THE BIG RIP ~ OLYMPUS MONS ... review

 

Norway's The Big Rip, featuring Danny Valle Johannessen (vocals), Eivind Dalevoll (guitar), Ole Jørgen Kjørholt (guitar), Mats Bredesen (bass), and Simen Lunde (drums), defy easy categorization, their sound being a dynamic mix of progressive/post-metal, and heavy rock decorated with powerfully melodic vocals that possess a soulful edginess. Some have already compared Big Rip's sound to that of bands like Elder, Witchcraft, and King Buffalo and although Desert Psychlist does not disagree with these comparisons we tend to think their music leans somewhat a little closer to that of UK's Sergeant Thunderhoof in that its prog elements come from a more classic rock angle.. The band have just recently released their second EP, "Olympus Mons," the follow up to their well-received debut EP "Order of the Goatlord.", a release we believe is a must-hear for ALL fans of expansive, spacious and rocking prog/post-metal.

Opening song "Behold, This Mountain" sets the tone for the rest of the EP, a song that starts from fairly humble beginnings and slowly swells  in intensity and volume to become something just as majestic and imposing as the edifice mentioned in its title with lilting eastern flavoured motifs sharing space with heavy reverberating riffage around powerfully delivered vocals that possess a crooned soulful quality. Next up is "KAKTUS", this song boasts a slightly more strident and stoner(ish) groove to its predecessor but proves no less impactful for that. The guitar work of Dalevoll and Kjørholt is exemplary here, a fine blend of crunch and shimmer that is supported by an equally fine mix of power and restraint from the rhythm section of Bredesen and Lunde while Johannessen's vocals are just other level in power depth and timbre. Third number "Kraken Mare" begins life prog-lite and slightly folkish with Johannessen crooning soulfully over deftly delivered ringing guitar arpeggios but then shifts into something more akin to a classic rock torch song when the bass and drums join the party, this is the song that triggered Desert Psychlist's earlier Sergeant Thunderhoof comparison due to it having much the same anthemic qualities that "The Hoof" exhibited on their last two studio albums. Lastly we have title track "Olympus Mons" and like this EP's opening track "Behold, This Mountain" this track, an instrumental, boasts a majestic and expansive feel with exquisite guitar interplay supported by a deliciously seductive backdrop of liquid bass and sympathetically pitched drumming, a beautifully structured piece of music that's only failing is its brevity. 

  The Big Rip's "Olympus Mons" is a phenomenal EP from what is a frankly quite phenomenal band. If there has to be a criticism levelled at this extraordinarily well crafted and superbly structured collection of music it would be that at only four songs the listener is left feeling a little short-changed, that said "Olympus Mons" is still a release one would fully expect to make many peoples end of the year "best of" lists, it is that good!

Check it out ..... 

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