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Marvel Machine: Volt / Revolt
ByThe three musicians guitarist Petter Vågan, who has collaborated with such outfits such as Motif and Mellow Motif; bassist Rune Nergaard, a member of Bushman's Revenge who has also recorded with saxophonists Tore Brunborg and Eirik Hegdal; and drummer Henning Calsenmet during their studies at the Trondheim conservatory. All three add electronic effects to their instruments, pushing the vibrant improvised sounds even further.
There is no knowing which way Marvel Machine will go on this debut. Some of the pieces are abstract sound poem (the repetitive, ringing "Node") or loose flirtations with abstract, heavy metal sounds that take five minutes to gel into clear rhythmic form ("Meanwhile, Back On Earth"). The calmly cinematic "Rimrocked" is, nevertheless, dark and threatening, all its sounds distorted and processed. The trio continues to experiment with processed noisy textures on "Nightmarchers," while still managing to follow a rigid electronic pulse. "Fog Of War" and the closing "9 To 5 Rebel" are minimalist experiments with dark atmospheric sounds.
Elsewhere, the trio attempts to lock the free flowing improvisations into song formats. The fractured heavy rhythm of the title piece dictates the structure of this slow-brewing improvisation. "Plongcore" disguises, at its beginning, as a metallic onslaught, but ultimately dissolves into dense interplay. The thick, thumping bass playing, the hammering drums throughout and the thorny guitar lines on "CircleKing" or "Horseplay" may sound like a tribute to recent power trios such guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim, bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Morgan Ågren's Blixt, (Cuneiform, 2010)clearly an influence on this triobut Marvel Machine possesses its own strong sonic print. "Shell Shock" is a powerful display of cathartic interplay from its first note.
Whatever path this trio follows, it delivers a convincing and promising musical journey.
Track Listing
Node; Volt/ Revolt; Plongcore; Meanwhile, Back On Earth; Rimrocked; Nightmarchers; CircleKing; Fog Of War; Horseplay; Shell Shock; 9 To 5 Rebel.
Personnel
Petter Vågan: guitar, electronics; Rune Nergaard: bass, electronics; Henning Carlsen: drums, electronics.
Album information
Title: Volt / Revolt | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Gigafon
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