Review JETHRO TULL ‘RökFlöte’

If one musician and one band has shaped the connection between rock music and the flute, then it is Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull. Since the debut album ‘This Was’ Jethro Tull belongs to the legends of rock music and have created with their very own sound a magic that fascinates fans to this day. Here it is not only flute which is the identifying feature of the Jethro Tull sound. Also Anderson’s distinct voice contributes significantly to the recognizability of the band. Also on the new album ‘RökFlöte’ these trademarks are very present and reflect 100% the sound of the veterans.

One year after ‘The Zealot Gene’, ‘RökFöte’ is the latest work of Ian Anderson and band mates coming to the stores; another masterpiece in the long history of the band.

Ian Anderson was born in Scotland. The name, however, indicates Scandinavian roots and so Anderson dove into his own origins story. A DNA analysis pointed to roots on the Balkans indicating a journey north and perhaps it was the Vikings who brought his paternal ancestors to the British Isles. This journey through time also inspired a fascination for the world of gods in different parts and regions of Europe and so each of the songs is based on a character or role of some of the main gods of ancient Norse paganism

Listening to the songs, it is noticeable that each of the pieces has lyrics in poem form. This fact alone shows the versatility and creativity with which Anderson writes his songs. To give the theme additional expressiveness, the beginning and the end of the record is special. The Icelandic artist Unnur Birna contributes with spoken words which serve as introduction and closure. Birna quotes from the 13th century Codex Regius in Old Icelandic.

Even though ‘RökFlöte’ was originally intended as an instrumental album for the rock flute, things evolved with the lyrical concept and from Ragnarök, rock flute and the umlaut as anchoring in the Germanic origins to ‘RökFlöte’.

Musically, the album offers everything fans of the band could ask for. Melody and emotion are combined in ‘Allfather’ while the calmer tones, such as in ‘Cornucopia’ do not come up short. The latter song is followed by the rocking ‘The Navigators’ which clearly shows the bandwidth of Jethro Tull within two songs.

Also worth mentioning is ‘Hammer on Hammer’. Even if the song starts calm, the track develops into one of the harder rock songs on the album, equipped with a brilliant guitar solo in the last third. Also the more Celtic influenced ‘Trickster (and the Mistletoe)’ is one of the louder moments on an overall very varied album.

Ian Anderson shows with ‘RökFlöte’ that he and Jethro Tull are still a force to be reckoned with. Even after more than 50 years, the musician has not lost passion and dedication, a driving force for excellently crafted songs that show that quality still fascinates even in a fast-moving age.