Fire! - The Hands (2018) {Rune Grammofon RCD2197 Official Digital Download}

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Fire! - The Hands (2018) {Rune Grammofon RCD2197 Official Digital Download}

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Fire! - The Hands (2018) {Rune Grammofon RCD2197 Official Digital Download}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download -> 231 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 87 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2018 Rune Grammofon | RCD2197
Jazz / Rock / Free Improvisation / Jazz Rock / Noise / Dark Jazz

For 20 years Rune Grammofon have made a habit of releasing music that is beyond easy classification, in later years typified by Swedish trio Fire!, consisting of Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin. All three are highly accomplished musicians, but Fire! music is not "difficult" in the sense that jazz and especially free jazz is often perceived. Very much a tight knit unit with three equal players, Fire! has been likened to powerful guitar led trios such as Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, but with Berthling´s heavy, doom laden basslines being such a typical identifier, we can´t help but thinking of Black Sabbath´s debut album when it comes to hypnotic impact.

The Hands is the trio´s sixth album and once again displays a totally uncompromising and intriguing mix of (mostly) heavy, dark and intensely burning music whether one decide on calling it jazz or rock. The album closes on a quiet and reflective note with the appropriately titled "I Guard Her To Rest. Declaring Silence".

And we say it´s easily their best so far.

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Fire! - The Hands (2018) {Rune Grammofon RCD2197 Official Digital Download}

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The music of Fire! is interestingly difficult to define. It is certainly improvised music, but draws on a wide range of influences, from free jazz, rock and noise. The seven tracks here are clearly built around the heavy bass lines of Johan Berthling and the inventive rock influenced drumming of Andreas Werliin over which saxophonist Mats Gustaffson weaves very powerful lines on tenor, baritone and bass saxophones.

It perhaps lacks the subtlety of, say, Evan Parker improvising in a small group context, but it certainly creates a powerful atmosphere that has been compared with that on early Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd albums.

The mood changes from a full on, high energy approach on certain tracks, i.e. the title track The Hands, and then When Her Lips Collapsed and Washing Your Heart In Filth, to a more doom laden sound on two tracks Touching Me With Tips Of Wonder and To Shave The Leaves. In Red. In Black. Up and Down moves from the doom laden sound to a high energy conclusion. The final track I Guard Her To Rest. Declaring Silence is a much gentler track providing an interesting contrast to the rest of the CD.

The approach gives a stimulating example of one current approach to improvised music. The rhythmic patterns, particularly those provided by bass player Berthling. are clearly worked out in advance, but Mats Gustaffson is free to just play over these patterns. There is also some limited use of electronics with recorded voices appearing at the end of certain tracks. The titles of the tracks are also noteworthy and clearly some thought has gone into devising these.

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Fire! - The Hands (2018) {Rune Grammofon RCD2197 Official Digital Download}

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Fire! - The Hands (2018) {Rune Grammofon RCD2197 Official Digital Download}

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