TRACK LIST:
1. Leave Nobody Behind [Full Version] 9:19
2. Autumn 1:02
3. Offering to the Lares 7:38
4. Evening 0:47
5. Lament 1:33
6. Dimensions of Hope 1 6:26
7. The Dark Hours of My Being 0:59
8. Solitude 1:32
9. Leave Nobody Behind [Piano and Strings Version] 4:32
10. Symbols 0:50
11. Remembrance 1:11
12. Dimensions of Hope 2 4:47
13. Autumnal Day 2:18
LINE UP :
Eivind Lorentzen - guitars, bass, keyboards, strings, piano
Tron Gjellum - drums, percussion
Brian Talgo - voice, Mellotron
Paulin Skoglund-Voss - cello, saxophones
with:
Atle Pakusch Gundersen - guitars
Davide Rossi - violin
Öystein Vesaas - electronics, field recordings
Jacome Guerrero Kiko - guitars
Markus Reuter - guitars
Prolusion.
Lorentzen is the creative moniker for Eivind Lorentzen, an artist some may recall as a member of Norwegian progressive rock band Gentle Knife. This summer he released his first album under the Lorentzen name. This album is called "Leave Nobody Behind", and was released through Norwegian label Apollon Records.
Analysis.
It is an interesting take on the progressive rock tradition we get on this album, with an artist exploring this tradition from a few different angles and with a few different expressions, yet always maintaining a music red thread we as listeners can attach ourselves too.
That being said, the use of spoken words interludes throughout, poetry recitals with the lived in and expressive voice of Brian Talgo delivering the words of poet Rainer Maria Milke, are perhaps the main unifying element here. In part due to the voice alongside the mood and atmosphere of the words themselves, but also in the manner that careful orchestral and folk music elements are sometime additions to these interludes, providing mood, atmosphere and a musical tie-in to the landscapes explored elsewhere.
The five main compositions here explore landscapes that contain references to folk music as well as classical music as a bit of an ongoing tendency, but with subtle differences from one to the other. Early on we get compositions that develop towards or flirt a little bit with the symphonic progressive rock tradition, without ever really hitting that specific style and expression but with obvious elements inspired by this or oriented by that form as a bit of a core feature.
Later on we compositions become a bit more complex, with guitar and rhythm details that remind me more than a little bit of the landscapes found on King Crimson's "Three of a Perfect Pair" as a bit of a gentle ongoing presence. Occasionally also with a little bit of a whimsical attitude, on one occasion reminding me ever so slightly of the creations released by the perhaps somewhat lesser known contemporary German project The Weever Sands.
One observation of note is that all five of the key compositions here are light toned and positive in general mood and atmosphere, and that certain subtle details that probably is brought in from the jazz tradition is a feature here too, and then most prominently on the concluding composition 'Dimensions of Hope 2'. It should also be noted that the spoken word interludes described earlier serve as a bit of a contrast with their more dark, melancholic and mournful mood and atmosphere. The key compositions do not feature such tendencies, apart from the concluding part of opening track 'Leave Nobody Behind' that does end with a little bit of a darker undercurrent being present.
A solid production on all levels, and an interesting journey into a landscape where spoken words and instrumental compositions alternate in an intriguing manner.
Conclusion.
I'm very much a fan of music as an art form, and in my view this album is a good example of that. Spoken word recitals combined with instrumental progressive rock, with an elegant and logical flow between the darker mood of the former and the more light and positive atmosphere of the latter adds an efficient nerve and tension to this album experience. If such a combination is one that intrigues you in general, and you find the notion of light toned and positive excursions into Crimsonian related territories to be a positive in that context, chances are rather high for you to find this album to be a rewarding one.
Progmessor: August 2025
The Rating Room
