Gjenferd – Black Smoke Rising
Apollon Records – 2026
Rock, Hard, Seventies, Classic, Psych, Stoner
Rated: ****
On their new album Black Smoke Rising, Gjenferd doubles down on their deep love for classic seventies hardrock. It was of course apparent that they drew inspiration from bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin if you’ve been hooked, like me, on their debut self-titled album from 2024. But on Black Smoke Rising, their rich nostalgic sound feels even more like a genuine continuation from that era’s spirit. It’s all happening man!
Ten tracks that immediately start to warm the soul and spread that glow throughout your body. The Norwegian quartet combine driving rhythms, gritty Hammond organ, and soaring guitars into a collection that is on some level straightforward, but also highly engaging. Tight grooves and catchy melodies immediately hook the listener. While heavier cuts hit with raw almost physical intensity. But over all, it’s the musicianship that always stands out, the interplay between organ and guitar, the way the vocals weave over it all. And that rhythm section, consistently sharp, groovy, and full of character.
And that character, a bell bottom, denim clad, flowers in your hair kind of devotion to the past makes that the album refuses to sit still. Even though atmospheric interludes like Atterganger and Stillferd drift in like hazy campfire visions, the ghostly pauses are brief, and after the mellotron fumes have curled through the air, they immediately stomp the pedal back onto the floor. And then there’s the five minute long Ride On, a dust-choked, psychedelic road trip that feels like you are chasing a mirage at full throttle, somewhere between revelation and derailment, between knowing and forever feeling lost. And if you listen to this song long enough, you can hear the entire world pass by…
As final track Like Wildfire rolls in, all sense of restraint is gone, the black smoke no longer rising slowly, but spiraling outwards into a hypnotic, pyroclastic jam that threatens to swallow the band and the listener completely. A righteous end to an album that feels soulfully raw, beautifully loud and gloriously unhinged. Wild eyed and greasy hands grabbing you by the collar, shaking you, until you remember why you love heavy music in the first place…
(Written by JK)
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