Gudars Skymning

Här kommer en fin recension av ”mörka vatten” av rockräven Janne Stark från hans blogg: http://starkmusicreviews.blogspot.com/

”I’m not sure why, but it seems Swedish bands have a certain knack for interpreting, reinventing and rejuvenating the classic old seventies hard rock and elevating it to a new level. Abramis Brama, Graveyard, Magnolia, Mangrove, Blowback, Siena Root, well, they are many and they are good. Now Gudars Skymning presents their second release and they made me a happy man again. Mörka vatten (dark waters). It starts out with a pleasant kick in the joint with the riffster Jag är en trollkarl (I’m a wizard) and continues with the heavy and doomy Södersläntsblues, which actually reminds me a bit of Black Sabbath’s Hand Of Doom. What I like about Gudars Skymning is that the song material is not just plowing down one row, they spread the seeds pretty well. The songs range from straight ahead riffing to some more chords based bluesy stuff, even with some folky overtones in songs like Hyfs och fason. I älvens svarta djup is another cool thing with lots of dual guitars, solos both right and left. One of my absolute favourite riffs is found in two versions on this album, first in Swedish and then in English. Well, not the riff, but the lyrics. Aldrig har jag vetat is a Swedish version of Mountain’s classic Never In My Life, which appears as the last track in its original format. A cool version staying very to the original (except the Swedish lyrics). Another Swedish retro gem to keep a lookout for!

Janne Stark
Label: BloodRock
Year: 2011
Country: Sweden
Link: http://www.gudarssymning.se/”

Ps. Glöm inte att köpa ett ex av Janne Starks nya reviderade encyklopedi över svensk hårdrock som släpps i höst! Ds.

Jag är inte en expert på det franska språket, men här är en länk till en fin fransk recension på ”mörka vatten”

Groovy!

http://www.credo.gb.com/HarmonieMagazine_AR_Review.pdf

/Kapten

Saxat från den eminenta prog-siten www.jerrylucky.com;

Short Take Review: Gudars Skymning (2011 Black Widow Records) This is a neat trip back in time with a modern twist. If you enjoy the music of bands such as Mountain, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and other bands from the seventies this will be right up your alley. It’s all here for your pleasure, the crunchy guitars, the bluesy riffs, the searing guitar solos from twin guitarists trading off licks all layered on top of a percolating bass/drum rhythm section. Long chord openings building all kinds of tension and dramatics that then open up to more fluid lyrical portions, only to return to the riffs a little later. The lyrics are in Swedish, but that doesn’t really take away from the enjoyment as it’s the overall mood that is so captivating. Vague seventies musical reference points pop up all over the place and while the music is all very serious and moody I have to admit it’s also very engaging. Perhaps it’s that nod to nostalgia that I find so appealing. These are all pretty straight forward blues-based songs all-be-it with plenty of room for instrumental soloing. File this under seventies heavy blues rock. For more check out: http://www.myspace.com/gudarsskymning#ixzz14EwaiyLT

Rio för att vara exakt!

