Motorpsycho by Motorpsycho

Motorpsycho, self-titled album from 2025. Let's start by saying that this is the album at the top of my 2025 albums list. The best ever, and it's in my top 10 of all time. After much listening and reflection.

Of course, being a fan of this band, I'm biased, but I urge you to listen to it and then judge.

Eclectic prog, psychedelic rock, at times space rock, classic rock among the best around, moments of hard rock, and some metal references, splendid in all these phases, tracks that push forward between prog and psychedelia, mellotron and piano, guitars that at times recall a Zeppelin-esque sound (as in "Laird of Heimly"), and a prog rock sound, as in the splendid opening "Lucifer, Bringer of Light," a long ride that already gives you an idea of ​​the album's atmosphere. With "Stanley (Tonight's The Night)," the '70s sound returns with its beautiful choruses and consistently great bass, laying down an almost beat-like foundation (which quickly becomes a beautiful, assertive rock sound) that I love so much.

Moments of pop-rock with catchy melodies alternate with psychedelic and progressive rock flourishes, and distortion is not lacking alongside the melodies, folk, and hard rock.

- The first album opens with Lucifer, Bringer of Light, a fast-paced song, great rock with a prog vibe that's at times psychedelic and hypnotic. It's captivating and catchy, with an intense, continuous rhythmic base and superb guitar work, often in counterpoint to the rhythm section and in dissonance with the main theme. The chorus is very compelling, with the choruses conveying an almost beat-like feel. Pure energy and exceptional transport. A masterpiece.

- "Laird of Heimly" is a slow ballad that can't help but evoke a tribute to Led Zeppelin. It features acoustic guitar and vocals, a few deep, almost distant percussions, an intense atmosphere that becomes mysterious when the strings come in, and a suffused melodic tension pervades the song. The composition and versatility of the vocals are splendid. A great piece.

- "Stanley (Tonight's the Night)" brings us back to rock and roll, a beautiful, energetic piece once again animated by a beautiful chorus and an electrifying guitar riff. Slightly distorted guitars and bass, very acoustic-sounding drums, extensive use of cymbals, and then the guitar solo. A beautifully crafted piece of classic rock that will make you jump out of your seat and sway stupidly in the emptiness of the room. Beautiful!

- The Comeback opens side B with a beautiful, powerful rock sound, a great guitar riff, and an extraordinary bass. The vocals are choral, and the powerful riff never fails to provide strength and energy. A fantastic guitar solo takes me back to the glories of '70s rock. The middle section features a very prog-like syncopation, reminiscent of YES, in which a riff is repeated several times, giving that typical sense of uninterrupted harmonic and rhythmic continuity. Opening moments bring the mood towards melody, supported by the vocals, which remain light and melodic throughout the song, while the underlying rock sound moves, decisive and at times overwhelming. Fantastic piece.

- Kip Satie: a short piece that begins with a piano riff, joined by light winds, creating a classical atmosphere with almost jazzy incursions. It's suffused, subtle, intense, interlocutory, interesting, and beautiful.

- Balthazaar starts softly with a dissonant guitar riff but quickly becomes a splendid psychedelic, hypnotic ride. Over a monumental drum and bass base, the keyboards vary and the choirs that mark the melody dance. The tempo is marked by regular counterbeats, a structure that becomes intense as the piece evolves, with increasingly present keyboard incursions. Hypnotic, pounding, as the organ solo develops, with a fantastic crescendo of tonalities. Psychedelic, bordering on space rock, bordering on a jam session on a predefined structure. The keyboards take center stage. Prog at its finest. The Gong-style vocals enter and become part of the melody; in fact, they create it on the same rhythmic base until the structured chaos gives way to the guitar solo, and then the song grows and explodes. The drums make extensive use of cymbals under this solo, not intended to be overpowered, and the grandiose bass continues to draw the rhythmic geometries with depth. The song's epilogue sees the return of the initial hypnotic mood, the light, melodic choruses. Absolutely exceptional.

