Norwegian symphonic prog band MYTHOPOEIC MIND is hot on the heels of their debut album released just two years ago with "Hatchling" ready to release near the end of August 2021. The band is a project by multi-instrumentalist Steiner Børve from progressive rock band PANZERPAPPA.The project started in 2016 and Børve immediately started working on the album "Mythopoetry", which was finally released early in 2019. Børve is a saxophonist and plays both alto and soprano sax on this album along with keyboards and vocals. Other instruments are played by additional musicians that were brought together to perform on his album. Initially, the band was meant to be just a studio project but after the success of "Mythopoetry", the desire to expand the project into a live act was pursued. Unfortunately, due to the lockdowns across the world due to the worldwide pandemic that consumed most of 2020, playing live for the act was unfortunately curtailed.

However, Børve was undeterred and used the time afforded to him inside and began work on what would become MYTHOPOEIC MIND's second album. With the help of modern technology, he employed several musicians to contribute to what would become "Hatchling" from June 2020 to March 2021 in various locations in Oslo and Bergen, Norway during Covid-19 lockdown. The band was expanded to include Pål Selsjord Bjørseth on keyboards and trumpet, Ola Mile Bruland on fretless bass, double bass and euphonium, Trond Gjellum providing drums, percussion and programming, and Anders K. Krabberød on electric and acoustic guitars while Lars-Jarand Bakkelund remains as a guest musician providing bassoon. Mixing and mastering was done at Dude Ranch Studio by Jacob Holm-Lupo from January to April 2021. Recently, the band noted that while everyone hoping for a physical copy of the album will receive their CDs and will be shipped out as soon as the release date, unfortunately, vinyl copies of the album had been delayed and that it would be a couple of more weeks until they are ready to be shipped.

I'm not that familiar with Børve's work with his main band PANZERPAPPA but if its anything like what he is coming up with for MYTHOPOEIC MIND, I would be eager to dive into it some more. He brings the beautiful jazz fusion side of PAT METHENY together with the early prog rock of CARAVAN, KING CRIMSON and CAMEL. The move to a female vocalist for this go-around was a genius move or Veronika Hørven Jensen's is just that captivating as she has such an emotionally charged voice, it really accentuates the heavy brass and wind playing on this album. I love how she weaves in and out of their instrumental melody on opening track "Fear Fiesta", it gives me strong CHICAGO vibes. Then you have the instrumental track "Winter of '73" which jumps around in a wonderful wonderland of classic proggy tropes with a lovely Edgar Winter tinge to it all. Then almost to juxtapose that bounciness, you have the bleak "Fog Vison" with more haunting, lingering vocals delivered by Veronika Hørven Jensen. The whole album has a wonderful flow to it, despite the differences between tracks, a fine example of a well-laid out album with a beginning, middle and an end. The production is absolutely stunning as well. It isn't exactly retro-sounding but it gives the same warm, sunny feeling of records that were produced in the 60's and 70's, it's so elegant.