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Agusa: Prima Materia

I was quite excited to grab this after 2021’s En Annan Varld which was an amazing album and in my top 10 for that year. Agusa have mastered that retro sound, and if you told someone this was from the 70’s, I’m sure they’d believe it. Vintage keyboards, and that flute grab you immediately in the opener “Lust Och Fagring (Sommarvisan)”. It seems the band have replaced some of their folk leanings with more psychedelic sounds as long jams allow guitar, keys, and flute plenty of time to shine. The song also features a very strange ending that fades out, builds back up and then ends. “Under Bar Himmel” has a dreamy opening led by Jenny Puertas flute, but this quickly gives way to another lengthy jam of keys, flute, and some wah-drenched guitar. There is a Middle Eastern flavor to “Ur Askan”; you eventually get to a short and eerie female vocal before returning to the main theme to end the track. Prima Materia seems more Jam based, and this may be a bonus for those who dig the soloing and that added intensity. There are still plenty of mellow moments, and it all blends beautifully. If you are seeking out some retro 70’s sounds, Agusa should be right up your alley.


Track List:
1. Lust Och Fagring (Sommarvisan)
2. Under Bar Himmel
3. Ur Askan
4. Sa Ock Pa Jorden

Added: November 5th 2023
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 2146
Language: english

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Agusa: Prima Materia
Posted by Pete Pardo, SoT Staff Writer on 2023-11-06 00:08:18
My Score:

For their fifth album Prima Materia, Sweden's Agusa veer away slightly from the more folk based prog of their prior four releases and head straight into late '60s styled psychedelia. Opening epic "Lust och fägring (Sommarvisan)" is nearly 15-minutes of haunting organ and scorching electric guitar, the flute still flying about the mix but the normal acoustic guitars take a back seat to commanding electric. "Under Bar Himmel", another lengthy piece, is lovely progressive rock, steeped in tasty electric piano, soaring flute, organ, and biting electric guitar, while "Ur Askan" also dips into psychedelic prog, and features lots of impressive keyboard explorations, plus a memorable groove over which everyone solos over. Closer "Så ock på jorden" is again dominated by that late '60s Farfisa organ sound, and plenty of funky wah-wah guitars before the flute and acoustic guitars come out to play. Interesting how the closing moments of the album sound the most like traditional Agusa, but I like the fact that they went down some different avenues here, making Prima Materia a refreshing additional to their already impressive catalog.



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