Musician's Playlist
DUALISTIK - Dualistik
Losen: LOS214-2
Bernt Moen: piano, synthesizer; Fredrik Sahlander: bass; Tobias Oymo Solbakk: drums, synthesizer
Recorded June 2018 by Jaran Simon Gustavson at Studio A Kristiansand, Norway
Moen, in the liner notes, says that 'I've always been a fan of heavy riffs and the extended harmony of improvised music'. The music throughout combines the heaviest of riffs from the rhythm section with a surprising array of melodies and arpeggios on piano – sometimes hammered out and sometimes played with such lightness that it provides a stunning counterpoint to the rhythm section. In effect what you have here is heavy metal attitude applied to the sonic complexity of jazz music. But there is much else here, in terms of thematic development and compositional structure – as well as what feels like a sly sense of humour. The opening piano runs reminded me, more than anything else, of the scenes in the 'Wizard of Oz' where Miss Gulch rides her bicycle (and the closing track, as if to back up my impression, is called 'Twister'). I'm sure that this is not the impression that the band were aiming for (unless they follow the argument that Dark side of the moon exactly fits this film). Almost as soon as the Introduction finishes, a rumbling bass and hammering drum come into pulverize the tune.
By the time you get to 'Atomized' (track 3), you've already been so grounded by the sheer aggression of the rhythms that Moen's hugely impressive piano soloing is all the more startling, especially the way that it ebbs and flows from heavy riffing into abstract post-modern jazz playing (imagine Cecil Taylor joining forces with Metallica and you get the approach to the music here). Then, just when I thought I'd got the measure of the trio, 'Woork' (track 4) begins with some gentle piano over a chugging rhythm – before it explodes into the riff. The very name of the band implies the antagonism between extremes, and the Manichean battle between 'good' and 'evil'. Occasionally the group incorporates two or more synthesizers, which pushes the sound into more of a Prog Rock territory, but always with the emphasis on delivering a knock out riff.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
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