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German online metal mag Metal Inside do not appear to give star ratings, but the writer certainly seems to love The All Is One.
Translation into English from German by DeepL:
As if out of nowhere and without much notice MOTORPSYCHO knock this hammer off an album. "The All Is One" marks the end of a loose trilogy that started with "The Tower" and is mainly held together by the artwork, which here again was the work of Norwegian artist Håkon Gullvåg. It is almost 85 minutes long, with "N.O.X." in the centre, a five-part work of over 42 minutes in length, which might even challenge the one or other hardened fan of the trio at times.
At the beginning, however, there are familiar sounds: the opener and title track, with its voluptuous harmonies, could also be the epic finale of a long piece and reminds us of earlier phases of the band. The same goes for the following "The Same Old Rock (One Must Imagine Sysiphus Happy)" with its alternations between balladic and straight rock parts and "The Magpie", whose driving, irresistible two-voiced guitar run is directly in your ears. At the end of this first part, "Delusion" is a short acoustic piece. One has rarely heard this band so calm, tender and vulnerable.
But then the already mentioned "N.O.X." begins and takes you on a wild journey, which at most MOTORPSYCHO's cooperation with StÃ¥le Storløkken on the fantastic album "The Death Defying Unicorn" could prepare you for. The musical influences here are similar and come – roughly outlined – from the fields of progressive, psychedelic and jazz-rock. Strings and brass are used, but also synth space sounds. Sometimes it is meditative and atmospheric, sometimes mercilessly driving, the long fourth part is largely determined by tribal beats. The bar numbers are mostly crooked, but nevertheless it flows and grooves continuously. The whole piece is instrumental almost throughout, except for the choral-like main theme, which recurs in some places and is also varied in some places.
MOTORPSYCHO work here extremely dynamically, building up and down passages, condensing, going back again and swinging up again and again to grandiose climaxes. In the end, there seems to be hardly any increase possible, but with the last part they top it off with a nearly 6-minute-long, crazy finale. In order to be able to comprehend all the different elements and developments and to grasp this piece in its entirety, it takes several attempts. But if you succeed at some point, you can't help but get carried away, and at times you think you can grasp the intensity of what you hear with your hands.
The last part of the album ties in with the first. With "Little Light" and "The Dowser" there are two more short and calm acoustic numbers to be heard, whereas the great constructed, indeed rocking, but highly melodic (and in the context of the whole album despite its good nine and a half minutes short sounding) "Dreams Of Fancy" could be an older MOTORPSYCHO track again. At the end it becomes relatively straightforward: The hard rock-heavy "Like Chrome" bows to LED ZEPPELIN, but in the verse also to David Gilmour and his guitar sound around the time of "Wish You Were Here".
With "The All Is One" MOTORPSYCHO have recorded an album as unusual as it is brilliant. With the overlong "N.O.X.", basically an album within an album, they enter new musical territory, dare to experiment and expand their sound once again in a fascinating way. The framework for this is formed by pieces with which they refer to various facets of their previous work and thus tie in with their past. Maybe it is too early to speak of a masterpiece, but in any case, what MOTORPSYCHO deliver here is absolutely masterful.
Nine stars from Dutch site Arrow: Lords of Metal.
Translation into English from Dutch by DeepL:
The All Is One' is the title of the latest release of the Norwegian trio Motorpsycho. This album is the last part of what with a little bit of imagination you could call a trilogy (the band speaks of 'The Gullvag Trilogy'). A triptych that started with 'The Tower' in 2017 and got a sequel with 'The Crucible' in 2019. About both predecessors I was enthusiastic – as usual with Motorpsycho releases – but with 'The All Is One' the band musically goes not one step further but quite a leap. Next to the old, familiar Motorpsycho (in both sound and composition) new musical paths are being explored again. And just that combination of the old Motorpsycho with the current Motorpsycho makes this new album deadly awesome.
While I can hardly keep my eyes off the really beautifully designed album cover, the long title track is kicked off rather cautiously. The usual ingredients of the last few years pass by here: strong melodies, room for improvisation in a tight structure and great vocal lines (note; the lines are more violent than the vocals themselves, heh, sorry Bent). That line is continued on the first single of the album, 'The Same Old Rock'. It is especially the guitar of Hans Magnus Ryan that grabs the attention in both the chords and the solo. In 'The Magpie' it are those incomparable vocal melodies again that manage to make something beautiful out of a fairly standard song. You have only just grasped the little niemendalletje 'Delusion' when you are confronted with something truly unique. In over 40 minutes (!!) the trio takes the listener on a musical journey entitled 'N.O.X.' which consists of five parts. The amount of instrumentation, musical layers (put on your headphones!), breaks and tempo changes is truly unequalled. It's almost impossible to describe this song well, you just have to hear (and feel) it yourself. Of course there's a risk that after such an amazing trip, you won't be able to hear anything at all. Apparently the band has realised this too, because with the beautiful, sensitive guitar instrumental language 'A Little Light' you can catch your breath. That's a good thing too because you can enjoy 'Dreams Of Fancy' to the fullest by clearing your head. Again the band rises to great compositional heights. What a power these Norwegians have! The Beach Boys and The Beatles are honoured in 'The Dowser' after which 'Like Chrome' waves out the album.
