hard rockkaipa
23:40 Friday, 25 February 2022
Swedish progressive folk-fusion-rock band, Kaipa, return on April 29 with their 14th studio album, Urskog. Order on limited CD digipak, gatefold 180g 2LP + CD, and digital album here.
Urskog takes the listener on a breathtaking journey through the Swedish wilderness and the changing seasons. Hans Lundin's six new compositions draw influences from the landscapes he witnesses during his solitary countryside biking treks as well as from a less known part of his own vast song catalogue.
Hans comments: "Most of the songs were written in 2018. At the time I was working on the 6-CD box Hans Lundin: The Solo Years 1982-1989, and revisiting my old solo albums informed my songwriting process for Urskog. Listening to these old compositions influenced my new compositions in a general way; there were also few instances where I took a nice chord structure or a melodic fragment of an old song and turned it into something entirely new. I also sampled some sounds from the 80's that can be heard on the new album."
The new album opens with “The Frozen Dead of the Night”, a 19 minute epic that takes us from the cold and bleak midwinter into the spring and its promise to start life anew. The album's closing song “The Bitter Setting Sun” mirrors this theme as it's time to say goodbye to the summer as we watch the leaves falling and recall memories from summer nights when the sun refused to set. The title track “Urskog” takes us deep into the heart of the Swedish primeval forest, evoking images of old folklore with its Swedish lyrics.
While the rest of the band's lineup remains intact, Urskog introduces new drummer Darby Todd from London, UK. Guitarist Per Nilsson explains: "When the time came around to start tracking drums, Morgan wasn't available within any reasonable timeframe so on Morgan's own suggestion, we decided to amicably part ways. Morgan's fantastic and imaginative drumming has adorned the music of Kaipa for almost two decades and eight albums, but for what it's worth, we felt that this could be an opportunity to bring some new grooves and new sounds into Kaipa. While Hans had a few ideas for the drummer position I only had one person in mind, someone whose creativity and chops rival those of Morgan's but with more of a hard-hitting rock edge, and upon seeing a few videos of this guy bashing the skins Hans was convinced too. So, it brings us great joy to present to you mr Darby Todd as the new drummer for Kaipa! Darby has a resumé fitting a musician of his caliber, having played with Devin Townsend, The Darkness, Gary Moore, Martin Barre and many more, and while the guy is capable of expertly playing everything from death metal to soft jazz, he's got a strong own voice on his instrument and it's been exciting hearing him take these six new Kaipa tunes to the skies... and beyond!"
Lineup:
Hans Lundin – keyboards, vocals
Per Nilsson – guitars
Jonas Reingold – bass
Darby Todd – drums
Patrik Lundström – vocals
Aleena Gibson – vocals
