Crystals is the debut full-length release from Norwegian progsters Shaman Elephant, following on from their EP More, and it’s an interesting listen and a decent starting point for the band.
It’s perhaps fair to say that Crystals isn’t one of the most adventurous pieces out there, as it doesn’t really feature many surprises, but nevertheless it is still a strong performance from the band and is a musically solid piece. The instrumentation is fantastic, featuring lots of nice little complex moments giving the music an extra sparkle, and in particular the guitarwork is especially good – Crystals features some phenomenal solos.
One of the best songs on the album is fourth track The Jazz. Somewhat unsurprisingly, it’s one of the more jazzier tracks on the album, and something especially interesting with the song is that it feels like there’s a little bit of improvisation within it, which is an approach that goes hand-in-hand with the jazz genre. At some points, you almost don’t know what to expect with the solos, and it’s a nice touch because it helps to keep the listener more engaged!
All in all, a good album – and a strong starting point for the band. It will be interesting to see where the band progresses from here!
7/10
