Dim Gray – Shards
Following their well-received support to celebrated progressives Big Big Train (and subsequent EP Live In Europe 2023), Norwegian band Dim Gray, who offer a heady, atmospheric blend of prog, rock, folk and chamber pop, have released their third studio album, Shards.
An atmospherically arranged and cinematically scored album, Shards carries perhaps more melancholy than previous releases Flown and Firmament, but said melancholy is tempered with touches of musical drama and lyrical hopefulness.
The album’s title also tells a tale - seven of the nine songs on Shards are about drastic or unforeseen change, where things shatter to pieces; however another focus here is that things can be rebuilt, or rearranged, sometimes in better or unexpected ways.
That septet form the core of the album, but they are bookended by two songs that deal not with change but constants in life (or, as the band themselves have mentioned, "reflections of our personalities").
There’s also a slightly bigger sound, and additional layers, on Shards, courtesy of the band now being a quintet - Håkon Høiberg (guitars, vocals), Oskar Holldorff (vocals, keys) and Tom Ian Klungland (drums) added Milad Amouzegar (guitar, keys) to the lineup in 2023; bassist Kristian Kvaksrud also joined in 2023, replacing former member Robin Kirknes.
Opener 'Defiance' is quintessential Dim Gray, moving from an atmospheric, sparse guitars & keys intro to an echoey, heavily guitar reverbed core that shares space with downtempo moments.
"Take me back to the place I belong, I will be there someday… I will not fade away!" (defiantly) cries Oskar Holldorff in the mid-going of a number that also carries a hint of nu-Celtic.
Following number 'Myopia' is a delightful mix of chamber-pop, rhythmic interjections and atmospheric harmonies/ vocal melodies; the latter features Norwegian singer Vaarin, which adds another layer of vibrancy and drama to a number abut tearing apart something to rebuild it in one's own image.
'Murals' is another that plays to the strengths and previous album traits of the band; it’s jauntier, upbeat rhythm and cadences play as the perfect, folksier foil to the band’s more melancholic moments, such as the haunting 'Feathers,' which follows.
Yet even this lament to loneliness, with a lovely, forlorn vocal from Oskar Holldorff, becomes quite uplifting in its jangle of fingerpicked guitar lines and synth-strings atmospherics (another Dim Gray trait).
Holldorff then delivers his best vocal of the album on the equally haunting 'Mooneater,' which builds to something of a crescendo through some interesting drum, cymbal and percussive parts from Tom Ian Klungland.
Oskar Holldorff is once again on vocal point for 'Peril,' an upbeat, rhythmic number that shimmers and shines on more fingerpicked guitar lines.
'Little One' is a progressively arranged highlight, flitting as it does from rhythmic passages and a dash of Euro-pop (Dim Gray style of course) to more atmospheric sections (the 'atmos' word should really be the band’s middle name) and a frantic, quick-stop finale.
Vignette piece 'Shards From a Broken Crown' is a contemplative piano, synth-strings ballad that acts as a reinforcement of the album’s title.
It also leads the final, and longest, song on the album, the ten-minute 'Attakulla.'
Opening in vocal delicacy, 'Attakulla' slow builds upon well-arranged vocal harmonies to a short, folk-rock segment before returning to a quieter vocal passage that sets up a full band feature section with Oskar Holldorff again in fine voice. Lush harmonies (and more great vocal work) then set up a concluding section that reminds, first, of Renaissance in their prime (no bad thing) before bowing out on a crescendo finale that has the subtlest hint of Rush (again, no bad thing).
An epic closing statement to an excellent album.
As the prog-pop shimmer and atmospheric laments of debut album Flown, wider soundscapes of sophomore release Firmament, and now the lyrically considered/ thematically themed Shards showcase, Dim Gray are underlining their creative credentials as premier purveyors of cinematic soundscapes.
With, as importantly, a sound and style that is all their own.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Shards is released Friday 28th February.
It is available as CD, Black and Limited Edition Coloured Vinyl, Bandcamp download, and Streaming.
Order/ Purchase for UK & Europe here. Order/ purchase for North America here.
