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Snah – the final resolving section of the crazy jazzy part of Lux Aeterna (6:30-8.26) – you f*cking rule!!
@Johnny_Heartfield – Bent has already made mention of dates in the UK and Spain to be announced, so I'm guessing a number of other countries will be visited in those two weeks.
@punknotyet
ha ha. Thanks. There have a been a whole bunch of great reviews and comments here. I always find other people's reviews open my ears to new aspects of the music and make me listen a little more attentively and sometimes more critically (which I reckon is never a bad thing as long as it doesn't get in the way of the pleasure of listening itself 
). And today is a new day, and oh, what's that coming out of the speakers? Yep Psychotzar, soon to be followed by … well, you already know. @boomer If you shout loud enough I might hear you across the peaks and valleys
Have a great trip. @supernaut A friend has sent me files via dropbox, so once I get it onto my mp3 player, I'll be taking it for a walk among the local hills
It feels perfect for the views you get around here, especially with the snow-capped peaks that rise into view behind our house. We're in Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama lives – I think even he might appreciate Lux Aeterna
In fairness I should point out before writing this brief review, that my fvourite genre is progressive rock, but that I am not a fan of those who want only to emulate the 70s greats and as a result end up making music that sounds staid and uninspired.
Since the 15th I've listened to The Crucible three times via Spotify, streamed once through wifi on my less than adequate Zebronics (Indian company – not especially good but passable) speaker system and a couple of times on headphones attached to the laptop in my small office in our house in the Indian Himalayas, where I'm sitting right now. Needless to say, this is not the best, but I can't wait another two weeks to listen to it on my home system.
Psychotzar – I had already listened to this a dozen times in the UK via a streamed radio station before the 15th and having got over an initial "too Sabs; too Sabotage" reflex, I quickly grew to really like it (it helps that MP are playful with their musical references: "It's not paranoia, when it turns out to be true".) The main riff of the first part is perfectly heavy for my tastes and gets me nodding in the slow-doom manner, just as much as my neck muscles can handle
The twin guitars are great and the slow, doom-laden final section lifts the whole track to another level. Oh, and the gong! Adds great drama to the whole piece.Lux Aeterna – Again, I heard it a dozen or so times, first on live boots, but then also via a streamed radio station. The whole piece to me is a classic '70s-style prog masterpiece, with a fantastic crazy jazzy section, all very much in the vein of Crimson, but unquestionably Motorpsycho. Just listen to that tractor bass! And the subject matter of death and eternal light (made more poignant by the events of Bent's life) works really, really well with the uplifiting symphonic aspects of the track.
The Crucible – This I've only heard three times now. At first listen I was swept up in the opening themes, but then not so much by later ones, but then again by the chaos section and not sure about the final sections. Already, though, it's coming together as a great piece for me. The subject of WWI (and the chaos section) means that to me it has much in common with Yes's superb Gates of Delirium. However, there are many obvious differences that don't need to be detailed here. Again, Bent's tractor bass drives this magnificently but it is (at least so far, for me) Tomas's drums that are really outstanding here. My god, what a find! He really comes alive on this album having shown a fair degree of his varied chops on The Tower and also in the concerts.
Is it all too prog though? Nah. Like Unicorn, it is, for me, unquestionably a progressive rock album, and not, as is often the case with Motorpsycho, a brilliant bunch of eclectic songs. But, again like Unicorn, this is prog done proper. What do I mean by that? I don't fucking know!
But I do know that so far it comes across as one of the best new prog albums I've bought in a fair few years. As usual, when Motorpsycho appear to tackle a genre or style, they may pay homage to, or give a nod and a wink here and there to the masters of old, but the end result is never tired, and never bogged down in attempts to emulate. The languages of the past are invigorated as part of their polyglottal output.All hail the mighty Motorpsycho! Doubters be shunned! Opposing viewpoints will be welcomed, but then quickly consigned to the trash. Not that I'm biased at all
I'm really curious to hear what else they recorded. Accounts indicate the choice of tracks for the album was heavily influenced by the producers following the band's intent to create a more coherent album. Had they included the other tracks might it have been more eclectic in scope, like The Tower? I wonder, will the other tracks appear on a tour EP or be shunted onto the next album?
A negative review from Italy 😦. Translated by Deepl.
The Motorpsychos that had accustomed us from the beginning to most of the zero years to sudden changes and chameleonic somersaults from disc to disc, no longer exist. It's a fact.
It's easy to date, and without resorting to radiocarbon, the moment when the extended Trondheim duo decided to put an end to genre migrations: March 31, 2008, the day of the release of Little Lucid Moments. From that moment on, except for a few Sunday excursions (see Still Life With Eggplants), psychos have preferred to the pop and rock mares on albums like Phanerothyme, It's a Love Cult and Let Them Eat Cake, the beast of space-psychedelic-prog-rock, euphorically slipping into the wormholes and black holes so dear to Hawkwind.
The Crucible, of course, is no exception. Ep only on the front, since it's three tracks but it lasts forty minutes, the last effort of Snah, Bent and Thomas Järmyr (at his second participation behind the drums of Motorpsycho) is a product much more focused than The Tower and certainly less ambitious, with well-structured tracks (Lux Aeterna presents interesting Crimson moments) and inspired. The basic feeling, however, is that even this Motorpsycho's studio work is just another excuse for a new tour, now the only truly indispensable incarnation for the line-up.
