Vargton Projekt- ProgXpriMetal (2011)

Vargton Projekt

ProgXpriMetal

2011

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Vargton Projekt is a collaboration between Morgan Agren and Mats Hedberg, and if I ever start another review with that lame of a lead-in, feel free to hit me with a cane. Sadly though, I can’t really think of something tremendously witty to start this with, because I feel like these two guys are operating at such a higher level of thought than I am, it wouldn’t even be worth it. There’s a lot of debate on how appropriate highly technical, disconcerting music really is, and albums like this are at the forefront of that debate. ProgXpirimental is a mix of Frank Zappa jazz from hell, with more modern progressive metal styling.

Vargton Projekt has spared no influence and taken no prisoners on this release. It seems that literally anything they are capable of playing, they have, and their respect for convention seems to only go as far as tuning the instruments, and let me add that that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The album features 75 minutes of music in 18 songs, some in multiple parts, some actual songs, but mostly just snippets of music or ideas sort of slowly developing and blossoming with time. There are some parts of this that may feel familiar to Buckethead works like Kaliedoscalp or other highly experimental stuff, and a whole lotta jazz influence, especially on the drums. The guitar work is quite melodic, but the drums are absolutely all over the place.

Vargton Projekt doesn’t even seem to care much about languages, the song titles seem to be an even split between Swedish and English, and the lyrics, so far as I can tell, are exclusively in English.

If you’re coming into this unfamiliar with stuff like Messugah (Which is probably the closest musical relative), then I’d suggest easing yourself in with tracks like “Vargton”, “Jaipur” “U Playin On My Drum” or “II- Rendition”, and if highly experimental stuff, or math rocky, jazz inflected, progressive metal is your thing, then prepare to feast. Really to enjoy this, I have to stress listening to it as an album, this is extremely niche material, and your best bet is to be slightly disconnected and just enjoy the flow of the music.

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Dagg’s rating 4/5