Peasant". For no particular
reason, the song reminded me of meeting someone and instantly wanting to knock
their teeth out despite them not having done anything to warrant it (like the
fat kid from Superbad who lost weight and is now kinda fat but not as fat as he
was). I also harbor a similar hatred for
the Rolling Stones' song "Dear Doctor" off Beggars Banquet. Which if Mick Jagger were to ever sing in
front of me I would have to invite him to my house and let him drown in my
pool.
From
the smooth Marshally tones, to the Robert Plant vocal stylings, Saturn exhibit
their influences immediately. What sets
them apart is the quality of the production and songwriting. They do a really great job of doing a modern
version of a retro production instead of a full retro production, which most
smaller bands tend not do well due to the cost constraints of doing everything
full analog. Or you'll see bands do the
full analog production then clearly not have enough money for a good
master. In addition, a lot of the current
crop of bands doing the 70s revival feel like they are using the 70s equipment
to master which can make some of the parts fade in and out during certain
sections unintentionally. Some things
are better digital, pick the right tools for the right job.
Everything
here really pops out at you throughout the album and has great clarity. The band and whoever engineered/mastered
Ascending (Live in Space) really did an exceptional job here and the production
really brings the songs alive and allows you to really get into the band.
As
an aside this record confirms my belief that Sweden
Words By: Chris Tedor
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