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This Google translation from German is rather hilarious in places. Link to original follows the review.
On " The Crucible " MOTORPSCYHO are shorter than on the predecessor and double album "The Tower", but the new album of the Norwegians similarly kills with only a slightly slimmer abundance of musical information and once again confirms the iconic status that the Band holds for years across genres. The record was produced in August 2018 at the Monnow Valley Studios in Wales, jointly by the band itself and Andrew Scheps and Deathprod respectively.
It is the second combo combo with new drummer Thomas Järmyr, who excels especially in the brass monster 'Lux Aeterna' by filling almost all sound holes with manic drumming. Nonetheless, each member is appropriately empathetic in the sense of the final result; self-serving dumpling was never an issue for the band anyway, and that should be a guarantee for their longevity as well.
The 20-minute title track begins impulsively with a diatonic harmonized guitar melody – surprisingly stereotypical for this group, which concerns Classic Rock – and winds up post-moderately high, before the frontman struggles with the Groove and accompanied by gentle Mellotron sounds the main part. As a lead vocalist, Bent Sæther generally alternates between programmatic desert rock nöling and powerful chest tone, depending on the mood of the tune.
If one had to commit to a characteristic of the disc, it would probably playful licks as in the very Stoner -strong first segment of the opener 'Psychotzaar'; in this case, it is even one of several main themes in the song and a hook that works entirely without vocals. The "grande finale" is not until the last minute in coming – in the form of a monumental riff with textless vocals.
In fact, given the instrumental epic, concrete content is almost a minor matter. On " The Crucible, " each track takes longer than the previous one, but moreover, the creators have not forced a single idea into a tight conceptual corset. The only common thread running through the material is the theme of change, with the focus on death being the general end; Political undertones swing in, if you want to recognize what is possible, but not a must.
CONCLUSION: On " The Crucible " MOTORPSYCHO whistle again on predictable song structures and go beyond the time frame of the usual song format . The members are fearless and ambitious as before, so fans can access blind people and inexperienced people are invited to get to know this album as well as previous ones.
http://www.musikreviews.de/reviews/2019/Motorpsycho/The-Crucible/
Here's the full review from Prog Magazine.
MOTORPSYCHO
A three-song, 40-minute glide to the edge of the solar system.
Prog
1 Feb 2019
DAVID WEST
Faced with the intimidating task of following 2017’s epic double album The Tower, Motorpsycho return with just three tracks on their latest release, although that still amounts to 40 minutes of music. The Crucible is their second release with Tomas Järmyr behind the drum kit, joining founders Hans Magnus Ryan and Bent Saether. The album was recorded at the venerable Monmow Valley Studios, Wales, where Black Sabbath crafted their odes to darkness in the 1970s. A fitting choice, as the opening Psychotzar kicks off with an Iommi-esque riff from Ryan that’s loaded with doom. Saether’s bass rumbles away in the depths like a leviathan roused from slumber heading to the surface while Järmyr pummels at the drums, knocks on his cowbell and periodically unleashes a great wash on a gong.
Motorpsycho’s use of vocal harmonies separate them from heavy metal’s forefathers, while Lux Aeterna finds them leaning more towards their psychedelic side with
Ryan singing about leaving our mortal flesh beneath the soil. The first section of the track is full of Mellotron melodies borne along gently with a trippy 60s vibe. Then it turns a corner and suddenly plunges down into an abyss of discordant chaos, where distorted Mellotrons collide with acerbic guitar riffs as the trip turns sour. Happily, the final chapter of the song sees it mellow out, as Ryan sings ‘Take the pain away, there’s nothing left for anyone to say,’ and it climaxes with a gorgeous wash of psychedelia.
Then it’s time for the main event with the album’s title track, a 20-minute acid rock/space rock odyssey that recalls the spirit of early Pink Floyd. Where Psychotzar and Lux Aeterna are credited solely to Saether, it took both Ryan and Saether to craft The Crucible itself. It’s a kaleidoscope of a song, shifting between colours and tones as the mood takes it. It all begins with an urgent energy as Saether and Järmyr set a breathless pace before it opens into a jazzy, psychedelic passage that’s just the prelude to an expansive guitar solo. Yet however far out the trio venture, and at times it feels like they’re gliding out towards the far edges of the solar system, they never lose sight of the song. Even when The Crucible disintegrates into a mass of disembodied effects or swirling Mellotrons, it’s always another musical step forwards, not a freak-out – however glorious – merely for the sake of it. And when the main melody sweeps back in, the result is ecstatic.
Even in the shadow of The Tower, Motorpsycho continue to shine.
I can't seem to get the full url, but search "motorpsycho crucible prog magazine David west" and you should be able to get the review on Press Reader
@supernaut. That's great news. 😀
"Lux Aeterna"
NA KRAWĘDZI ÅšWIATÅA [PDM #213] (Rockserwis.fm)
http://www.rockserwis.fm/serwis.do?menu=main&pid=18571&cat=50&l=1 (00:16:53 – 00:27:23)
I figured a separate thread for reviews might be handy for those who are interested in reading them.
Here's a short one from streetclip.de (in German) who give the album 8.5/10
Received my copy this morning and have so far listened to just the first disc. Fantastic! Love it! Mountain is out of this world.
A friend in Oslo just bought a copy for me and shipped it to the UK. He paid 200kr for shipping to the UK.
@Neil Tesor – It may be mine too. I've had that feeling for a long time, though I've never really been able to explain why. It's just, as Shakti says, the bomb.
I listened to the whole of Sabotage this morning, headphones on, volume dialled up to 11. It's like they took bits of Psychotzar and built a whole album around it. :lol: :lol:
@grindove – I listened to the debut album too this evening, but had to take a break half way through, at which point I was thinking, hmm, good, but not that great. When I resumed "Tog du med dig naturen" was the first track and I immediately fell into a swoon, deciding, yes I must buy this!
@Kid A and @supernaut – Interesting. Yes, I hear what you're both saying. When his involvement with Roadwork 5 was announced I became curious and watched a few YouTube vids of him talking about his work and so on and also found him to be a thoughtful and articulate person with a clear and nuanced understanding of what it means to work with music and musicians. The fact that he loves Motorpsycho is of course great. Thanks for your thoughts.
@supernaut – What makes you think they're "a total match"? These are not trick questions, I'm trying to figure out what all the fuss is about him. I don't know anything about the guy or his work except that he seems to be a well-known producer who's worked with some big, big names, but the band he really personally wanted to work with is Motorpsycho.
