BEARDFISH +4626-Comfortzone (2015)

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Swedes BEARDFISH have been building a strong reputation in the last fifteen years with their unique brand of eclectic progressive music.Now, at the very beginning of 2015 they are ready to present Beardfish’s 7th studio “+4626-Comfortzone”, to be released next week.

The music in “+4626-Comfortzone” has many influences, mostly from classic Prog era like early Genesis. Add a few healthy doses of Queen, Yes and Pain Of Salvation into the mix and what you get in return is an album that is as much technically challenging as it is accessible and thoroughly entertaining.
It’s the great chemistry between Rikard Sjoblom’s varied vocal performances and David Zackrinsson’s guitar harmonies which draws such well-deserved comparisons, but the real star here is bassist Robert Hansen.
When not offering tons of support to Sjoblom’s moody/exacerbated deliveries, Hansen’s irresistible low register frequencies have become mainly responsible for some of the most impressive musical landscapes that I have come in contact with in recent years.

It is Zackrinsson’s moody guitar harmonies in the short opening ditto “The One Inside Part One – Noise In The Background” which signals the beginning of a beautiful musical journey – a journey that revisits the glorious ’70s with much gusto in the thematically varied, harmony-driven opus “Hold On”.
Barely managing to keep up with the song’s numerous rhythmical/thematic changes, I decided to follow a different approach from that point onwards and thus completely surrendered to the charms of “Comfort Zone” – a nine and a half minute emotional maelstrom plenty of impressive melodies.

More up-tempo in beat and far more dramatic in its appeal, “Can You See Me Now?” finds Sjoblom using vocal formulae first made famous By Pain Of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlow while in the follow-up “King” heavy guitar riffs and solid bass lines are competing as to who will win your support and appreciation.

Some of the best tunes in Rock are written with mainly the assistance of an acoustic guitar and “The One Inside Part Two – “My Companion Through Life” comes as proof to the validity of the said statement.
Heavy guitar riffs and Yes-style syncopated rhythmical patterns characterise “Daughter / Whore” while the fifteen and a half minute “If We Must Be Apart (A Love Story Continued)” finds the quartet successfully combining every genre of Rock music under the sun to create a diverse but immensely coherent body of music.
More healthy arrangements can be found in the groove-laden “Ode To The Rock’N’Roller”, a composition which features the most vitriolic and, at the same time, meaningful / impressive lyrics in the whole album while the moody keyboard melodies and warm bass tones of “The One Inside Part Three – Relief” provide a sad but necessary conclusion to this glorious musical journey.

“+4626-Comfortzone” is truly compelling. A compelling piece of art from a the unique band that is Beardfish.
Usually the band’s press promotion often use elaborate words in their attempt to attract people’s attention towards a given release, but in this case, there are no words capable of describing what a special album “+4626-Comfortzone” really is.
Just make sure that you get your hands on it, give it a proper listen, and you will really thank us for that later.
Very Recommended.

1. The One Inside Part 1: Noise In The Background
2. Hold On
3. Comfort Zone
4. Can You See Me Now
5. King
6. The One Inside Part 2: My Companion Throughout Life
7. Daughter / Whore
8. Ode To The Rock ‘N’ Roller
9. If We Must Be Apart (A Love Story Continued)
10. The One Inside Part 3: Relief

Rikard Sjöblom – vocals and keyboards
David Zackrinsson – guitars
Robert Hansen – bass
Magnus Östgren – drums

PRE-ORDER:
www.insideoutshop.de/Item/Beardfish_-_-4626-COMFORTZONE/16046
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