Trevlig läsning från; www.progressiverockbr.com

GUDARS SKYMNING – ”Mörka Vallen”
The Hard-Rock band Gudars Skymning was founded in Sweden by Kenny-Oswald “Blueskapten” Sjödin (electric guitar, vocals), “Djupe“ Knut Hassel (electric guitar), Magnus “Pepparn“ Hasselstam (bass, mixing and mastering), and Anders “Ondertz” Olofsson (drums). They play heavy and soulful rock with Swedish lyrics. They are admirers of the Classic Rock of late ‘60s and early ‘70s, and very loyal to its roots and essence. Their main influences are “Black Sabbath”, “Mountain”, “Dust”, “Humble Pie”, and “Atomic Rooster”, and also “Deep Purple”, “Grand Funk Railroad“, “Free”, “Budgie” , “Cactus”, “AC/DC”, “Nazareth”, “Steppenwolf”, “Blackfoot”, “Lynyrd Skynyrd”, “Cream”, “Hendrix”, “Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush”. They resemble their likes of the Swedish Hard Rock musical scene, like “Abramis Brama”, “Svarte Pan”, “November”, and “Magnolia”, and other modern Hard Rock bands like “Josiah”, “Bullfrog”, and “Illusion“. Gudars Skymning‘s songs blends mostly Hard Rock with few passages of Blues Rock. The sonority is dirt and gritty, but also groovy and contagious. Songs are straightforward, guitar-riff based, and the rhythmic section has that typical swing of the old days. The mood goes from vibrant and angry to slightly sad and bitter, like a mix of early “Black Sabbath” (albums I and IV), “Mountain”, “Cactus”, “Budgie”, and “Humble Pie”. It also resembles “Grand Funk Railroad”, “Atomic Rooster”, and “Deep Purple” in heaviness, but having a second guitar instead of keyboards. This accentuates the crudeness of their sound, making it as tasty as a slice of raw bloody meat. Originality is not a point here, and when listening to Gudars Skymning one might think they are just four guys playing together for amusement, but one thing is certain – they know how to have fun! And on their new album they are inviting everybody to take part on their private party. Gudars Skymning‘s first release was the self-produced “Dansa tillbaks till din grav“ (2008). Their second CD is “Mörka Vallen” (2010, Bloodrock Records, distributed by Black Widow), which was also released on vinyl LP (Black Widow Records). “Mörka Vallen” contains 10 tracks, all featuring the most authentic Hard-Rock music made in recent times. Emotional vocals, malevolent guitars, swinging rhythms and those ever tricky guitar riffs – that is all this album is about. The albums explosively opens with ”Jag är en trollkarl” (with a certain American accent on intro and “Black Sabbath” and “Humble Pie” riffs), and ”Södersläntsblues” (a Heavy Blues-Rock with an accelerated part at the end). The following sequence includes ”Imuränans käftar” and ”Källar-Tony” – two compositions that carry the softer side of Blues and Soul on vocals, with some harder moments, resembling “Mountain” and “Grand Funk Railroad”. They precede a sequence of Hard and Heavy hard-shelled, spiky-skinned, razorblade songs that make the “meat and potatoes” of this album: ”Pengar” (which sounds vaguely as “Zeppelin”, but also has the crudeness and strength of “Dust”); and ”Aldrig har jag vetat” (an awesome double cover of the classic songs “Never in my Life”, by “Mountain”, combined with the instrumental ending section of “Starship Trooper”, by “Yes”). Still making part of this sequence, ”Hyfs och fason” has a trotting horse rhythm and a touch of “Grand Funk Railroad”, mixed with “Atomic Rooster”, with remarkable guitars that progressively grow from middle to end; and the long ”I älvens svarta djup” – a balanced mixture of early “Black Sabbath” with “Mountain” featuring a substantial instrumental part. “Mörka Vallen” still contains the short ”Fri” (a soft Blues-Rock with slide-guitar, very enjoyable for fans of “Lynyrd Skynyrd”) and another cover of ”Never in my life” (by “Mountain”), with original arrangements by Gudars Skymning, but this time sung in English. A record that shows the strength of basic rock, Gudars Skymning‘s “Mörka Vallen” is specially recommended for fans of Hard Rock that have experienced the musical transition from the ‘60s to the ‘70s, and for fans of modern Hard Rock bands like “Josiah”, “Bullfrog”, and “Illusion“. Band members involved in Gudars Skymning are: Kenny-Oswald ”Blueskapten” Sjödin – Electric Guitar, Vocals; ”Djupe” Knut Hassel – Electric Guitar; Magnus ”Pepparn” Hasselstam – bass; Anders ”Ondertz” Olofsson – Drums…     (Comments by Marcelo Trotta)

Här kommer en trevlig recension från Uzbekistan. Det finns uppenbarligen hängivna prog-fans överallt.

saxat från www.progressor.net

Prolusion. This 10-track album, “Morka Vatten”, is the debut outing by GUDARS SKYMMING, from Sweden. It was released by the Italian label Black Widow Records some six months ago.