In essence, The Crucible is a discreet disk, certainly better than The Tower certainly but still far from the standards to which Motorpsycho had accustomed us.
https://sentireascoltare.com/recensioni/motorpsycho-the-crucible/
A 10-star review at Terrorverlag. Translated by Deepl.
Three songs and 40 minutes playing time – these are the first hard facts about "The Crucible", the second album on the Bent Sæther (vocals & bass), Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan (vocals & guitar) and the drummer Tomas Järmyr, who joined the band in 2017. The first two were already there when the band was founded in 1989 and over the years numerous records have been made, so that we are now dealing with the 19th studio album. There are also five live albums and several other releases.
If you don't know the Norwegians from Trondheim yet, you'll wonder what kind of music they've been playing all these years. Well, it's something between Prog and Psych Rock, which is sometimes given quite a jazz broadside. That's also how "Lux Aeterna" went, who after a pleasantly swearing Seventies prog/psych entry with the opener "Psychotzar" was also on the road for seven minutes in similar regions, to then draw the horn-sweathed free jazz card. For their title track "The Crucible" the trio then takes an opulent 20 minutes and practically plays their way through their own repertoire. Not much singing is needed; at the same time all musical ingredients seem well dosed and perfectly balanced.
Doesn't necessarily make light home cooking for every day, but with "The Crucible" MOTORPSYCHO undoubtedly deliver a very special delicacy for the special listening pleasure beyond the mainstream.
https://www.terrorverlag.com/rezensionen/motorpsycho/the-crucible/
@airguitarhero. Try Norman Records in the UK.
To me it seems reasonable that a musician as adept and experienced, not to mention one with as keen an understanding of what makes a song shine, as Bent, who wrote the vast majority of the band's music throughout its history, is capable of making assessments on the subtle differences between the musicians he's played with day in and day out over substantial periods of time. I don't hear him dissing anyone, just making observations. Having said that, as a human being it seems reasonable also that his statements might be tainted by personal issues, but I have zero insight on what they might be.
I also think it's telling that, as far as I know, he didn't say anything as detailed as this about Tomas and KK until now, when he'd recorded two albums and played a whole bunch of gigs with Tomas. I've heard musicians from other bands diss their former collaborators and big-up their replacements far too quickly for their comments to be based on fair, level-headed assessment.
This one translated from Dutch by DeepL.
The Crucible is a tough cultural Norwegian egotrip that seems to kick off in the nineties. Muscle ball rock where the bare upper body plays a guest role. Psychotzar starts right away with hard rhythm guitar metal. Short, fast following powerful chords that immediately draw you curiously into the song. Powervolle vocals that work out that rough edge and in the background at least something of a mellotron is present. The youngster Tomas Järmyr on drums doesn't have to prove himself with these qualities. His versatile percussion gives room for some exotic elements and sounds like he has been active with the band for years. It's fine and responsible that Kenneth Kapstad has finally started to focus on Spidergawd. Järmyr already passed the application procedure on The Tower, and did not manage to adapt to the sound. No, from the very beginning he was allowed to play a determining role. This is immediately clear from the moment the gong hits like a thunderclap. With the soloing we already hear that the accompaniment is grooving and darker moves on, the transition to the psychedelic sequel is still a matter of time. Dirty guitar attacks follow the increasingly thundering bass of Bent Sæther, after the rest of the acoustic part the vocals go towards the cutting of the grunge. Biggest is the sequel indicated with lightning fast passages and static pieces, with at the end an epic ending, while realizing that this is only the shortest track of the record.
Beautiful two-partedness lets you quickly carry away in the strong by the seventies influenced progrock of Lux Aeterna. Do not expect frills and high vocals. The Trondheim based Motorpsycho simply has a transversal rough appearance, and the beautiful acoustic introductory guitar playing does not change anything. There is much more room for well arranged melody lines that are polished by the mellotron if necessary. When the biggest thing is done with the symphonic fuss, you get all the rough dirty guitar and through it that makes you feel good for the strange psychedelic heavy set sequel. Here you clearly experience through the funky, jazz and fusion influences to which Motorpsycho owes her quirky name. This technically strongly played changes of styles is so characteristic for their sound. As if nothing has happened in the meantime, they continue with the rock sound that dominated the seventies just as easily. After great guitar solos they finish in peace with the supporting backing vocals again. Maybe the packaging is just over the top, but it graces the band of daring and daring.
After minimal noise on the cymbals a lot of freaking and jamming is done on The Crucible. Like standing in the middle of a crossroads during rush hour of some metropolis. So many sounds pass in review. This is necessary to evoke the intoxication with which a passage is sought to the more exciting guitar playing, which gets a big thump at its back from the drummer. How the bass can hold its own seems an impossible task. It's wonderful that there is room again for the progressive intermediate piece with beautiful almost hippie-like vocals. Rhythmically it then takes more shape through the role of Järmyr, and then it is hit hard with devilish guitars that are brought to a calm like demons circling around in an exorcistic fight by the bass that is not to be dismissed. So repeatingly it keeps interfering. In the last piece it goes the classical direction with a small moment of guitar experience, to give the emission of electric violence the upper hand for the last time in a strong part to rocking hard rock and then the theatrical end.
Another band would probably divide this over a lot more songs, but Motorpsycho has a minimum of three songs enough to convince for the umpteenth time.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator
http://www.writteninmusic.com/alternative/motorpsycho-the-crucible/
Another great interview with Bent.
https://skug.at/motorpsycho-befeuern-den-schmelztiegel-der-u-musik/
