Review AVKRVST ‘The Approbation’

The story of Avkrvst starts almost like a trailer for a movie. Two kids at the age of seven make a pact that they would start a band and release an album as soon as they get older. Now, this isn’t the beginning of a new blockbuster movie. It is the starting point of a band that unfolds years and years later.

Avkrvst, the name isn’t the easiest one to keep in mind, reveal their debut album ‘The Approbation’ and they do it via the well-known InsideOutMusic label which already speaks to the quality of these seven songs.

The kids, that made the pact, that was Martin Utby and Simon Bergseth, who now, at the age of 29, made a childhood dream become true. Together with Øystein Aadland, Edvard Seim and Auver Gaaren to guys composed seven songs which found a place in the first release of the band.

The music that one gets with ‘The Approbation’ can be described as a blend of progressive rock and some metal elements. There are the big and cinematic soundscapes like in ‘Arcane Clouds’. At the same time, and partly unexpected, the quintet added loud sound eruptions to the mix. ‘The Great White River’ with its pounding beginning, has some of these outbursts to offer. Vocal get rougher and darker in the middle section, adding a lot of heaviness to the sound and being a contrast to the gentler ending of this tune.

The starting point of this journey into sounds is called ‘Østerdalen’ and is an intro, leading to ‘The Pale Moon’. Maybe you have heard the song already earlier as it was released as a single. The song is a melancholic and calmer one. Melodies and emotions are the main pillars of the track that acts as a curiosity increasing piece of music.

The two masterpieces though are placed at the end of the album. ‘Anodyne’ and ‘The Approbration’ are compositions that cross a ten-minute running time. I consciously name these songs composition because they offer a kaleidoscope of sounds and twists. Heavy riffs, elegant keyboards and emotion-transporting vocals, these are the ingredients of two tracks that constantly unveil new details. The title track is built on a similar approach although the cinematic moments get more space. At the same time the mentioned heavier guitar lines return and the distortion effect that’s added to the vocals are another tool in the musical toolkit of Avkrvst.

‘The Approbation’ is as well entertaining as it is sophisticated. The album might take a few moments before unfolding some of the cool features but then grows with every round on your record player.