Setting new standards for instrumental progressive rock.
Second albums can be difficult to make, but clearly no one passed that memo onto this UK quartet. While their magnificent 2019 debut, Sum Of Erda, showcased a band of inspired technical ability, Gumbo Gumbo has the stature and refined artistic maturity that goes way beyond the group members’ mid-20s age range.
Consisting of five tracks, it all flows as one piece, brimming with a restless, celebratory verve as tributaries of melodic themes and variations spill outwards. It’s laced with guesting sax and flute, cascading guitar speeds across sweeping keyboard textures, and a jigsaw of interconnecting time signatures.
Tightly disciplined, the concentrated adrenaline rush that informs much of the record recalls the kind of instrumental audacity Yes possessed circa 1971/1972. While Guranfoe don’t…
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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 135