FATAL FUSION as a Norwegian Progressive Rock band, strongly influenced by 60's & 70's Progressive Rock, by bands like KING CRIMSON, CAMEL, PINK FLOYD, ELP, YES, GENESIS, RAINBOW, LED ZEPPELIN, RUSH, DEEP PURPLE, THE DOORS...and also newer bands from the 80's and 90's like ANEKDOTEN, SPOCKS BEARD, IQ, MARILLION, TOOL DREAM THEATER, TOTO, and IRON MAIDEN. FATAL FUSION has a broad musical landscape, combining many musical styles from Jazz, Blues, Rock, Metal, Funk, Psychedelia, Ambient, Latin and Classical music into a mix. "Dissonant Minds" is their fifth release and contains four tracks.

"Coming Forth by Day" leads off the album. It's a near 15 minutes in length. Tense tones open the song...with a steady guitar riff and a bit if psychedelia. It definitely has that old school Prog feeling to it, especially considering the keys...I hear CAMEL, KING CRIMSON, and THE DOORS, among others. The acoustical guitar and flute section are quite charming. Vocals don't come into play until after the four-minute mark. They are smooth and easy on the ears. The overall tone is a bit despondent...straddling that line between hope and despair. It picks up around the ten-minute mark with a spacey and ultra-fast keyboard solo and finishes on an ominous tone.

"Quo Vadminus" is eight minutes in length, opening with spacey bass guitar notes that are soon joined by like guitar notes. A psychedelic feeling begins to grow. This song has a slightly darker tone, still featuring keys fairly prominently. The extended instrumental passage has a "free jam" quality to it, but make no mistake, each note is chosen carefully. "Beneath the Skydome" is a short four-minute track. It opens with easy listening notes and wonderful melodies...it's quite beautiful. You feel yourself getting lost in the melodies as they play out. It then begins a steady drum beat and begins to build, sort of like that mid-section of "Jacob's Ladder" by RUSH.

"Broken Man" closes the album, at over 17 minutes in length. Opening bells and steady acoustic guitars lead to a bit of a faster pace with some "get-up-and-go" quality. The chorus section hears the song slow and breathe a bit. It takes several different paths along the journey of the song, but always with that main character in line. Keys and guitars lead the charge at different locations, with a key solo in the extended instrumental passage. It slows to a near halt after the 11-minute mark, with just piano and vocals, and ends with him crooning the words "I'm finally free."

Overall, this was quite a journey. If you allow the album to take you on the journey and don't try to understand it, it will be a lot easier. Music is supposed to take you away from your daily worries and concerns, so if you over-think it, you missed the point. While I was on this journey, I saw more colors and animals and landscapes than I have ever seen before. I felt like I took a wormhole through space and time to a vivid world that exists somewhere out there. And just for a while, I was totally at peace.