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Jordsjø / Breidablik — Kontraster
(Apollon Records ARP087, 2025, CD / LP / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-05-24

Kontraster Cover art

This split release celebrates a decade of activity by two Apollon artists, Jordsjø and Breidablik, each of whom presents a single side-long track called “Kontraster.” Jordsjø kicks things off with a super tasty prog epic full of memorable melodies, beautiful arrangements, and (of course) contrasting sections. This is largely-instrumental Genesis-inspired progressive rock at its best, sounding timeless and not at all dated or retro. The band is just a duo (Håkon Oftung on guitar, keyboards, vocals, and flute plus Kristian Frøland on drums and percussion) joined by guest Ann Karine Rindal on additional flute, but the sound is full and varied, with delicate acoustic passages and more energetic electric sections. Jordsjø deservedly occupies a spot among the top Norwegian bands in the field. Breidablik’s “Kontraster” takes progressive rock in a different direction, being based more on Tangerine Dream than Genesis. One could argue that mid-to-late-70s Tangerine Dream wasn’t rock at all, but the way Breidablik interprets the style almost certainly is. Keyboardist Morten Birkeland Nielsen supplements his banks of synthesizers and sequencers with the guitar and flute of Håkon Oftung and drums of Trond Gjellum. The core of the sound is clearly Stratosfear, but the addition of guitar, drums, and flute adds a human touch and a real sense of life to the music. It’s also probably the best thing Breidablik has ever released. This is one split release where the two halves are highly compatible and complementary, and all fans of progressive rock should seek it out.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Breidablik, Jordsjø, Electrond (Trond Gjellum)

More info
http://jordsjo.bandcamp.com/album/kontraster

 

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