Excerpts from a review by Julian Gorman
by
samkris
-Mystical melodies float freely from the improvisational wonder that is Bogdo Ula. Stirring up crazy jams of guitar, bass and drums, the Finnish trio works in the psychedelic rock space left behind by the likes of Pink Floyd or Frank Zappa, minus a singer. Beautiful minor key knots are untied in unexpected ways as the band progresses from abstraction to a seemingly well-organized song that should have taken months of practice. Charge is an album on the brink of transcending, pushing the boundaries of rock to its limits and beyond exploring the outer space in the genre.
-Many of Bogdo Ula’s songs are abstract works of art, meant to be experienced with patient ears. The progressions are well worth the while, swelling to the point of powerful crescendos indicating their vast technical abilities. The epic nature of Bogdo Ula is immediately apparent from the start. The title track opens casually, introducing us to the jam theme. Little extemporaneous outbursts of sound are held back like the lid on a pressure cooker. By “Ultraviolet” the anticipation is already overwhelming as the band builds off each other’s energy. Lead guitarist Samuli Kristian is so intense that at times his tapping technique is on par with Eddie Van Halen, but with more blues and less ego. This is the stuff guitar legends are made on.
-Bogdo Ula is playing some overwhelmingly technical music and creating it out of thin air. One might say it would be more difficult to actually transcribe this music on paper, as the unique quality of the freeform would be lost. It is the unique sense of mystery that makes Charge so intriguing, when the listener has no idea what is coming next and neither does the band. There is so much artistic ingenuity that this band has more potential then meets the eye, or ear for that matter. Despite some lulls in the album, the progressive builds in Charge make it well worth the time. This is definitely a band to watch as their creative insight into improvisational intergalactic rock grows.
Review by Julian Gorman
