“Alt for Norge!”…as Jorn’s version song would say among so many other exaltations to dear Norway…here we are back to my beloved icy home and its multi-faceted wonders ready to be discovered to talk about our best men, today specifically about the Norwegian multi-instrumentalist MICHAEL KRUMINS and his debut solo album INFINITY, which was be released via MSK Records on March 24, 2023.
But if on the one hand we are here to talk about new releases directly from the Nordic lands then on the other hand the question that remains is “Who is Michael Krumins?” and here is another one of those fantastic discoveries from these ends of the planet, Michael is a multi-instrumentalist born in the small and “mechanical” Moss, having shared his childhood in Vennesla, but who decided to live music in its purest essence, reaching the world in all directions and dedicating himself completely to this sound universe without imposing borders. Michael over the years has transformed experience gained into diversity and the vast knowledge gained from a master’s degree in music, tours across Europe and America and a multitude of captivating and experimental projects from Europe to Africa that brought it all to a musician with a resume so complete that a brief introduction becomes a complex explanation and just a brief overview of what INFINITY contains. But before I continue talking about this vertiginous album I want to remind you, dear readers, don’t be fooled by the serene image of this peaceful musician, Krumins is a machine, a machine producing music. In addition to having a brilliant musical and experimental journey, he is also one of the ingenious hands alongside the gothic metal band Sirenia and the power of the strings of the progressive rockers Green Carnation, so believe me, this album brings much more than music, but also life and experiences, flavors and smells, memories and culture, and a multitude of influences that at one time or another reach the listener, INFINITY is a generous piece of Krumins epitome and his legacy and arrives on the 2023 release menu in a promising way.
Now let’s move on to the album as if we were sitting at the table with a good wine being tasted for the first time, with a simple cover art created in partnership with the photographer Kostas Giokas and seven captivating tracks Krumins delivers to the public a delicious sound web with little more 43 minutes long, published and released on all digital platforms as well as on CD and vinyl, the vinyl with a worthy metal direct mastering. Composed in its entirety by Krumins and practically played in its entirety by even though, only the percussion was played by Californian Larry Salzman, INFINITY was recorded at MD studio in Athens, mixed in Dolby atmos by Christer Cederberg and mastered by Morgan Nicolaysen.
Light the candles, put on your best glass, dear readers, we start our tasting in the pulsating “Diamorphosis” with a mixed flavor of flamenco and Spanish culture fused with unique tones in a cheerful and lively trail that changes the atmosphere as well as the seasons of the year, and if we talk about atmosphere, then the atmospheric “Red Soul” takes its place next and leads the listener to slightly blackened lines and folkloric mixtures united with the progressive that is Krumins’ hallmark. At this point it is important to point out, Krumins made himself an adventurer through the world and through music, strongly connected by the Nutopia collective and overflowing with references from Arab, Balkan and Turkish genres, this musician are not afraid to be daring, traveling to the four corners of the earth and bringing the full baggage of cultures such as Tanzania and Mozambique, Krumins teases as he strums the lovely “Adio” where I can almost smell the sauces simmering in Tuscany, or the freshness of the gentle drizzle of my beloved Como, Italy.
INFINITY arrives at “Loneliness” with the delicacy that reminds me a lot of the lines of the dear musician Gustavo Santaolalla, icy strums and depressive melodies nailed to the crying guitar that send the listener to an infinity of sensations and for a second my mind is cut by curiosity about Krumins (giant musical growth, well, are we talking about a Norwegian, but in love with the world? Well, what a pleasant surprise!) and then for the comfort that tracks like “Transition” offer, almost as if snuggling the listener in a tight hug, simplicity that falls on “Stardust” too and puts the listener in a state of reflection so harmonious that I hope the album doesn’t come to an end, but, like everything that is good, this end is inevitable and we close our tasting at the last and tastiest gulp, the title track “Infinity” and the corpulence of its more than nine minutes is a spatial throw of shimmering atmospheres and ethereal sound. INFINITY proves itself in every detail, in every second, an extraordinarily rich and solid album, played in its entirety like a meticulously polished jewel and waiting to be discovered each time it is played.
Krumins should be really proud, we have a true masterpiece here!
RATE: 10/10
RELEASE – March 24, 2023
TRACK LISTING
1 – Diamorphosis
2 – Red soul
3 – Adio
4 – Loneliness
5 – Transition
6 – Stardust
7 – Infinity
All music composed by Michael Krumins
RELATED LINKS
Presave INFINITY on streaming services HERE
