Sigurd Lühr Tonna is a Norwegian multi-instrumentalist who releases progressive rock albums as Annot Rhul. Who Needs lanes Or Time Machines When There's Music And Daydreams? came out in 2006. It was followed by Lost In The Woods which was released in 2007. Seven years later, the new CD Leviathan was welcomed. This third release is again a musical effort which was most of all realised by Sigurd on the keyboards and guitars. He got some help on the vocal, bass, keyboard and drum department by some guests. This way-too-short album is most of all dominated by the two 13 minute suites which are divided into several parts which open and close the album. The first epic has the title Leviathan Suite and contains seven parts with plenty of tempo and mood shifts. The song is psychedelic, sprinkled with languorous female vocals, and where the tension builds up greatly. During the two minute introduction, the Pink Floyd-like music that you hear is set in motion by a boogie kind of rhythm. This then slows down in a male-female duet in which you can hear the Mellotron. The most vivid part can be enjoyed during the pre-finale. You'll hear an apocalyptic crescendo instrumental with influences from Genesis. The other epic R'lyeh, has five parts, and moves from melodic Mellotron parts to more aggressive guitar parts. Here Pink Floyd meets King Crimson. It's also the track with the most space rock and psychedelic rock influences. Besides the two wonderful epics, the album of course has more to offer. The songs that are in the middle of them are more or less also influenced by the music of Floyd. The guitar, vocal and synthesizer parts have certainly a musical link with this band. On the other hand the strong Mellotron parts move towards Genesis and King Crimson! Levithan is a really good prog disc manufactured in Norway by immensely talented Norwegian musicians who obviously gets all too little recognition from the broad majority of people. Hopefully this little review will put them a bit more into the spotlight. They certainly deserve to be heard. Most of all, the Pink Floyd fans out there should try out this fine album. **** Henri Strik (edited by Robert James Pashman) Where to buy? |
