Review Summary: Let there be awesome vintage rock.
The story behind the formation of Horisont and the making of their magnificent debut album, titled
Tva Sidor Av Horisonten (two sides of the horizon, courtesy of Google Translate) deserves to be narrated, not because there is something extremely intriguing about it, but mostly due to the authentic spontaneity of both processes. The primary form of Horisont comprised of high school mates Pontus (drums) and Magnus (bass) who just couldn’t imagine their lives without jamming at those classic Deep Purple tunes for hours and hours. Soon enough they joined forces with Axel (vocals), Charlie (guitars) and Kristofer (guitars) and recorded two demos from 2005 to 2007. During the recording of their third demo tape in 2009, Peter Carlsson, label manager of Crusher Records, happened to stop by their studio session, listened to the band’s material and offered Horisont a deal for a full-length under the condition that 4 more songs should be added to the already prepared six ones. Horisont looked no farther than their past two demos to pick the requested material and… hocus pocus, let there be awesome vintage rock.
If
Tva Sidor Av Horisonten showcases anything, it’s that Horisont are wholeheartedly aware of
everything that happened during the ‘70s in the field of vintage rock. Band proves to be fully proficient in excellently blending all available vintage rock styles under a clean and powerful sound production. Guitarists Charlie and Kristofer show unmatched know-how in crafting fantastic melodies and riffs, while the rhythm section of Pontus and Magnus lies on the same level of excellence with iconic bands such as Deep Purple and Grand Funk Railroad. The surprise, though, comes from the high pitched, clean and melodic vocals of Axel, which distinguish the band from its contemporaries. Detailing the ensemble of moods and styles of the record, songs span from galloping heavy rock anthems (“Nightrider”) to boogie rock (“Horisont Boogie”, “Tiggaren”), leading to half-cheerful-half-sorrowful (“Du Röde”) or grittily groovy (“Oh, My Lord”) heavy blues gems. Although
Tva Sidor Av Horisonten includes material from three different demo tapes, whereas both English and Swedish lyrics make a balanced appearance within the body of songs, the flow of the record is excellent, favoring repeated listening sessions.
With their debut album, Sweden’s Horisont qualify themselves as an excellent addition to the spree of bands that keep alive the vintage rock vibe in the 21st century. In view of its high quality,
Tva Sidor Av Horisonten can be seen as a “best of” of the sound Horisont are ambassadors of, and a fine entrance for those wanting to get into vintage rock, regardless if it’s about critically acclaimed or totally obscure acts.
