The Oslo-based Prog Rock band, are pleased to announce that their debut album is just around the corner and will be released on May 31. SYKOFANT is in the prog rock closet, with elements of pop, jazz, funk, surf and fusion. They play with crooked time signatures, tempo changes, dissonance and genre mixing, but at the same time offer an aftertaste of acoustic simplicity. The drums are jazzy and hard. The bass lines are heavy and funky. The guitar solos virtuoso and catchy. The riffs harmonious and chaotic. The vocals energetic and searching. This, and much more, is what SYKOFANT serves the listener on an auditory silver platter.

“Pavement of Color” is first. It has a jazzy swing with animated bass notes. The vocals are wonderful, and that little rasp in his voice makes it more memorable. I get vibes of GENESIS here and the harmonies are strong. “Between Air and Water” is over 12 minutes. It opens with smooth melancholy tones, and both the bass and bluesy lead guitar work is excellent. It begins to pick up a bit around a third of the way in and the guitars lay down a harder riff. The song is cloudy, like that feeling you have when you first wake from a dream…hazy. “Monument of Old” has soft but tense tones at first, but like any good Progressive song, give it time to develop. It advances into a bluesy swing that is very groovy and catchy, and then it takes off into uncharted territory. It’s these free jamming moments when you can really hear the band’s musicianship shine.

“Between the Monuments” is short and reflective. “Time has passed me by. That’s fine with me” he quips. The somber sound takes a sharp turn as some funk comes out, and the band shows their prowess with many different styles of music. “Strangers” has a slower and sturdier sound, and it is so dark and retarded that is holds you down by sitting on top of you. When it does let you up, it has a desert rock sound that reminds me of the music in Kill Bill. The music shifts so fast that you barely have time to process it. The lengthy “Forgotten Paths” closes the album. The opening tones are bright, cheery and full of hooks. It rounds a turn and turns into a trendy jam, with a thick blues accent in the guitars, and then the waters smooth. The groovy jam returns and takes the song to completion.

One of the tenants of Progressive music is that it expands existing stylistic boundaries associated with specific genres of music. This album definitely fits that definition. It borders on pretentious at times, but what saves it is the band’s obvious affinity for expressing themselves openly. A couple of the songs are unnecessarily long, and there is a lot to unwind, but there is a lot to like here on the quartet’s debut album.