SHAMBLEMATHS is a Norwegian band that was formed in 2004 as FALLEN FOWL by Simen Å. Ellingsen and Eirik M. Husum. They made three demos before going on a hiatus from 2006. The duo returned as SHAMBLEMATHS in 2016. Thy did that with their self-titled album full of music that is decidedly more edgy and demanding than they ever had been before. Ultimately and unfortunately Eirik M. Husum left the band in 2018, and after some deliberation Ingvald A. Vassbø joined in 2019.

I have only been reviewing for Metal Temple for a few months now, and I am loving it to bits. After the first attempts I am getting the hang of this. Finally the people in charge have decided to go ahead and test my resolve, explore my boundaries and throw me out on a limb. Because they have put me up with SHAMBLEMATHS, an eclectic, experimental Prog Folk Rock Jazz band. This is like mixing Peter Gabriel era GENESIS with the PINK FLOYD of Syd Barrett, together with Folk, Rock and a lot of Jazzy soundscapes. In the quieter moments there's some SUPERTRAMP as well, in addition to even hearing some FISH era MARILLION coming by once in a while, when the music becomes very mellow. The result is something that even FRANK ZAPPA would have been proud of. So if any of those names mean anything to you, please try and get a taste of SHAMBLEMATHS. It's a great meal.

Apparently this second album is a lot heavier and widespread musically than the debut. I must admit I haven't heard "Shamblemaths" (yet), but if it's even half as interesting as the follow up, I'm game. Because yes, I'm getting this. Big time.

This seems to just fly all over the place, especially when you first listen to "Shamblemaths II". Please don't despair, because it will get better, but it will only happen after a few turns. That is when the album begins to make sense, starts to come together and the real enjoyment commences. But if you are not of the experimental or adventurous persuasion, you will feel that this is just a cacophony of noises. So, please, when you give this a go, play it a few times. And DON'T make this into background music. No, it has to be the focus of your attention, or you will go mad. And you might just find out that these Norwegian idiots are actually genius. You have just under forty-seven minutes to decide on which side of the fence you wish to be. I've opted to be as close to them as possible.