- "Bed of Roses" has something oriental about it at the start, a tempo traced by a light bass, guitar, and keyboard base, distant choruses, and a light layer of keyboards. This piece is all about atmosphere. The melody and the choruses, which once again make the difference, are beautiful. The dissonant string incursions at the end are beautiful. A beautiful psychedelic piece that closes the first album.

- Side C contains the entirety of Neotzar (The Second Coming), a monumental piece lasting approximately 21 minutes. It's an atmospheric masterpiece from the first notes, with light keyboards and guitar and a haunting female voice that quickly becomes melodic, almost classical, leaving room for the string melodies over a splendid bass line. Then the song begins. Bass, drums tracing the pressing, hypnotic rhythmic base, distorted guitar with a powerful riff, psychedelic keyboards. Vocals. The hypnotic journey begins. The keyboard incursions, the moments of suspension, the rhythmic progression of the voice. Bass and drums at work for the band that varies between different emotions in an arbitrary and unregulated way and which reinforce the rock mood when the guitar riff becomes more powerful, but return to metronomes when the guitar takes its solos. There's a moment of stasis, a single atmosphere based on light keyboards, at the center of the song that for long moments creates a dreamy, tense, doubtful, uncertain atmosphere. This opens into a melodic phase in which the electric guitar and keyboards, remaining in the mood, take us into a psychedelic world, which grows with the strings, the choirs, the drums that enter very lightly to trace the time with rare touches, slowly until the hard rock explosion, almost metal, disturbing, frightening, harsh in its slowness and incessant growth, with the strident guitar in a crazy solo, which brings up the volume of all the instruments, the power of the song, the atmosphere... and that's it. The ride suddenly starts again, again metronomic guitar and bass and the guitar wanders with a beautiful, almost endless solo. Great energy again. Again the powerful guitar riff in the hypnotic psychedelic mood, again the solo. A song that, despite its 21 minutes, is neither wordy nor repetitive, but simply magnificent. An absolute masterpiece, it should be counted among the greatest psychedelic rock songs ever written. One of those songs that, even if the others weren't excellent, would be worth the price of the album alone.

- "Core Memory Corrupt" opens the last side of the album, a beautiful song with its standard rock structure and psychedelic overtones from the early '60s and '70s. Beautiful in its simplicity, which isn't easy for any band.

- "Three Frightened Monkeys" is the guitar scene that drives the song from the very first bars. The bass is also magnificent on this song and serves as the foundation and substrate for the accents launched by the other instruments and the vocals, with its long, melodic phrasing in stark contrast to the song's speed. The guitar solo and the underlying drum variations are beautiful. A song not without its variations and complexity, with a great electric piano section alternating with guitar solos, while the bass and drums still do the "dirty" work of dragging us all along. A great piece.

- Dead of Winter closes the album, and I'm not at all tired after about 75 minutes, something that only happens with great albums. A beautiful, melodic piece of beautiful rock and great melody, a sunny and positive, light, and uninhibited close to a monstrously beautiful album.

A masterpiece, listen to it; it might even climb your personal charts like it did for me. Spectacular!

The Tracks
1. Lucifer, Bringer of Light (10:49)
2. Laird of Heimly (3:54)
3. Stanley (Tonight's the Night) (4:10)
4. The Comeback (4:32)
5. Kip Satie (2:25)
6. Balthazaar (11:40)
7. Bed of Roses (3:19)
8. Neotzar (The Second Coming) (21:07)
9. Core Memory Corrupt (5:38)
10. Three Frightened Monkeys (8:41)
11. Dead of Winter (5:24)
Running Time: 81:39

Line-Up
- Bent Sæther - lead vocals and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, Mellotron, synthesizer, piano, organ, Omnichord, percussion
- Hans Magnus Ryan - lead vocals and backing vocals, lead electric guitar, rhythm guitar and slide, Mellotron, synthesizer, piano
Featuring:
- Ingvald Vassbø - drums (1, 6, 8-11)
- Mari Persen - strings (2)
- Reine Fiske - electric guitar (3, 4)
- Olaf Olsen - drums (3, 4)
- Thea Grant - vocals (8)