Ah yes, the marriage of fresh vegetables to make the delicious chilled concoction known as Gazpacho. This incredible band on their sixth album has much in common with the name they have chosen for themselves. There is the song by Marillion, and there are more than a few Marillion connections. There is the method in which all the players in the band play together in service to the song and no flavor is more prominent than another. There is the fact that the soup is just darned delicious and cannot be denied!
Missa Atropos is a sleepy, minimalistic, and mesmerizing affair. Familiar soundscapes wash over you like a comforting blanket as cool and captivating music ensnares you with its mouth-watering soup. Songs like “I Was Never Here” and “River” drive home the rhythmic and dynamic nature of the band, whereas “Will To Live,” “Splendid Isolation,” and the three “Mass for Atropos” sections bring forth the experimental characteristics.
I enjoy the Tony Banks meets Talk Talk chord progression on “Vera.” The eerie resemblance to a popular classical piece at the beginning of “She’s Awake.” Clanging guitars on the pulsing “Defense Mechanism.” There is much to enjoy on this CD, as there is on every release by these talented Norwegians.
If you are a fan of Hogarth era Marillion, Radiohead, Talk Talk especially, or Peter Gabriel, Robert Fripp and The Beatles peripherally: you will find much to like with Gazpacho’s Missa Atropos.
Reviewed by Terry Jackson on July 13th, 2011
