NWOFHM #14: Yummy Pills
Contextualization:
NWOFHM is a term coined by Jussi Lehtisalo, the leader of the psych/experimental rock bands Circle and Pharaoh Overlord. It’s to pay homage to the NWOBHM term while namedropping his country, Finland.
Lehtisalo created a bunch of projects to create that self sufficient scene. Those include Motorspandex, Krypt Axeripper, Tractor Pulling which all released only one recording but also projects like Steel Mammoth or Arkhamin Kirjasto that have a more extensive discography. All those aforementioned bands were covered by yours truly and the NWOFHM review series is never quite dead.
Chris Black and Jussi Lehtisalo seems to be an odd pairing but they’re two really odd musicians so it just seemed natural. The American is of course famous for High Spirits, Dawnbringer, Pharoah (not overlord) and a plethora of other stuff while Lehtisalo does everything imaginable musically. I really loved Aktor’s debut single released back in 2013 (NWOFHM #6 actually) but I didn’t give their debut full length Paranoia enough spins to truly enjoy it. Looking back, I think it was released during my last year of university and I was perhaps too busy to care... It’s 2020 now and I’m not busy enough right now as it’s the pandemic and I’m stuck alone at home wearing a kimono with birds on it while my cat constantly complains about life. I was ready to rediscover the weirdness of Aktor.
Aktor are weird in a way that’s both familiar and iconoclastic. Mixing hard hittin’ heavy/hard rock riffs with a huge backdrop of 1980s pop influences ranging from new wave to electronica, they sound timeless but created in a vacuum where many musical styles from different eras coexist during the same era. Combine the attractive and catchy riffs of Blue Öyster Cult but played heavier with a large dosage of The Cars or Devo and perhaps many eras of Rush melted together and you’re somewhat near their sound.
It could also be a Judas Priest mid 80s album made by aliens who actually had no idea what to do and were told to add keyboards and David Bowie influences by an elder brain on antidepressant pills.
From another sea
In another symphony
It's all the same eternity
On another night
Underneath an endless sky
Until we meet the ghost of time
In a sense, it really is a mix of Black and Lehtisalo. Black is as intense and catchy as he is on High Spirits but sings about weirder shit. I’ve heard people call him an acquired taste and I guess I can hear why but I always liked his nonchalant but charismatic delivery. He’s combined with the weird riffs of Lehtisalo, the Finn veteran has a wide arsenal at his disposal and I liked how he alternates between super heavy metal riffs and some approachable rock ones. The compositions are often pretty fast (like opener “Bad Mirror”) and even when they’re mid-paced, they’re dynamic and full sounding. After some numerous spins, I’ve noticed how good the bass is on this record (check “Get Me Outta Here”), it’s not too loud and is in the background often but it highlights the grooves found on Placebo very well. I'd say the fight between the raw guitars and the spacey synths is the real highlight of the record though.
Aktor aren’t for everyone as it’s something I’ll dare call experimental heavy metal but I’ve been exploring Jussi Lehtisalo’s bizarre metal offerings for close to a decade now and it always speaks to me. I hope it could speak to y’all too.
Contextualization:
NWOFHM is a term coined by Jussi Lehtisalo, the leader of the psych/experimental rock bands Circle and Pharaoh Overlord. It’s to pay homage to the NWOBHM term while namedropping his country, Finland.
Lehtisalo created a bunch of projects to create that self sufficient scene. Those include Motorspandex, Krypt Axeripper, Tractor Pulling which all released only one recording but also projects like Steel Mammoth or Arkhamin Kirjasto that have a more extensive discography. All those aforementioned bands were covered by yours truly and the NWOFHM review series is never quite dead.
Chris Black and Jussi Lehtisalo seems to be an odd pairing but they’re two really odd musicians so it just seemed natural. The American is of course famous for High Spirits, Dawnbringer, Pharoah (not overlord) and a plethora of other stuff while Lehtisalo does everything imaginable musically. I really loved Aktor’s debut single released back in 2013 (NWOFHM #6 actually) but I didn’t give their debut full length Paranoia enough spins to truly enjoy it. Looking back, I think it was released during my last year of university and I was perhaps too busy to care... It’s 2020 now and I’m not busy enough right now as it’s the pandemic and I’m stuck alone at home wearing a kimono with birds on it while my cat constantly complains about life. I was ready to rediscover the weirdness of Aktor.
Aktor are weird in a way that’s both familiar and iconoclastic. Mixing hard hittin’ heavy/hard rock riffs with a huge backdrop of 1980s pop influences ranging from new wave to electronica, they sound timeless but created in a vacuum where many musical styles from different eras coexist during the same era. Combine the attractive and catchy riffs of Blue Öyster Cult but played heavier with a large dosage of The Cars or Devo and perhaps many eras of Rush melted together and you’re somewhat near their sound.
It could also be a Judas Priest mid 80s album made by aliens who actually had no idea what to do and were told to add keyboards and David Bowie influences by an elder brain on antidepressant pills.
From another sea
In another symphony
It's all the same eternity
On another night
Underneath an endless sky
Until we meet the ghost of time
In a sense, it really is a mix of Black and Lehtisalo. Black is as intense and catchy as he is on High Spirits but sings about weirder shit. I’ve heard people call him an acquired taste and I guess I can hear why but I always liked his nonchalant but charismatic delivery. He’s combined with the weird riffs of Lehtisalo, the Finn veteran has a wide arsenal at his disposal and I liked how he alternates between super heavy metal riffs and some approachable rock ones. The compositions are often pretty fast (like opener “Bad Mirror”) and even when they’re mid-paced, they’re dynamic and full sounding. After some numerous spins, I’ve noticed how good the bass is on this record (check “Get Me Outta Here”), it’s not too loud and is in the background often but it highlights the grooves found on Placebo very well. I'd say the fight between the raw guitars and the spacey synths is the real highlight of the record though.
Aktor aren’t for everyone as it’s something I’ll dare call experimental heavy metal but I’ve been exploring Jussi Lehtisalo’s bizarre metal offerings for close to a decade now and it always speaks to me. I hope it could speak to y’all too.
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