Völlig irre Instrumentalband aus Oslo, wer ein Herz hat für fähige Trios, coole Rhythmuswechsel und sich generell für Gitarrensounds interessiert, irgendwo zwischen Motorpsycho, Loincloth und -nun ja- dem Weltall, dem sei diese tolle, virtuose Platte an selbiges gelegt! Der Gitarrist ist unheimlich gut und cool, der Bassist steht ihm aber in nichts nach! Sehr kurzweiliges Vergnügen im Top Sound, durchaus heavy, aber auch sowas wie jazzig oder proggig, sehr atmospärisch und mal ehrlich: die Band heisst ASTROSAUR! Und so klingen die auch. So stell ich mir das vor, wenn man VOIVOD oder IHSAHN die Challenge aufdrücken würde, mal ne instrumentale Stonerplatte zu machen, die abwechslungsreich ist. Wie eine Kanne Kaffee auf Ex.Toll!
ASTROSAUR's virtuous necro-nautic universe consists of equal parts instrumental rock and post-metal, studded with lavish prog-, jazzmathrock- and black metal ornaments. ,The general public perceives academia and heavy metal as rivals, but ASTROSAUR, whose members studied at the Conservatory of Music in Kristiansand, lean toward the intellectual without sacrificing any authenticity", Invisible Oranges said about the Oslo 3-piece. Virtuous guitarist and main song writer Eirik Kråkenes has filled in as a session musician for Norwegian acts Leprous and Ihsahn, among many others... he is one of those people you meet at literally every European metal festival, but always with a different band. ASTROSAUR is his own band and brainchild, and Obscuroscope is only their sophomore album - hard to believe, considering the musical scope and the maturity of songwriting on display here. ,Obscuroscope" is in many ways a record about curiosity", Kråkenes explains. ,Thematically, each song relates to stories of exploration, of unveiling that which is obscured and of discovering the unknown. This theme is also a parallel to how Astrosaur try to work as a band, letting curiosity lead the way in the continuous exploration of our own musical universe". Although heavier and more energetic, Obscuroscope feels slightly brighter in vibe overall, than the bands debut offering Fade In // Space Out. The songs have more riffs and written parts while maintaining some of the space, ambience and room for improvisation from the previous record: ,Whereas on `Fade In // Space Out' we kind of made a point of basically recording the album live, we were not afraid of overdubbing or tracking instrument by instrument for the parts that demanded that, while still recording other parts live. This, ironically, resulted in a sound more true to how Astrosaur sounds live", says Kråkenes. Part of the album was conceived on the road, due to the member's heavy touring schedules with Astrosaur.
