The Norwegian band often considered one of the oddest, and possibly most unique, in all of modern prog, Tusmørke, are back with their 12th studio album (released 12 years after their debut from 2012, which came out on 12-12-12, which makes this twice as occult as 666...their words, not mine!), titled Dawn of Oberon. Apparently, much of the material on Dawn of Oberon has been percolating in some form or another within the band for many years, and when the band recruited a new drummer and keyboard player a few years back, they finally decided to give these concepts another go and create an album. Though the line-up has changed once again, Dawn of Oberon was finally born in 2024, and dare I say we have another gem of Scandinavian progressive rock from these veterans!
Of course, the centerpiece of the album is the opening 18-minute title track, which is dripping with Mellotron soundscapes, electric piano, organ, synths, piano, flute, and the band's trademark odd but enchanting vocal styles. At times, the band is bombastic, and at other instances, its folky flavors come out in force, but no matter what tone the band takes here, those luscious keyboard textures and enchanting vocals are always at the forefront. "Born to Be Mild" follows, a haunting slice of folk-prog, synths and Mellotron peppered over glorious thick bass lines and some electric guitar stabs, while "Dwarven Lord" again calls upon the Mellotron to carry the load to deliver the dramatic feel while synth, bells, chimes, flute, and bass flutter and weave around the arrangement. "Midsommernattsdrøm" takes on a more harder rocking edge, but is still squarely Norwegian prog, with lovely nature sounds floating above the bubbling bass, Hammond, Mellotron, jangly guitar, and haunting vocals. Things get more uplifting and symphonic on "People View", and "Troll Male" closes out the show in fine fashion, the glorious Moog synth blasts so rooted in the '70s, along with those lovely flute melodies, booming bass, and wah-wah guitar licks.
The first few times I listened to , I kept comparing it to the greatness of their previous release Hestehoven, and while I don't think it quite hits those highs, I'm hard pressed to rate this any less than that album, as all the qualities that make this band so unique and enjoyable are all still here. Yeah, they are indeed an 'odd band', but who said a Norwegian prog rock band has to be what we would consider safe and expected? If you haven't yet checked out Tusmørke, this is as good a place to start as any.
Track Listing
1.
Dawn of Oberon 17:53
2.
Born to be mild 03:35
3.
Dwarven Lord 04:56
4.
Midsommernattsdrøm 07:58
5.
People View 03:44
6.
Troll Male 05:18
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