And then you sit down on the couch and relax. A musical trip that is unparalleled. What has the band done! From fragile to sometimes loud, from acoustic to pompous, from small to big and from long to short. That's Motorpsycho anno 2020. And how damn beautiful that is.
Streetclip.de review awards the album 9 points and concludes "The All Is One" is a tremendously crazy piece of work, which crowns the "Gullvåg Trilogy".
Translation into English from German by DeepL:
MOTORPSYCHO complete their "Gullvåg Trilogy". After 'The Tower' and 'The Crucible', 'The All Is One' is the last link in a jagged chain.
The disc is released with a once again exquisite artwork by Håkon Gullvåg as a double LP and double CD. The finally produced 84 minutes were recorded by the well-known gentlemen Bent Sæther (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards), Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan (guitar, vocals, keyboards) and Tomas Järmyr (dums). Guests in the first session in September 2019 in France were Reine Fiske (guitar, keyboards, KATATONIA) and in the second session in November 2019 in Norway Ola Kvernberg (violin, STEAMDOME) and Lars Horntveth (guitar, JAGA JAZZIST).
The focal point of the work is the 42-minute epic 'N.O.X.' from the second session, which in the vinyl version covers pages 2 and 3. But first of all, the ladies and gentlemen put their followers in the mood with shorter odes. The almost nine minute opener 'The All Is One' lets the sun shine powerfully and filigree within the old days of LED ZEPPELIN and YES. Due to this consistency, the basic question why MOTORPSYCHO are loved by rock fans of all colours is answered by itself. In contrast, 'The Same Old Rock (One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy)' shows the contrast between feathery Seventies Prog Rock and mighty quaking Heavy Rock. The Magpie' goes into the blood of arm and leg so feverishly that no part of the body can remain motionless. Even without hallucinogens the sun rises in the middle of the night. In the floating state of absolute silence 'Delusion (The Reign Of Humbug)' sounds just as fitting.
Five parts then lead the listener into the world of 'N.O.X.'. The first part, 'Circles Around The Sun Pt 1', is adorably led by bells and creaking violin sounds, but the darkness of Scandinavian prog rock immediately takes hold. The singing sounds down from cloud 7, the formation shakes like an orchestra and plays itself into the first, shrill ecstasy until the end of the nine minutes. Ouroboros' chooses a stringent tempo without ceasing, so as not to steal the show from the exaltedly singing guitars, before the hectic South American groove ends after eight minutes. Ascension (Strange Loop)' invites you to chill out, but the string sounds soon wake up every colony of cats. In the post-rock and jam canon 'Night Of Pan', the same short sequences of notes are constantly played. Only the wind may push the vocals in between and allow symphonic sounds, which are immediately swept away by the drums over the remaining distance to the next ecstasy, bubbling, waving and sawing. This delirium lasts 15 minutes. The last part of 'N.O.X.' is a single furor – Canterbury in sustained speed, prog rock just before the explosion. 'Circles Around The Sun Pt 2' simply leads to another mad ecstasy.
In the following 'A Little Light' with acoustic guitar gives you a short break. Dreams Of Fancy' shows rejoicing mid-seventies prog rock, which also wanders near RUSH and finally pours out again within its nine minutes in overflowing solos. The Dowser' on the other hand is clear as a bell singer-songwriter material, not necessarily to be found in Scandinavia. For the finale, 'Like Chrome' again brings out nasty guitar sounds as well as 'Kashmir' strings.
The All Is One' is a tremendously crazy piece of work, which crowns the "Gullvåg Trilogy".
(9 points)
A rather negative and critical review at plattentests.de. The reviewer scores the album 6/10.
Translation into English from German by DeepL:
The Ego Trip
Mom, this is a very tasty meal but I'm full to the brim! Recently a user in the Plattentests.de forum, actually there were several, expressed his wish that the band Motorpsycho should do something different than their prog rock, which is driven to perfection. Well, also the reviewer was in raptures to the great deeds "The tower" and "The crucible". But one has to ask the question and could have done so already on the last two albums, what the musical relevance of the Norwegians still consists of. Admittedly, compositionally complex rock songs with captivating hymns, the trio can do this like almost nobody else. And stretching arcs of tension over mountains and oceans, that's another speciality of this band. What is missing, however, is the feeling that the Scandinavians would challenge themselves, perhaps even question themselves. And so the new opus "The all is one" is also more of a confirmation, continuation and consolidation of the chosen path. Let's say it directly: Impressive moments, overwhelming for its genre, can also be found here, only that even the most brilliant joke is told at some point.
And if the inhabitants of Psychoverse expect from this review, which admittedly is more of an opinion, to get the tonal details, the sophistry of "The all is one" listed here, they have to be disappointed, unfortunately. Sure, with Lars Horntveth from JagaJazzist and violinist Ola Kverberg, Motorpsycho have brought some jazz expertise on board for the central "N.O.X." suite, which with over forty minutes playing time makes up the lion's share of the album. And it is one of the strengths of this album that their contribution is really reflected in the music. But the reason why signs of fatigue are still noticeable are songs like the title track or "The same old rock (One must imagine Sisyphus happy)". The former is such a motor-psycho standard that the accusation of self-plagiarism quickly comes over your lips. The flowery strings, the drums with plenty of bacon on the hips, the wide vocal harmonies, everything has been there before and in better.
