Looking at the world of hard rock and heavy metal, it is pretty much undeniable that Sweden must have more musicians per head of population than any other country in the world. Throw in their pop output, it does make you wonder how they have the work force left to produce famously sturdy cars and lorries, let alone the non-stop stream of self-assembly furniture. Gentle ribbing aside, CB3, shorthand for Charlotta’s Burning Trio, are adding to the musical output of their homeland with ‘Aeons’, a half hour slice of psychedelic instrumental jamming goodness.
‘Zodiac’ opens the proceedings with a heavy riff that powers through the track, interspersed with some Proggier (is that a word) noodling and effects that scream out to be played over an oil light projection beamed through a haze of sweet smoke. This trippy atmosphere is only reinforced by follow up ‘Sonic Blaze’, the guitar mixing occasionally jazzy runs in the style of Steve Howe into the generally laid-back meander through an acid drenched soundscape, the refrain becoming altogether darker and more strident for the closing minutes of the track.
For those who thought the proceeding track was all too short, indecently clocking in at under the seven minute mark, ‘Acid Haze’ starts by slamming on the anchors, opening with slowly dragged hypnotic rhythms, underwritten by looping, mesmeric guitar work that slowly builds up to a sprint halfway through the track before tailing off into a sea of screaming effects. The musical experimentation continues with ‘Warrior Queen’, a number that starts off loose and mellow before becoming more densely packed with frenetic playing, each instrument seemingly racing the other before falling back exhausted and spent. To aid in recovery ‘Apocalypse’ starts with a far more gentle sound, a lightly strummed acoustic guitar strolling along to restrained beats with a pastoral sound that is anything but apocalyptic. CB3, however, are not content to finish on such a simple sound, adding keyboards and saxophones to the mix, invoking the spirit of early seventies Pink Floyd as it builds up into a dense wall of sound.
CB3 is a band that clearly has a love of early Prog, melding together the instrumental sounds of King Crimson and Yes with a remarkable skill, with each member of the band, Charlotta Anderson on guitar, Pelle Lindsjo on bass, and Nataneal Salomonsson on drums, playing with flair and elan. That each track has a fluid, semi-improvised sound can only be a testament to their musical abilities.
(8/10 Spenny)
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