Following up to their sole self-titled release in 2021, Norway’s own Kosmodome are coming back in full swing by impressing listeners with their own unique way of dynamics and melodious arrangements than before. The Sandvik brokers (Sturle and Severin) have delivered an album that touches themes on societal expectations, battling to deal by living in the modern world, and different aspects of the human condition between chaos and fear.
Ad Undas is Kosmodome’s second album. The album is a Greek term meaning “to the waves”, but in Norway, it is used as an expression where everything goes horribly wrong. While the album has a spiritual sojourn, Kosmodome carries the instant boundaries of finding your inner self despite living in these tricky times we’re dealing with.
‘Neophobia’ sounds like an engine that’s all revved up and ready to go with its clock-ticking drum effect, then moving into an eerie yet stoner jazz orientation which speaks of a rocked-out version of Miles Davis’ ‘Freddie Freeloader’ from Kind of Blue, then going into the spatial voyage with this cosmic appreciation that’ll make you want to dig out your Motorpsycho records and see what you’ve been missing.
And then if you think that’s over and done, Kosmodome are just getting started. They set the controls for the heart of the sun with a thrilling roller-coaster ride on the ‘Hyperion’. There are some tidal-waving effects Severin does on his drum patterns to create the crescendo effects on the snare before Sturle and Ole delve deeper into the waters to search for the lost city they’ve been investigating, hoping to find out if it’s true or not.
‘Obsternasig’ creates this pin-drop momentum in the middle of the desertry landscape that’s unfolding. You feel as if something dreadful is about to happen. Sturle’s melodic vocal/guitar lining creates the intensity that’s about to unfold.
But then everything starts to relax. He adds the waltz-like textures to make you do the dance of death until you can’t stop dancing by adding enough fuel to the fire with its blaring effects that’s unfolding while ‘Dystopia’ employs this Ash Ra Tempel environment with some Hawkwind attitude that speaks of the Space Ritual-era which will make you embark on this ultimate trip, creating a mind-blowing effect.
‘Turmoil’ becomes a pressure cooker in which the heat gauge is going as high it could go! Sturle creates this cat-and-mouse chasing riff while playing along this improvisation that has a bluesy effect. It slows down to reveal something. A place in which its been frozen in time as we look across the abandoned halls, the structure on the brink of collapse, and the hopes of bringing it to life with its hefty improv in the last three minutes of the composition.
Closing up the album is ‘Fatigue’. It opens up with a Tool-style approach that Kosmodome channels with intensive guitar textures, pounding drum work, resembling the crossover between 10,000 Days, Undertow, and Lateralus that comes to mind. Its their most anger, ominous, and terrifying pieces Kosmodome have endured to bring in the massive guns on Ad Undas.
Kosmodome have a long way to go by proving themselves they can take it up a notch and see which direction and which path to walk towards. Let’s see where the next chapter will lead them to.