Following their well-received support to celebrated progressives Big Big Train (and subsequent EP Live In Europe 2023), Norwegian band Dim Gray, who offer a heady, atmospheric blend of prog, rock, folk and chamber pop, have released their third studio album, Shards.
An atmospherically arranged and cinematically scored album, Shards carries perhaps more melancholy than previous releases Flown and Firmament, but said melancholy is tempered with touches of musical drama and lyrical hopefulness.
The album’s title also tells a tale - seven of the nine songs on Shards are about drastic or unforeseen change, where things shatter to pieces; however another focus here is that things can be rebuilt, or rearranged, sometimes in better or unexpected ways.
That septet form the core of the album, but they are bookended by two songs that deal not with change but constants in life (or, as the band themselves have mentioned, "reflections of our personalities").
There’s also a slightly bigger sound, and additional layers, on Shards, courtesy of the band now being a quintet - Håkon Høiberg (guitars, vocals), Oskar Holldorff (vocals, keys) and Tom Ian Klungland (drums) added Milad Amouzegar (guitar, keys) to the lineup in 2023; bassist Kristian Kvaksrud also joined in 2023, replacing former member Robin Kirknes.
Opener 'Defiance' is quintessential Dim Gray, moving from an atmospheric, sparse guitars & keys intro to an echoey, heavily guitar reverbed core that shares space with downtempo moments.
"Take me back to the place I belong, I will be there someday… I will not fade away!" (defiantly) cries Oskar Holldorff in the mid-going of a number that also carries a hint of nu-Celtic.
Following number 'Myopia' is a delightful mix of chamber-pop, rhythmic interjections and atmospheric harmonies/ vocal melodies; the latter features Norwegian singer Vaarin, which adds another layer of vibrancy and drama to a number abut tearing apart something to rebuild it in one's own image.
'Murals' is another that plays to the strengths and previous album traits of the band; it’s jauntier, upbeat rhythm and cadences play as the perfect, folksier foil to the band’s more melancholic moments, such as the haunting 'Feathers,' which follows.
Yet even this lament to loneliness, with a lovely, forlorn vocal from Oskar Holldorff, becomes quite uplifting in its jangle of fingerpicked guitar lines and synth-strings atmospherics (another Dim Gray trait).
Holldorff then delivers his best vocal of the album on the equally haunting 'Mooneater,' which builds to something of a crescendo through some interesting drum, cymbal and percussive parts from Tom Ian Klungland.
Oskar Holldorff is once again on vocal point for 'Peril,' an upbeat, rhythmic number that shimmers and shines on more fingerpicked guitar lines.
'Little One' is a progressively arranged highlight, flitting as it does from rhythmic passages and a dash of Euro-pop (Dim Gray style of course) to more atmospheric sections (the 'atmos' word should really be the band’s middle name) and a frantic, quick-stop finale.
Vignette piece 'Shards From a Broken Crown' is a contemplative piano, synth-strings ballad that acts as a reinforcement of the album’s title.
It also leads the final, and longest, song on the album, the ten-minute 'Attakulla.'
Opening in vocal delicacy, 'Attakulla' slow builds upon well-arranged vocal harmonies to a short, folk-rock segment before returning to a quieter vocal passage that sets up a full band feature section with Oskar Holldorff again in fine voice. Lush harmonies (and more great vocal work) then set up a concluding section that reminds, first, of Renaissance in their prime (no bad thing) before bowing out on a crescendo finale that has the subtlest hint of Rush (again, no bad thing).
An epic closing statement to an excellent album.
As the prog-pop shimmer and atmospheric laments of debut album Flown, wider soundscapes of sophomore release Firmament, and now the lyrically considered/ thematically themed Shards showcase, Dim Gray are underlining their creative credentials as premier purveyors of cinematic soundscapes.
With, as importantly, a sound and style that is all their own.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Shards is released Friday 28th February.
It is available as CD, Black and Limited Edition Coloured Vinyl, Bandcamp download, and Streaming.
Order/ Purchase for UK & Europe here. Order/ purchase for North America here.