Progeria
Karisma, 2021
8/10
Here is where it all started for the Norway prog-rockers Arabs In Aspic, who, after gigging around Trondheim and releasing demos, produced this mini album as their debut back in 2003.
The title track starts the listen with a brief display of gentle guitar alongside talking, and this segues into the 8 minutes of “Sandstorm”, where eerie organ and hazy guitars align with gentle singing. Halfway through, the tune gets a bit more forceful as tumbling drums and thicker guitars layer the tune in a dense coat of prog-rock, before retreating to calm.
The back half of the record offers the spacey and classic rock inspired “Shelob’s Cave/The Great Shelob/Wizard In White”, where hard rock bouts are met with bare moments of sublime, nostalgic beauty. “Megalodon” then exits the listen, and brings much atmosphere to a very psyche and prog indebted finish of strong interplay between the members.
Available again after being out of print for years, this one’s remastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo, and does a great job of documenting Arabs In Aspic in their infancy, and clearly captures a band on their way to great things.
Travels well with: Tusmørke- Nordisk Krim; Wobbler- Dwellers Of The Deep