Analysis. Once you crown your ears with headphones and begin listening to the disc, the first track, Jag an en Trollkarl, will hail you with a power fuzzed-out, typically British-style ‘70s progressive hard rock-meets-doom metal, only with Swedish lyrics. The band seems to jam with early Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin circa “IV”, delivering either edgy ‘metallic’ or somewhat laid-back bluesy solos – more often behind than over the surface of chugging riffs. Then follows Soderslantsblues, which is my favourite piece on the disc. While the composition and attitude are here basically the same as before, the music is better filled out with metalloids, and the arrangements – particularly those within the track’s second and third instrumental sections – are more diverse and unpredictable, adding a whole new dimension to the sound. The singer’s approach to crossing the riffs by his vocal melodies (as opposed to singing along those: in unison or in fourth or fifth), which he does everywhere on the album, is rooted in the mid rather than in the early ‘70s, perfectly matching the music and the above idiom in particular. Before describing the rest of the material I must note that, once someone else’s influence appears it is featured on most of the following songs as well (the only two exceptions to this rule will be named in due time), no matter that it may be barely detectable at times. Further on, the music is still ‘70s-style guitar-driven progressive hard rock, but with a lesser quantity of raspy riffs, and also ones that are drawn-out in delivery, i.e. those referring directly to Doom Metal. Deep Purple’s influence appears to be a dominant one on the next two tracks, Imuranans Kaflar and Kallar-lony, and also on Ilyfs Och Fason, Jalverns Svarta Djup and Fri, while on the fifth piece, Pengar, the band pays homage mainly to Led Zeppelin. Finally, Mdrig Har Jag Velat and Never in My Life are both reminiscent throughout of Nazareth (except for the vocals which, to some degree, remind me of a cross between Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale’s everywhere on the album). Most of the compositions named in the last two sentences stand out for their extended instrumental arrangements, which frequently shift in direction, let alone theme, and are of a high progressive quality. Only Imuranans Kaflar, Fri and Never in My Life (a bonus track, the only one with English lyrics) are lacking in progressive features to a certain extent. In all cases, the complexity is drawn from the arrangements of the music, but not from the initial composition, as the basic chordal structure is comparatively simple. Nonetheless, even the least complex moments of this album are good, since the band has deeply felt the atmosphere of the ‘70s and has very well reproduced it.

Conclusion. That being said, these Swedish musicians proudly wear their influences, as most of the time they use those so as to ornament their own musical clothes (okay, fabrics), never quoting the bands they’re inspired by. Instantly plunging the listener into the aura of the ‘70s, their “Morka Vatten” is almost in all senses full-fledged classic progressive hard rock release. There is plenty here to please you – if you’re a fan of the style, as I am. Those who have ever looked into my metal bandlist(s) are in the know that my progressive diet is quite varied: all of the above artists are present there.



Här kommer ännu en trevlig recension från våra vänner i söder. Det är Marco Cavallini från www.spectraweb.it som står för artikeln. Kör genom google translate och förundras över den korrekta översättningen

Lite lustigt att vi inte fått en enda svensk recension på plattan ännu.. Men som alla vet blir man ju aldrig profet i sitt eget hemland.

Riffa på;

Questo quartetto svedese giunge al debutto ufficiale (dopo un album autoprodotto) grazie all’intuito della genovese Blood Rock Records, abile nello scoprire il gruppo e dargli la giusta vetrina internazionale.
”Morka vatten” è un pazzesco concentrato di pesantissimo heavy blues immerso negli anni ’70, imbevuto di psichedelia acida e soluzioni prog.
”Sòderstànstblues”, ”Kàllar Tony”, ”Aldrig har gag vetal” e ”Fri” sono le perle di un disco che vive sul continuo contrasto fra porzioni hard e stacchi soft (spesso vengono adottate soluzioni slide); senza nulla togliere all’egregia sezione ritmica, un plauso particolare va fatto ai chitarristi Kenny Oswald Sjòdin (anche alla voce) e Knut Hassel, dannatamente efficaci nel dipingere quadri ipersaturi di note.
Ovvi i paragoni coi grandi del passato (Black Sabbath, Budgie, Blue Cheer..), ma se ci avviciniamo di più agli anni 2000, mi sento di poter dire che se gli Spiritual Beggars (dopo l’incredibile ”Ad astra) non avessero ascoltato il richiamo delle sirene del metal, avrebbero inciso un disco come questo. E non mi sembra cosa da poco.
Non sono un grande fan dei suoni seventies, ma quando ascolto un album come questo non posso far altro che esaltarmi ad ogni ascolto.
- MARCO CAVALLINI -