And so one rather finds pleasure in the little things that lie off the beaten track. The hippie miniature "Delusion (The reign of Humbug)" in its modesty for example. On the other hand, however, something like "The magpie": a shooting drive typical for motor psycho, in which the melodic arrangement and the notes played differ from the past, but the compositional modus operandi is exhausted to the point of exhaustion. The fact that a guitar solo is built in, which may be soulful but is loaded with clichés, fits the picture and arouses the suspicion of ego masturbation.
And then there's the aforementioned "N.O.X." This is the highlight of the album, because you can see beyond your own nose. Beside the jazz elements it is for example the electrified drive of "N.O.X.". II: Ouroboros", which causes a sensation with its irresistible intensity. The organic percussions and the retro organ also contribute a lot to the complex atmosphere. And also the "N.O.X." equipped with driven rhythmics. IV: Night of Pan", equipped with driven rhythmics, also pleases with its compositional frugality, without inflated bombast. This will also be presented in the concluding "N.O.X. V: Circles around the sun pt 2", the end of the suite rather whirls and whirls wildly through the room, Motorpsycho on fire.
If "N.O.X." would stand on its own, one could speak of a successful modification. But "The all is one" carries the ballast of the rest of the songs, which conservatively revive what has been achieved so far. "Dreams of fancy" could be mentioned as a proof for this. Again, melody structure, guitar work and dramaturgical structure are well known. And so the Motorpsycho fan will perhaps speak of the best album of his band, from his point of view justified. From another point of view "The all is one" is redundant, at least in parts.
6/10
Streetclip.de review awards the album 9 points and concludes "The All Is One" is a tremendously crazy piece of work, which crowns the "Gullvåg Trilogy".
See review thread for full review.
A rather negative and critical review at plattentests.de. The reviewer scores the album 6/10.
amazon has a CD back cover image showing how the tracks are split across the two CDs (not how I expected, based on earlier info), track lengths, and writing credits.
Four stars in Mojo 😀
I just stumbled across Red Kite, whose debut was released in 2019. For those who don't know them, the band's blurb reads:
Quote:Concocting a head-rush tempest of swirling psychedelia, heavy rock crunch, prog virtuosity and free-jazz experimentation, Norwegian jazz-rock power quartet Red Kite releases its highly anticipated self-titled debut via RareNoiseRecords. The exploratory and electrifying supergroup features members of some of Norway’s best-known prog outfits, including Elephant9, Shining, Bushman’s Revenge and Grand General.Here's the Bandcamp link.
@Krist – I was also convinced that the Ocean Sound "Gullvag" album (i.e. N.O.X.) would be released as a standalone album (something like EKFFF or Begynnelser), not as part of a larger, regular album. And then, that the Black Box material would provide the next regular album (probably a double based on what Mr Le Bad had written about those sessions). Presuambly, as you suggest, there's more material from those sessions that will likely be used at a later date.
—
Like others have stated in this thread, I wasn't especially wowed by the The Same Old Rock, which to me tastes a little bit of eggplant. I like the song, and I like it more, the more I hear it; but if it wasn't Motorpsycho it wouldn't make me stand up and take notice. But this *is* Motorpsycho. So I do. 8O :lol:
@David Noice indeed
Track timings as given at amazon.co.uk
The All Is One (8.50)
The Same Old Rock (One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy) (5.17)
The Magpie (5.36)
Delusion (The Reign of Humbug) (2.44)
N.O.X. I – Circles Around the Sun, Pt 1 (9.10)
N.O.X. II – Ouroboros (Strange Loop) (8.22)
N.O.X. III – Ascension (3.36)
N.O.X. IV – Night of Pan (15.32)
N.O.X. V – Circles Around the Sun, Pt 2 (5.54)
A Little Light (2.18)
Dreams of Fancy (9.36)
The Dowser (2.45)
Like Chrome (5.03)
Well rather remarkably, the album has already surfaced at a download site! I can't imagine there are that many people who have already received copies but clearly one of them doesn't care about the band's livelihood. :evil:
And before anyone asks, no I didn't try to download it.
CD track listing as given at amazon.co.uk
Disc: 1
The All Is One
The Same Old Rock (One Must Imagine Sisyphus Happy)
The Magpie
Delution (The Reign of Humbug)
Disc: 2
N.O.X. I – Circles Around the Sun, Pt 1
N.O.X. II – Ouroboros (Strange Loop)
N.O.X. III – Ascension
N.O.X. IV – Night of Pan
N.O.X. V – Circles Around the Sun, Pt 2
A Little Light
Dreams of Fancy
The Dowser
Like Chrome
No equivalent given for vinyl yet.
I can't find the link now, but one site stated that the album is produced by Bent, mixed by Scheps, and mastered by Deathprod.
