Musea seems to have a knack for turning up plenty of Scandinavian progressive bands, many of which are hit or miss, as is the case with Kvazar. While there are some fine moments here on the bands self-titled debut, as a whole the project lacks any real focus and tends to meander a bit.
Like the legendary band Landberk or even Anekdoten, Kvazar rely on the dark side of prog, and assualt the listener more with moody atmospherics rather than instrumental virtuosity. The band does a good job at alternating between acoustic, folky tunes and heavier pieces much like White Willow, but that band utilizes a more heightened sense of dynamics by bringing in a wide assortment of instruments and female vocals. Lead vocalist Andre Jensen has a decent voice, but as some of the songs are rather poderous he comes across as being a bit monotonous at times. There is some impressive guitar work on a few tracks, especially "Mother of Existence" and "Dream", and the addition of Moog and Hammond on a few tracks adds a nice vintage touch. Still, this is one of those CD's that never really gets going, and unfortunately will get lost in the shuffle despite some pleasing moments.
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