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Reviews

Kornmo — Vandring
(Apollon Records ARP065, 2019/2023, CD)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2023-04-14

Vandring Cover art

Vandring was Kornmo’s second concept album and is now their third release on Apollon Records. “Vandring” is Norwegian for “hiking,” and the ten instrumentals present different sonic poems about hiking in the mountains. Some of the tracks convey the sheer joy of hiking through wooded forests, while others offer the majestic views from higher elevations. Starting from a base of folk tunes, Kornmo crafts their complex and varied musical treks with acoustic and electric guitars, violin, flute, keyboards, synths, a Moog, and Korg organ. This album is essentially an hour-long musical suite as the tracks transition seamlessly from one to the next, and each track is wonderfully constructed and orchestrated with constantly shifting moods, themes, and instrumentation. Sometimes Kornmo sounds like an aggressive Camel, to give you some idea of the listening experience. Curiously, near the end of the thirteen minute “Nunatak,” Kornmo nearly quotes a bit of Bach’s “Bourée.” Vandring is one excellent album, especially the heavy organ textures and the emotional guitar passages. If you are a fan of progressive symphonic rock with roots in the early 70s, then I highly recommend Vandring. It has got to be one of the best reissues of 2023.

Filed under: New releases, 2023 releases, 2019 recordings

Related artist(s): Kornmo

More info
http://kornmo1.bandcamp.com/album/vandring

 

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