The Gaia II Space Corps by Motorpsycho, 2026 album
On this blog, in the Progressive Rock World, Motorpsycho are followed with great attention, especially for their most recent works that have dominated the site's charts. Motorpsycho today represent one of the pinnacles of contemporary eclectic progressive rock, capable of ranging between powerful hard rock and experimental suites with a consistently high quality.
The site also hosts analyses of the band's historic albums, such as Here Be Monsters (2016), an exceptional album that deserves a prominent place in their discography, and The All Is One (2020), which is analyzed as the final act of the famous trilogy dedicated to Hakon Gullvåg's covers.
Their work Motorpsycho (2025) was judged as Album of the Year, best overall album of 2025, a piece of classic rock of fine workmanship that combines an extraordinary bass with powerful riffs and enthralling choral voices, of pure Eclectic Prog with strong roots in "Northern Prog".
Considering last year's masterpiece, the expectations for The Gaia II Space Corps were not very high from the beginning, difficult for the band to repeat the excellence of the previous album, but I enthusiastically welcomed the new material just released.
Much of this album is inherent in the motto "Rock Mortua Est, Vivat Rock!" which appears in the liner notes and on the inner insert (pictured) and perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the album. With this phrase, Motorpsycho symbolically declare the end of academic, pompous or excessively intellectual rock, and the return to a primordial, electric and dangerous sound. As we will see, the album does not try to be modern, but to recover that energy that in 1970 made rock the music of the future.
A fundamental consideration is in fact on the genre: although Motorpsycho are recognized as titans of modern progressive rock, "The Gaia II Space Corps" represents a significant deviation from their previous epic prog albums. This does not diminish its value, but rather positions it as a return to Hard-Rock and Proto-Metal. The album seems to be a tribute to the rock of the early 70s, abandoning the long complex suites in favor of "Zeppelinian" riffs and a vintage sound that recalls the dawn of hard-rock.
The four-piece line-up of Motorpsycho combines the historical core of the band with exceptional collaborators.
Bent Sæther, founder, main author and soul of the group since 1989, is an encyclopedic multi-instrumentalist. His bass style ranges from virtuoso jazz-rock to heavy fuzz, inspired by Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler. He is also the mastermind behind the lyrical concepts and artistic direction of the group.
Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan, lead guitarist and co-founder, has been Sæther's right-hand man for over thirty years. Famous for his creative use of effects and versatility, capable of switching from delicate arpeggios to feedback storms, Snah enriches this album with the use of the electric sitar, a key element for the "space" sound of the record.
Reine Fiske, a long-time collaborator and former leading figure in Landberk, Dungen and The Amazin, is counted among the best contemporary psychedelic guitarists. His presence in The Gaia II Space Corps is preponderant, with his solo intertwining with Snah defining the album's "retro-futurist" sonic identity.
Olaf Olsen, drummer known for his work with Bigbang, took over to give the album a drier sound. His style, less jazzy than previous drummer Tomas Järmyr, focuses on a solid and powerful groove that recalls the rock of the early 70s.
Helge "Deathprod" Sten, a long-time member of the group, played a fundamental role in the production, taking care of the alien sounds and sound density that characterize the entire project.
The Gaia II Space Corps is a concept album that mixes classic science fiction and rock, telling a Space Odyssey set in 2492. Imagine a terrestrial exploration fleet setting sail aboard the ship "La Pinta", ready to make an interstellar leap into the unknown. Unlike previous works, such as The Gullvåg trilogy, which were quite intricate, this album focuses on mechanical simplicity. The "Space Corps" of the title symbolizes the union between the brute force of the machine (the powerful riff, the high volume) and the exploration of the inner universe of man. An album that, while sounding as if it had been recorded in 1971, projects us into a distant future, 500 years later.
"Fanny Again, Or?" is a classic Hard Rock piece, with Olaf Olsen taking center stage thanks to his powerful and thumping drumming on the cymbals. Bent Sæther delivers an aggressive, almost screaming vocal performance, while his distorted bass sustains the main riff. Rock'n'roll!!
"The Great Stash Robbery" is a space-rock piece characterized by obsessive rhythms and acid guitars. The synergy between Snah and Reine Fiske is remarkable, with their guitars intertwining beautifully.
"The Oracle" is an emotionally charged and gloomy piece, with Bent Sæther's melodic and intense voice standing out on electronic drones in the background and Fiske's guitars that, towards the end, become decidedly heavy.
"The Gaia II Space Corps" is a powerful "Raga-Rock" piece that blends elements of Indian music with hard rock riffs. Snah stands out with his electric sitar, while Sæther's bass insists on a single note for long periods, generating a hypnotic effect. Olaf Olsen, on the other hand, maintains a constant and impactful tribal groove.
"Black As Night" is a "Proto-metal" track, a cover of The Frost reinterpreted with a modern sound impact. Snah and Fiske's guitars once again blend in perfect harmony, giving the song brute power along with a powerful rhythm section.
"Star's End" is an instrumental piece characterized by the sound elaborations of Deathprod (Helge Sten), with Reine Fiske's guitars immersed in endless reverberations and Olsen's drums almost imperceptible, while drones and synths gradually dissolve into silence.
This album is one of the band's shortest and most accessible, less intellectual and complex than the previous ones, with a more rock'n'roll structure. While retaining some progressive elements, these manifest themselves mainly in the atmospheres, particularly in space-rock and psychedelia, rather than symphonic prog.
"Reread" and listened to in this light, the album gives the feeling of a dip in the hard rock of the 70s, excellently composed and executed. Not a purely prog album then (and without the ambition or intention to be so) but an excellent rock album born from a great prog band.
Recommended!!
My Version
Label: Det Nordenfjeldske Grammofonselskab – NFGS0126LP
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Yellow Flame
Country: Worldwide
Release date: Feb 27, 2026
Tracklist
1. Fanny Again, Or?
2. The Great Stash Robbery
3. TSMcR
4. The Hornet
5. The Gaia ll Space Corp
6. The Oracle
7. Black As Night
LineUp
- Reine Fiske - lead and rhythm guitars
- Olaf Olsen - drums
- Hans Magnus Ryan - lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Bent Sæther - acoustic guitar, bass, percussion, lead vocals and backing vocals
Link for listening through the main digital platforms and the band's official channels:
Spotify: The full album is available to stream here.
YouTube Music: You can listen to the entire tracklist (including official audio tracks generated by YouTube) on YouTube Music.
Apple Music: The record is in the Apple Music catalog.
SoundCloud: The official playlist of the album is available on the MotorPsycho profile.
Bandcamp: You can listen to and buy the tracks in high quality (FLAC/ALAC) on the official Motorpsycho page on Bandcamp.
Official Website: For pre-orders of physical editions (colored CDs and LPs) and merchandising, you can consult the official store
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists"
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