Swedish proggers Trettioåriga Kriget celebrated their thirtieth anniversary with a return to active duty following a long hiatus: a new studio album in Elden Av År, an appearance at ProgDay 2004, and beautiful digipak reissues of the first four albums thanks to Mellotronen. This eponymous debut from '74 has much more in line with the post-Yardbirds British hard rock scene than progressive rock, to be frank. Kriget had no full-time keyboardist; guest pianist Dag Kronlund plays on "Under The Pendent Roof," but it's a bonus track, not on the original vinyl, while uncredited Mellotron bits and other keyboard knick-knacks are audible. Longer-than-average songs? Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin recorded plenty of 'em. Nods to many bands, from Purple to Zeppelin to Uriah Heep to Queen and even Trapeze can be heard all over the place. Sure, the arrangements are a little more flowery, a little more bombastic, but frontman Robert Zima's vocal style is clearly modeled on the singers of those bands; perhaps the combination he comes closest to is a Gillan~Byron~Plant hybrid, with a dash of Hughes, though not as compelling. The falsetto acrobatics Zima routinely resorts to are less than laudable. Christer Åkerberg's guitar style falls squarely in the Blackmore, Page and May camps, but it is Stefan Fredin's aggressive and melodic yet nonflamboyant bass-playing that is even more striking. In fact, the opening of "Fjärilsattityder" is astonishingly similar to Rush track circa 2112…but Rush had, at best, only recorded their debut when TK's own was already out! Fredin is clearly an unsung hero of rock bass. The opening minute of "Mina Löjen" rings out similarly before settling into the main scheme which—equally eye-brow raising—often sounds like more of a template for "stoner rock" than Blacks Sabbath and Flag do. All lyrics are penned by one Olle Thörnvall, transmuted into sonic colors by Zima—not in English, naturally, though two of the bonus tracks—which, while remastered, still sound a little rough—are in English, and hence, are the only two for which printed lyrics were not supplied. Synopsis: a worthwhile reissue of a debut by a young band, composed of very talented players—and for whom the best was yet to come.
Tracklist:
1. Kaledoniska Orogenesen (5:20)
2. Röster Från Minus Till Plus (7:34)
3. Fjärilsattityder (5:26)
4. Mina Löjen (8:09)
5. Ur Djupen (3:46)
6. Handlingens Skugga (7:39)
—Bonus Tracks—
7. Under The Pendent Roof (9:36)
8. I've Got No Time (3:39)
9. Perspektiv (7:40)
Total time – 58:51
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