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Sverre Knut Johansen — Metahuman
(Spotted Peccary SPM-3006, 2022, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2022-11-06

Metahuman Cover art

Reaching beyond the limitations of an ordinary “human” life, Metahuman — inspired by the Deepak Chopra book of the same tile — seeks to propel oneself toward a higher consciousness, seeking to search for the best version of what we can be. And thus, the nine tracks herein attempt to open doors that may lead to that ultimate goal. If nothing else, it’s a beautiful journey that will usher the listener across numerous boundaries of consciousness. Metahuman is Norwegian composer Johansen’s sixth album on the Spotted Peccary label, the first being 2016’s Earth from Above, preceeded by several releases on Origo Sound, Origin Music, and other labels along the way, going all the way back to the mid-90s. Johansen’s music operates in a melodic world that exists at the intersection of the spacious and the rhythmic, of powerful symphonic and floating ambient, the outgoing and the introspective, all are crossed at various points along this bold journey. The album opens with a condensed four-minute version of the title track, introducing the ideas and concepts — a longer ten-minute version will appear later in the program. From there we go to “Human (Path of Destruction)” — an ominous-sounding title for a beautiful piece filled with amazing sequences and floating textures that stretches out beyond the ten-minute mark. Throughout, Johansen plays a range of synthesizers and sequencers, bass guitar, and various software instruments and effects, joined on a few tracks by Ståle Storløkken on Haken Audio Continuum, and by David Helpling on one cut playing guitar, synthesizer, and piano. Further tracks like “Unity of Existence through Evolution,” “Fluctuations of Awareness,” “Immortal,” and “Miracle of Existence” are at once explorative, dreamy, powerfully rhythmic, and atmospheric, bringing a rich palette of sounds forward in service of the concept. In short, Metahuman offers the listener a rich tapestry of sound that firmly embraces the composer’s ideas.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): David Helpling, Sverre Knut Johansen

More info
http://sverreknutjohansen-spm.bandcamp.com/album/metahuman

 

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