ALMO - Reconciliation
ALMO
Album: Reconciliation
Genre: Progmetal
Release Date: March 15th, 2024
Country: Sweden
Label: Self-Released
Band-Links: BANDCAMP / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK
Modern Progmetal project ALMO quickly sparked my interest when Lucas de la Rosa posted about having been involved in the production of Turbulence’s new album as well as this solo debut by Swedish multi-instrumentalist and composer Benjamin Almö Thorsell. Knowing about the brilliance of the first mentioned (“B1nary Dream”), “Reconciliation” was highly anticipated - And I’m happy to report that there’s a lot to love :-)
From the diverse, incredibly dynamic compositions, over the Haken-esque harmony and rhythm patterns to the excellent sound, I’m absolutely diggin’ what ALMO has to offer on the instrumental side. A minor drawback are the kind of forced vocals at the beginning for me, but also these grow after the first songs, getting more varied and expressive.
Up from ‘Hope’, the album turns stronger with every spin, taking us on a wild ride that Benjamin describes as his personal therapy session while moving on and evolving as a person. The highlight is clearly the great finale coming along in form of a 20 minutes epic, and considering “Reconciliation” being a solo debut makes things even more impressive. Check it out!
Written by Katha (originally for The Progspace)
Track-List:
1. Rain
2. Vilsen
3. Hope
4. Bliss
5. In Dreams
6. Winterhound
7. PANIC ATTACK!!!
8. Reconciliation
Line- Up:
Benjamin Almö Thorsell - Music and lyrics
Viktor Forsse - Additional drums and drum programming
Fredrik Lars Nilsson - Keyboard solo on track #8
Lulu de la Rosa - Production, additional keys, arrangements and drum programming