Cronian
Terra

And so after Otyg, Borknagar, and his project named Vintersorg, here comes the Norwegian elf again with his latest project: Cronian.

Assisted by the mastermind of his current band (Borknagar) Mr. Øystein G. Brun on guitars, the good Vintersorg, aka Andreas Hedlund, decided in 2006 to unleash his creativity by returning to the market with this full-length, "Terra," offering us an album that musically is based on progressive metal tied to epic parts, especially concerning the clean vocals, and avant-garde parts, all supported by pompous orchestrations that give the platter a majestic and absolutely rich sound.

Strongly influenced by albums like “The Focusing Blur” or “Visions From The Spiral Generator,” this “Terra” proves to be interesting, thanks to its complexity and myriad of nuances, which make listening a lengthy process, as it is not an easily assimilable album.

Even from the cover, it can be observed that the work revolves around themes in which the Nordic, glacial theme often recurs (the extremely modern sounds, especially regarding the keyboards, only emphasize this feeling even more): we find ourselves facing pieces like the opener “Diode Earth” or “Arctic Fever” which with their atmospheres instill in the listener's soul a sense of desolation, as if one were in a desolate, ice-covered wasteland; highlighting this more pronouncedly is the alternation of Vintersorg’s vocal lines, who continues to alternate clean parts with truly first-rate scream vocals. On the other hand, however, there are decidedly more elaborate pieces filled with musical “ornaments” and "decorations" that make the music certainly richer and serve as a counterpoint to the colder, atmospheric episodes, and in this latter category, we find songs such as “Nonexistence,” “Iceolated,” where Andreas's warm voice, with the support of orchestrations, manages to create extremely engaging pieces.

This “Terra,” despite being a record full of charm and elegance, still remains, despite repeated listens, a work that seems to escape any musical rule, showing itself not too varied (just like an endless expanse of ice), but at the same time so elaborate that it seems, in some cases, and not with particularly attentive listening, unnecessarily redundant in the more progressive parts.

Admirable is the performance of the two musicians involved, and understandably so, who prove to be great instrumentalists, even if at times too focused on a simple musical search that pleases only themselves, resulting totally disinterested in the tastes of the hypothetical listener (this is exemplified by the instrumental “Colures,” rich in unconventional harmonic solutions and dissonant parts).

Hoping that over time anyone who decides to listen to this record will find a "correct" listening key, I can only recommend this “Terra” to all those who love musical experimentation, but also to those who want to try something new that does not stop before the logic of today's music market.

Ps: note the absence of a real drummer, replaced by a drum machine that is very well programmed, being varied and rich in tempo and rhythmic changes

Line-up:

Vintersorg - Voice, bass, keyboards

Øystein G. Brun - guitars, programming