Sound Pressure is a project fronted by Kalle Mathiesen, a talented multi-instrumentalist from Copenhagen, Denmark. Mathiesen started his musical career as a drummer before eventually exploring other instruments. You may have heard his other project under the moniker "Kalle's World Tour". This is the first I have heard the band and I will say there were a few surprises along the way. For one thing, this music is not boring. In fact, there are few dull moments to be heard. The music covers a wide range of styles including avant-garde, jazzy movements, heavy rock and metal and even a punk-like vibe in some of the songs. I believe much of the experimental moments owe something to the late Frank Zappa, who Mathiesen has said is a main inspiration. Mostly, the songs are up-tempo hard rocking affairs with the electric guitar providing much of the crunch. Jazz-like interludes are plentiful with saxophone and even some trumpet adding sounds to the mix. Some songs feature sudden stops and starts that add to the experimental nature of the music. In other songs Mathiesen sings in an almost rap-like style to which his voice is definitely suited for. Maybe that is why I heard a hint of Rage Against The Machine in various places throughout the disc.
One of the album's strong points are the lyrics, which at times are quite powerful, painting some evocative pictures. The following passage from "Cancer" is a prime example: "The cancer is spreading all over the earth. Money and egoism are showing that some lives are not worth living and some forms of life just won't fit into the machine's greater scheme." Although quite cynical and perhaps pessimistic who can argue with that. In "2 Dogs" Mathiesen writes, "There are two dogs living inside me. One of the dogs is evil and mean – the other one is full of sympathy – the evil dog attacks the good dog in between every thought that I have. The dog that wins is the one that I feed the most. The winner lives my life with me as a ghost." We can all look toward our inner self and realize the battle raging between good and evil, after all, we are only human.
As far as album highlights, I really liked "Underground" with its catchy riff and guitar chords reminding me of early Police. Mathiesen has a nice melodic tone to his voice which he demonstrates nicely. There is even a ska part with saxophone that builds towards a frantic pace. I will let you discover the rest.
I am not sure if this constitutes as progressive rock per se, but the fact there are so many styles explored here makes for an interesting listen. If you like harder edged music with a quirky edge you could do a lot worse. Recommended.
Track Listing:
1) Cancer
2) Mentally Challenged
3) Sterilize
4) Business As Usual
5) The Good Guys
6) Underground
7) The 2 Dogs
8) Change – Der er et yndigt land
9) Dejavue
10) The Fool
11) A New Man
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