A.C.T
Eternal Winter

The final piece to complete the puzzle was missing, the last of the four tiles that would form a larger picture (created by joining the four covers), in short, the final of the four EPs of a quadrilogy that A.C.T began in 2019. The final piece is called “Eternal Winter”, which, despite its title, was released in the middle of August. Unlike the previous pieces, however, this one already has the credentials to be considered an album, or at least a mini-album; with more than six tracks (nine to be precise, or rather eight plus the usual superfluous intro) and a runtime of over 30 minutes, it’s fair to start talking about an album, with the necessary caveats.

What made me fall in love with A.C.T about fifteen years ago was their very bright, cheerful, and modernist take on prog, characterized by frequent forays into reggae, swing, punk, and pop. I’m often someone who’s easily attracted by rather peculiar sonic offerings—I admit that sometimes these act as mere lures. But over time and with my own personal growth, I’ve come to realize that A.C.T are not just an example of originality but also of tangible melodic solidity. Their melodies are unique and powerful, as well as being endowed with a not-insignificant dose of melancholy that manages to carve out a place even within such lively music as theirs. You simply can’t ignore the melodic aspect in A.C.T; their melodies may be sweet and sugary, you could even call it “bubblegum prog,” but these are truly potent melodies.

In this new work, all of this perhaps reaches one of its peaks, combined with the usual skillful instrumental passages and the typically dazzling production. Here, the band has set aside all those quirks that once made you jump out of your chair, putting the melody front and center more than ever; it’s one of the group’s least overtly playful works. The only track where a hint of swing makes a comeback is the closing “The Big Parade.” A.C.T had already produced a more “adult” and serious work back in 2006 with “Silence,” but that one took seriousness a bit too far—it was a work that was overly wise, overly poised, and, on average, a bit lackluster; in this “Eternal Winter,” its closest relative, the Swedes manage to highlight melody without losing their robust dose of energy.

Another strength worth noting is their gift for conciseness. The band is already quite counter-current in the prog world because they generally shy away from excessively long compositions (in the past, they would place a “long one” at the end of their albums but would split it into several skippable parts), and here they tighten the belt even further, with almost all tracks under four minutes; only “Home” stretches to seven and a half minutes. In this reduced running time, A.C.T manage to concentrate everything they want to say, and there’s never a feeling of incompleteness.

So what we have here is a mature band that still retains a sense of lightness, a band that is aware of the passage of time but doesn’t want to lose that underlying youthfulness, a band that acts as a perfect bridge between prog discipline and pop innocence, creating a balance that is now more winning than ever.