Brøter, Arild: Spectre Of Sounds

Norwegian progressive fusion band Pymlico has been on my radar since 2012 when I popped their debut Directions into my CD player. The band’s quality has kept at a consistently elevated level and they continue to release highly regarded music. In 2024 band leader, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Arild Brøter released his debut solo album titled A Spectre Of Sounds where he does a deep exploration of the music of James Bond. Given that he made this album it should come as no surprise to learn that Brøter is a huge fan of James Bond.

Throughout the album Brøter has help from some fine musicians including:

Bjørn Riis (lead and rhythm guitar)
Mattias Krohn Nielson (rhythm guitars)
Øyvind Brøter (additional keyboards, Hammond organ, piano, sound design)
Ole Michael Bjørndal (lead guitar)
Filip Brekke Steigedal (trombone)
Petter Lien (trumpet)
And many more.

Some might scoff at Brøter’s reimagining of the Bond film score but I would wholeheartedly disagree with that assessment. For me, it all comes down to enjoyability and this is where Brøter has hit it out of the park. The cinematic scope of the overall sound is very impressive as are the detailed arrangements and musicianship. Brøter is able to take the listener into the Bond world but also add something different. The melodies are mostly kept intact but the arrangements add an assortment of flavours that had me hooked after the first listen. Take the album opening “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Suite - Part 1� as an excellent example of the band’s ability to transport you to the Bond universe while adding more excitement along the way. Riis’s guitar work shines here as he proves to be an excellent addition to Brøter’s classy arrangement and diverse sound choices including some cool electronics. Since the album should be listened to from start to finish without selecting individual tracks I will stop there and leave the rest to you.

I think anyone into film score music and James Bond in particular will love this. Even those unfamiliar with Bond should find enjoyment and appreciate this fine instrumental album. I absolutely dig this!

An Apollon Records’ release.

Track Listing:
1. On Her majesty’s Secret Service Suite - Part 1 (5:12)
2. Bond Meets Solitaire (4:04)
3. John Barry Suite (4:54)
4. Journey To Blofeld’s Hideaway (4:38)
5. Space Laser Battle (5:46)
6. Secret Room / New Digs (5:30)
7. Snow Job / Flight Into Space (4:46)
8. Capsule In Space (3:56)
9. 007 Theme (4:18)
10. Diamonds Are Forever Suite (5:48)
11. Bond and Paris / City Of Lovers (5:05)
12. We Share The Same Passions (4:31)
13. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Suite - Part 2 (3:21)
14. The Living Daylights Suite (10:45)
15. Final Ascent (6:11)

Added: January 3rd 2026
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist @ Bandcamp
Hits: 296
Language: english

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