Qoph’s first album is a very strange and unique blend of Avant prog mixed with a weird psychedelic progmetal, which is not easily qualified or classed into one genre or the other, with the whole affair being slightly grunge too. The Swedish double guitar (no KB) quintet is always quite energetic, they invite a few musicians to help out on the sax and violin. Qoph took the brave step to sing in Swedish, but unlike some of the more conventional Swedish prog groups like Anglagard or Landberk (where I think it even enhances the atmospheres), it does not work quite as well, and is sometimes even a little derange-some in a few tracks, despite of the music’s crazy and off-the-wall feel. And the jester on the artwork will already give you an idea of what is awaiting you once you pop the disc in your deck.How to describe this group’s sound except by drawing a wide circle around it and hope that Qoph will somehow fit somewhere inside it. Picture the Red Hot Chilli Pepper, Miriodor, a straight and non-jazz X-Legged Sally with very strong traces of Tool, with some of Plastic People Of The Universe and Jolly Joker hints and you might start to see what I’m getting at. VdGG and Crimson are among the influences you’ll also hear (especially when the sax is around as it sounds like Jaxon meeting Collins and often it veers the music towards organized chaos) in the second track Ta Farval. The bass is often funky and the jumpy feel of some tracks (most noticeably in Nadir I) reminds of RHCP’s ultra technical funk-rock. These guys go nuts very often and are not afraid to push the boundaries with a basic 50’s RnR (the short Nadir III track) and a 60’s (surf- garage-type) one at the start of the closing 14-min monster Radsla, both sufficiently modified and actualised to keep today’s proghead interested & happy, and when then they end the track onto a Johnny Winter-like hard blues rock, but rest assured that the inside core of the track is definitely Tool-esque. For this writer, the highlight of the album is the psychic Herr Qophs Villfarelser track that takes you into almost the 67 Friscoland. Simply excellent!!! The whole albums slides by smoothly and it seems much shorter than it really is, which is a real quality.
This review certainly will not be one of my better one, but I must say that this music is unusual enough for me not being able to talk too well about it, even after four years of owning the album. Nevertheless, this debut album is an impressive mother, which must be at least heard once in your lifetime, even if I will not guarantee you that you will keep the album very often in your rotation once the initial discovery and acquaintance period is over - Review by Sean Trane (Hugues Chantraine)
Track Listings
1. Vansinnet (7:34)
2. Ta farväl (5:56)
3. Än Lyser Manen - Nadir I (6:15)
4. Manvarv - Nadir I (4:53)
5. En Mane Some Ler - Nadir III (1:36)
6. Aldrig Tillbaks (6:20)
7. Herr Qophs Villfarelser (9:37)
8. Förförande Rädsla (13:55)
Total Time: 56:26
Line-up/Musicians
- Federico de Costa / drums, percussion
- Robin Kvist / vocals
- Filip Norman / guitar
- Patrick Persson / bass
- Jimmy Wahlsteen / guitar, mandolin
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