Janne Stark’s Top 15 of 2023

So here’s my Top 15 of 2023 (with some extra honorary mentions). If you miss some stuff it may actually be because I actually haven’t heard it (or maybe it wasn’t to my liking enough to make the Top 15). 

Wytch Hazel – IV: Sacrament – Outstanding proggy hard rock, like a mix of classic Demon and heavy Jethro Tull with a NWoBHM touch.

Cloud Catcher – Return From The Cauldron – Ball busting US powerful riff rockers do it again! 

A.C.T – Falling – My favorite Swedish pop-progsters never disappoint! 

Blindstone – Scars To Remember – Martin sure knows how to riff!!

The Cold Stares – Voices – US blues rockers that deliver yet another killer album!

Dirty Honey – Can’t Find The Brakes – The 70s rules! Dirty Honey proves it!

Beastmaker – Body And Soul – Previously unreleased demos, yet, bloody great stuff! For fans of classic Black Sabbath.

Vandenberg – Sin – Mats Leven has sure brought a new touch to this excellent classic band!

Timechild – Blossom & Plague – The Danes manage to follow up their debut with an even better album! 

Prins Svart – Till vårt försvar – Mats Leven, again, delivers the goods with these excellent Swedish riff rockers!

Tania Kikidi – Wings Of Freedom – Tania has leather coated vocal cords, perfect for this bluesy metal album!

Ego Planet – Ego Planet – More outstanding heavy riff rock! A KILLER debut!

Bloody Dice – Bloody Dice – A new Danish power combo that shows that Danish Dynamite is still highly explosive!

Zhiva – Into The Eye Of The Storm – Excellent heavy melodic Swedish rockers!

Future Elephants? – The Past Was A Blast… - Just love these slightly quirky Swedish progy rockers!

Honorary mentions:

Care Of Night – Reconnected – Killer AOR!

Sour Cream – Sour Cream – More killer retro riffing!

Sass Jordan – Live In New York Ninety-Four – Sass rocks! What a killer live album!!

Future Elephants? – The Past Was A Blast… (CD/LP)

Future Elephants? Current Dinosaurs? I don’t know about the elephants, but these guys sure aren’t no dinosaurs. They may have been in the game since Jeebo walked around in shorts, but these guys manage to find ways to up the old game of prog-infused rock. This is the third outing from this band, and it sure doesn’t disappoint. Singer/guitarist Roger Holegård (of Neon Rose fame), guitarist Dante Holmberg (formerly of Uppåt Väggarna, Strix Q etc), bass player Anders Lundguist and drummer Sigvard Frenzel again being out a really nice slab of music. We get a nice variety of sounds and colors We have rockers like “Shake The Snake”, passing semi-soft almost pop-folksy songs like “Ground Floor Man” on to the classical sounding intro of “Walking With a Dead Man” that goes into some really cool heaviness with a touch of Jethro Tull. Side one of the vinyl ends with the odd semi-ballad “Rain” with moody, yet slightly proggy twists. Side two starts with another cool slightly proggy semi-heavy number named “Bring In The Judge” with a really powerful chorus. “The Planet’s Crusaders” goes in a different direction, bringing in some blues rock with a quirky guitar melody that really gets stuck in your head. For some reason it made me think of Dire Straits “Money For Nothing”, but better. “Peter’s Demons” takes us back to the proggier regions with a touch of vintage Blue Öyster Cult. Really cool guitar solo from Dante, too. The album ends with another killer straight ahead rocker entitled “Drink” with more of Roger’s excellent lyrics. He mixes tongue-in-cheek stuff with some deep meanings, which I really like. I’ve been a fan of his lyrics since back in the Neon Rose days. I also really like the analogue sounding production, very modern retro. The sound is great, the playing is stellar and Roger’s vocals fits the music like a glove. What’s not to like? Get it!

Janne Stark

Label: Rock Music Production
Year: 2023
Country: Sweden

Future Elephants? - Future Elephants? (2LP)

You may wonder whatever happened to Neon Rose singer Roger Holegård. Yes, he did record some stuff with Truck and Wasa Express, but that was ages ago. So, finally, he's teamed up with guitarist Dante Holmberg (Uppåt Väggarna, Strix Q), bassist Anders Lundquist and drummer Rolle Lindgren and formed a zoo, we'll at least the elephant section, the future elephants section… probably, hence the question mark, I guess... No idea about the name, but somehow it does stick out. Damaged Child opens the album and man; this was a nice surprise. Even though I love the heavy rocking style of Neon Rose, Future Elephants? well-arranged prog rock really strikes a positive nerve. The sound is raw, naked and dynamic, very analogue sounding. I just love the minimalist production with nothing to hide behind. The songs are intricate, well-arranged yet very easy accessible. In The Tide Is Rollin In You can almost hear Danne standing on the side just waiting to throw in a riff. Then suddenly we're off in guitar land, reminding me of Automatic Fine Tuning (or Wishbone Ash on steroids). Damn, I love this! Ivory Dance reminds me a bit about Crack The Sky, with lyrics handling the extinction of beautiful animals just for our money and pleasure. Roger's still got it, both vocally and lyrically. In This Tone opens up with some guitar licks that sound so genuinely guitar through amp that any digital device would crumble and die. Add a bit of mellotron, some drunken pub chanting and you feel like you've been transported back to 1974. Love it! Sundown In Matobo takes us to Africa, I guess, I'm not really sure about the dialect, though. November Pain initially takes us into a dark, heavy and gloomy territory, but moves on to softer grounds and suddenly we land in a Pink Floyd:ish landscape with Dante going all Gilmour on our asses. Really beautiful stuff with killer guitar playing indeed! And The Mountain Kissed The Sky mixes Swedish folky vibes with Native American drums and a feel of Mountain's Nantucket Sleighride. Don't Raise That Gun with some vintage AC/DC sounding riffing and makes me think of Baby, Please Don't Go, except for the heavy and doomy chorus. Album finale The Pilot ends the album in a great proggy manner featuring both sunshine and rain (literally). An outstanding album that should attract all fans of 70s progressive music with biting guitar-work and intricate but accessible songs. Quite the masterpiece!

Janne Stark

Country: Sweden

Year: 2016

Label: Rock Music Productions