Grimborg

There's nothing like the pleasure one can get from hearing a band take a quantum leap in its development, and with the very purplish Grimborg (just look at the cover), Gjallarhorn has made theirs. It becomes fully apparent on the title cut, when wild cello undercuts the spooky song, bringing it almost into the avant-garde. Moments like that crop up again in different guises throughout the record, on tracks like "Ack Lova Gud" and "Frøysnesen/Soteroen," although the place to truly turn heads is when singer Jenny Wilhelms unleashes piercing shrieks during the literal cattle call of "Kulning." Overall the record is like a sea serpent, with many tentacles moving around and catching the listener by surprise, dragging them into the music with snatches of didgeridoo, Hardanger fiddle, bass clarinet, and percussion. It's far less ordered than their previous releases, deliberately edging toward chaos at times, but never quite falling over. But the sense of adventure and progression never falters; it's as if the band has finally discovered its musical niche and is set upon exploring every corner of it. There's a joy in every note and beat that transmits itself. A career-defining disc. ~ Chris Nickson|