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Hologram (2LP Vinyl)
"KHADAVRA is an atypical Swedish psychedelic rock quartet created in 2012. Influences on early PINK FLOYD, on jazz, on psyche-space groups such as MONSTER MAGNET, HAWKWIND, TOOL, ISIS, MOTORPSYCHO, GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR and the BLACK SABBATH veterans; by digging out certain beaches, the divine breaks of ANEKDOTEN and CAMEL come back; a little hints of KING CRIMSON and SIGUR ROS all that to say that we are in the experimental progressive psychedelic in my opinion, amen! They define themselves as digging deep into the untapped subconscious, seeking the unknown from within and expressing the sound found; a music inspired by common and unusual experiences on the surreal life we are currently living; sound on the dynamics, the emotion, the trance generated more than on the technicality of the notes, all amplified by the joint use of the English language and kindergarten
KHADAVRA sets up with this opus a perfect musical oxymoron; mixture of dark light, warm darkness, a musical hyperbole imbued with sounds, emotions, ramblings influencing our mental associations; more than the psyche, we seem to be entering a hypnotic musical state here and it is not the classic French horn, didgeridoo, marimba, sitar instruments that will change our minds. So yes it takes progressive blood to dive into this maelstrom from which you will not be sure to return intact, on the other hand this album has the power to break a little more the progressive codes and to propose a new sound, this which is an undeniable plus at the start of the decade." - ProgArchives
"I learnt about this young Swedish psychedelic rock band through their previous album, Hypnagogia. Since then I've followed the band via their Bandcamp page and got a few previews of the forming of some of the new tracks in the past couple of months. It is interesting to see how something musical takes shape. Thus I already had an idea of where things were heading; even so, I have to say it is a little more than I expected.
So here it is, the band's latest album, their third, called Hologram. As mentioned in the interview above, I feel the band has grown.
The opening of Shapeshifter for example. It took a while to hear all those layers with oriental melodies, heavy riffs, and carefully placed organ crashes. The bass and drums come out wonderfully in the mix. Then the song slides into a melancholy, followed by so many changes and breaks it's like King Crimson on a high. Very progressive!
Lucid Parasitosis (which was called Lucid Revival until just before the release) is the most Hawkwind-styled track, but darker, almost possessed. (Therefore a good intro to the track following it?) The sitar, doubling with electric guitar works great. I wouldn't mind hearing more of that.
With Possession, the band also portrays more post-rock elements, making their sound broader than ever. Slowly developing from the sitar-based Eastern melodies, to a guitar-driven section with jazzy piano that adds a melancholic 60s feel, is both unexpected and works very well. The flute brings a resemblance to countrymen Agusa. Heavy outbursts, proggy Mellotron, symphonic guitar melodies; this track is a monster of a trip.
While Zoning Out is quite a heavy track, the quality of the mix makes you hear every instrument so clearly. Not clean, but clear. And progressive in sound and structure, too.
Katla, the second quarter-of-an-hour track, contains sections from Blue Öyster Cult_'s darkest songs but even more doom and heavy elements à la *Sólstafir, including some of the singing. The opening is clearly influenced by electronic music. Khadavra use it to form the song like they want to. Then it's Mahavishnu Orchestra going psychedelic, before we go back to Hawkwind and Black Sabbath. Psychedelic, angry, spacey, progressive.
There's some slow, trippy sections on this album as well such as Anhedonia, or the opening to the title track. But dark is a stronger environment for the album as a whole. Take Vemod. There's a less psychedelic vibe, but more of an alt-rock or even bluesy, melancholy atmosphere.
The album has more lyrics and vocals than before, though it's still largely instrumental. To prog purists, the vocals might be the weakest link on the album, but I think it fits the music. A dreamy Mark Hollis perhaps.
The wide range of instruments is intriguing. While staying close to the psychedelic foundation, the accumulation of influences brings this to a new level. Some sections display the intensity that I like in Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Even with the previews to enjoy, the whole Hologram took me a a bit longer to, well, "get". Not to get into, because I was drawn into it amazingly quickly and easily, but to take a step back and be able to describe it. Khadavra are covering several styles that might appeal to a larger audience, while keeping it so special that it might be for connoisseurs. It's like Ray Davies once sang: "You've got this strange effect on me, and I like it"." - DPRP.net