Review AVKRVST “Waving at the Sky”

Two years after launching their debut album, the Norwegian prog rock band Avkrvst is releasing their second album. “Waving at the Sky” is a continuation of the band’s journey through the world of layered music with its twists and turns.

The band emerged from seemingly nowhere and delivered a remarkable debut. With “Waving at the Sky”, Simon Bergseth, Martin Utby, and their bandmates pick up where they left off with “The Approbation”.

The starting point into the world of progressive metal is a song called “Preceding.” This rhythmic, bass-driven instrumental sets the scene for the album’s other six songs. It’s a gentle start that leads to “The Trauma.” As the title suggests, it is a wild and partly frantic song that evokes a sense of unease. Avkrist successfully created a tense atmosphere in this song, which has some calmer moments, too. The alternation between roaring loudness and atmospheric depth creates fields of tension.

As expected, the songs on “Waving at the Sky” are ambitious, with a running time of mostly seven minutes or more. “Families are Forever” is one such song. It has an eerie mood, and although the clean vocals are in the forefront, a sinister level unfolds when growls distract from the harmonious approach.

Even in the more upbeat sections of the album, there is always an underlying sinister mood. “The Malevolent” is a song to pay close attention to, as the Norwegians invited a guest to contribute to this song. Haken frontman Ross Jennings added vocals to this dark and nuanced track. It is one of the straightforward tunes on the album with bigger melodies, especially in the chorus.

The title track ends the album, and we hear a 12-minute epic that showcases the band’s creativity and capabilities. It is a dark, heavy-hearted song. Though there are some rather bright moments, the overall vibe of “Waving at the Sky” is gloomy, perfectly capturing the shades of the human soul in music.

With their sophomore album, Avkrvst delivers a stunning and captivating piece of music. It’s as if clouds were pushed in front of the bright sun, immersing the colorful world in gray. “Waving at the Sky” is musically sophisticated and it is also lyrically demanding, making it a challenging record that demands focus.