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Krokofant: 6

Norwegian instrumental jazz rock band Krokofant has regressed literally and musically with their most recent album 6. They are back to a three-piece: Tom Hasslan on guitars, Jørgen Mathisen on saxophone, and Axel Skalstad on drums. This is the lineup that they had for their first three albums, prior to adding guest players Ståle Storløkken on keyboards and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten on bass for their last two albums. The sound is once again unpleasantly chaotic most of the time. As the band says, they have “rekindled the joy of a more intense improvisational interplay” in favor of “the more rigid song structures of the quintet.”

Free jazz can be very good, but it also can be pretty bad. Most of this album lands in the latter category, though there are some high points. “Country Woman” is pretty heavy and the guitar is allowed to shine, a rarity on the album, given the overall dominance of the sax. The same is true for the closer “Pretentious Woman.”

The biggest failure of the album is that the players never seem to gel. It’s almost as though all three guys looked at each other in the studio and said: “OK. It’s your turn. Go!” With Mathisen obviously being the alpha dog.

Krokofant was a much stronger band with the presence of Ståle Storløkken and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten. They need a keyboardist and a bassist, and more importantly the songwriting skills and discipline those two gifted players and compositionists brought to the band. I’m rounding up the score for this album to a 3 due to some strong moments, but I almost surely won’t play it again.

Two singles from 6, “Harry Davidson” and “Triple Dad,” have been released and the entire album will be available on January 10.


Track Listing
1. Harry Davidson (7:25)
2. Triple Dad (7:56)
3. Oh My Cod (6:43)
4. Country Woman (8:28)
5. The Balade (6:57)
6. Pretentious Woman (8:01)

Added: January 21st 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 605
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Krokofant: 6
Posted by Eric Porter, SoT Staff Writer on 2025-01-22 02:04:28
My Score:

Krokofant are a progressive jazz-rock trio from Norway formed in 2014, but I had never heard of them until a few weeks ago. Never discount a bands energy; it is an important factor not only in creating the music, but also making it come alive in the studio. Krokofant has that energy in spades, and play with power and conviction throughout. “Harry Davidson” comes out swinging with pounding chaotic rhythms, and when that sax line hits I am reminded of King Crimson (this happens often throughout). “6” is filled with the amazing guitar of Tom Hasslan and saxophonist Jorgen Mathisen coming at you with full force.

Hearing an established artist for the first time presents an interesting experience for a reviewer; I am completely focused on “6”, and not stuck making comparisons to their catalogue of releases going back to 2014. In addition, I’ve often found my initial exposure to a band, whatever album that may be, if it really hits me like this one has, it becomes a favorite. Check out “Oh My Cod”, I really enjoy the change in Hasslan’s tone from that gritty distorted sound to the clean riffing; all the while you have a pulsing hypnotic synth bass and those drums pounding away. Hasslan lets it fly here, going for broke and I love every minute. The funky intro to “Country Doom” and the syncopated sax line has such a nice groove, and I love the lick they are playing over. You don’t get too far in when that ominous sax, and once that foundation is laid, you get more sax and guitar over the top. But again, Hasslan rips my head off with his soloing, he must be having the time of his life from the way it sounds, total freedom to play.

The album feels like there is a lot of improvisation, and I am sure live these songs go on for much longer. “The Ballade” is the one track that is a bit off the mark for me, too spacey/noisey for my ears, but it’s a nice contrast or breather from the intensity of the previous tracks. “Pretentious Woman” closes the album on a high note. What a treat it has been to discover Krokofant, and I will definitely be checking out their entire catalogue.



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