Review Summary: A truly accessible crossover prog release that makes good use of hard rock and soul influences.
Gungfly is a solo project of Rikard Sjoblom, the leader and the main songwriter for a Swedish progressive rock outfit, Beardfish that issued their latest excellent record, “Mammoth,” earlier this year. Releasing two albums in a very short period of time doesn't seem to be a good sign for an apparent reason. Fans might be weary of getting a B-side album to an artist latest endeavor under a new moniker. Surprisingly though, the new Gungfly release, “Lamentations,” showcases too strong of a material to be regarded as such. What's more, the style also substantially differs. Gungfly is a singer-songwriter project that finds Sjoblom venturing into a more straightforward blend of crossover prog. The songs are way shorter, chiefly vocal-driven, and thus more accessible.
This being stated, the opener, “Bringing Down The Walls,” could have been easily included in “Mammoth” having been certainly one of the most hard-hitting tracks there. It combines old-school hard rock with Sjoblom's trademark progressive-based dynamics to great effect. The first single, “White Light,” follows with a more abrasive metallic approach that coexists with an unforced sense of melody being a characteristic feature of most songs on the disc. Further on, Gungfly makes use of soul influences in the album's standout tracks. Both “Peace At Mind” and “In This House” are amazing soul-induced hard rock songs that, aside from being supremely melodic, emit plenty of positive energy. In the ideal world, they would be in heavy radio rotation at present. On the other hand, the mellow tracks reminiscent of the first Gungfly disc are sadly hit-or-miss. “The Game” might be interestingly trumpet-arranged, yet it feels kind of nauseating throughout, while the title track fails to make an impression being surrounded by livelier songs. “And She Drives Me” comes to the rescue though with its entirely memorable piano-driven melody and nostalgic lyrics.
Bearing in mind all hard rock and soul references, “Lamentations” remains old-fashioned in its approach towards production and the use of keys that often evoke the vibe from classic progressive records. This is just the case with the most ambitious composition on the disc. Almost 10-minute-long “We Will Never Leave” encompasses many daring progressions especially in its second half that ranges from epic to quirky in a similar vein to Gentle Giant. Above all, what makes the entire album cohesive is the uniformly powerful vocal performance of Sjoblom whose extraordinary sense of melody really shines on this record more than on any other Beardfish offering. He may not be the most diverse singer around; however, his skills prove to be equally impressive in dynamic and mellow tracks making for many truly genuine moments throughout. Therefore, “Lamentations” stands on its own being an appropriately diverse as well as strikingly personal collection of songs.
