Steensland, Johan: Duality

Duality is a carefully constructed progressive rock album that shows Johan Steensland’s clear musical skill and ambition. The concept follows a character struggling with memory and identity, and the instrumentation ranges from piano and flute passages to more elaborate rock-prog arrangements. The musicianship across the album is never in doubt.

There are moments where Steensland’s strengths shine, especially in the more atmospheric pieces. Tracks like “Walking In a Straight� Line and “A Perfect Lie� (two of the clearer melodic anchors on the album) offer emotional warmth and a stronger sense of direction compared to some of the longer, more densely arranged sections. The production is clean, and the performances feel precise.

However, the album’s pacing and overall tone were difficult for me. Much of Duality stays in the same mid-tempo flow, creating a uniform atmosphere that, while pleasant, did not fully engage me. It is a lengthy record, spanning over an hour, and I found the lack of dynamic contrast made it difficult to stay invested. The quality is there, but it simply does not match my personal taste.

Still, I respect the craftsmanship behind it. Fans who enjoy introspective, slow-burning progressive rock will likely appreciate Duality far more than I did. For me, it is an impressive work that I can admire, but not one I will revisit often... cheers!

Track Listing:
1. Fragments (2:06)
2. They Believe That I Am Kind (5:20)
3. Only Good Men (4:50)
4. The Shredded Suit (5:05)
5. A Perfect Lie (4:00)
6. An Ordinary Man (4:53)
7. Let Me In! (6:53)
8. Walking In a Straight Line (4:47)
9. Black Sea (3:57)
10. The Dr. Dorian Dance (6:09)
11. What Would You Give? (5:02)
12. Here And Now (10:02)

Added: December 15th 2025
Reviewer: Jose Antonio Marmol
Score:
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
Hits: 39
Language: english

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