MAGNOLIA – Tänk Själv

Transubstans 2013

MAGNOLIA - Tänk Själv

MAGNOLIA – Tänk Själv

Raw but steaming, Swedish ensemble continue their charge for a time-warped reflection.

Cutting the silence to open it all, the heavy, hellish riff of “Duell Med Djävulen” crawls on as primal as only the blissfully bestial sounds born in the late ’60s underground could, but, for all its classic smell of sulfur, this smoking album, sung in Sweden, was made in the present day. Although after almost two decades under the sun, Ronny Eriksson’s coterie remains a cult, crepucular creature, their fourth outing must throw them in the spotlight. After all, the title track’s rocking, rollicking sway shows the heart of darkness can beat wildly, and not for nothing the pile-driving glide of “Svara Mig” swirls its cosmic effects around the reggae pole.

There’s nowhere to hide in a trio format, the band’s sparse yet thick interplay in the jazzy, improvisatory instrumental “Oväntat Finbesök” and in the furiously roar of “Mr. Hårding ” hinting at the first-take immediacy. It takes the listener by the throat, with only Mark Tholin’s fuzzy guitar able to saw through the lock of Anders Hedström’s drums and the leader’s bass to deliver bluesy release, so sweet in “Jag Finns Här” that boasts a four-string solo and rather funny in “Gudinna” which might have been a SABBATH in disguise re-imagining Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” So with the album’s title meaning “Think For Yourself,” it’s a no-brainer whether to like this lava of sounds.

*****

October 20, 2014

Category(s): Reviews
Tags: ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *