Apr 72 min read

Kristoffer Gildenlöw - 'Empty'

it demands you listen to it and appreciate the level of musicianship and the nuances that adorn it.

Swedish-born Kristoffer Gildenlöw isn’t a name instantly recognisable to many, but it should be! His musical path started as the bass player in the Progressive Hard Rock band Pain Of Salvation before branching off to work with other artists, such as Neal Morse, Lana Lane and Damian Wilson, to name a few, and he has also released five solo albums, of which this is the latest.

Coming under the banner of Progressive Rock may switch some people off, but please don’t let it. There are rivers of flavoursome melodies flowing in and out of twelve well-constructed songs, and Gildenlöw has picked the right artists for the job with the dozen that join him throughout the hour-long run time.

‘Time To Turn The Page’ is first out of the blocks. Its wandering guitars and Gildenlöw’s distorted vocals set the scene well before the tempo raises with some impressive guitar work to take us through to the second track, ‘End Of Their Road’, which encompasses the subtlest hint of Blues and contains some lovely strings and another impressive guitar solo. Gildenlöw has stepped away from the rockier sound he is more associated with and presents a much softer and more sophisticated side. However, there are periods when he allows past tendencies to surface, especially on the stand-out ‘Harbinger Of Sorrow’, but be aware that this album is not to be played in the background - it demands you listen to it and appreciate the level of musicianship and the nuances that adorn it. In fact, this is the blueprint for lazing on a Sunday afternoon, headphones on, letting the world go, especially with ‘He’s Not Me’, ‘Black & White’, and the seven-and-a-half minute ‘Down We Go’ with Gildenlöw’s hypnotic voice washing over you.

The album’s second half is equally impressive, with ‘Turn It All Around’ fusing Progressive elements with some superb violin, viola and cello playing. These elements ebb seamlessly into ‘Means To An End’ and produce another stand-out soulful song in a sea of them. ‘Beautiful Decay’ and the captivating ‘Saturated’ are more upbeat but stay nicely within the Progressive framework. The almost ten-minute title track brings proceedings to a close and sees Gildenlöw in an existential and thought-provoking mood wrapped up in some stunning guitar work!

As I’ve got older, I’ve learnt to appreciate the Progressive side of our favourite genres more, and with beauties like this, you should too!