Far Out In Aradabia
Karisma, 2021
9/10
The sophomore album from Norway’s prog-rock stars Arabs In Aspic, Far Out Aradabia was originally released in 2004 and out of print until now, and this reissue comes to us remastered and highlights the band’s adventurous nature that brings in a keyboard player, too.
“Arabs In Aspic II” starts the listen with some thick, throbbing hard rock as bouts of keys and spoken work enter the mysterious, psychedelic opener, and “Hair Of The Sun” follows with a dense buzzing that’s a bit grungy but also spacey as calm waves also enter the unpredictable climate.
Halfway through, “Siseneg” brings plenty of guitar crunch before transitioning to a dreamy version of throw back prog-rock, while “Talking Mushroom” bristles with a firm, borderline intensity that benefits from wailing guitar solos and thundering drums.
The final two tracks are among the best, and include the initially calmer “Come To Me”, where bright synth and melodic singing build into a diverse retro rocker, and “Butterpriest Jam” exits the listen with indeed jam band qualities as 18+ minutes allows each members strengths to be showcased and textured precisely.
A captivating listen that takes nods to Black Sabbath and Hawkwind, Far Out In Aradabia captures the band thriving and entering more daring prog-rock territory that garnered them plenty of much deserved attention.
Travels well with: Wobbler- Dwellers Of The Deep; Meer- Playing House