English-born but norwegian resident pianist/keyboard player/organist Roy Powell, whose recent releases on RareNoiseRecords count two full length albums with Naked Truth (with Lorenzo Feliciati and Pat Mastelotto) and his organ trio InterStatic with Jacob Young and Jarle Vespestad, creates astonishing near-symphonic progressive rock-fuelled compositions in Mumpbeak.
Using a heavily modified set of pedals and a Hohner Clavinet, he successfully fuses the sound and textures of organ, keyboards and touch-guitar into a dark, relentless sonic maelstroem, at times reminiscent of King Crimson, Rush and Stickmen. He is supported in this endeavour by a four magnificent bass players, Bill Laswell, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, Lorenzo Feliciati and Tony Levin, all overdubbed by Laswell himself and by master King Crimson and Naked Truth drummer Pat Mastelotto.
Thick and fast microtonal keyboard streams dance and wrestle with babelic bass voicings carried forward by relentless grooves and oblique drum fills; odd time signatures so typical of Progressive rock are here coated by an unheard-of gluttonous lick of bass, as they dance to the tune of and in support of the wonderful keyboard (guitar-like) melodic lines.
This album, recorded in Norway and New Jersey and mixed by Bill Laswell in New Jersey, marks the first time Bill Laswell can be heard playing with King Crimson alumni Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto.
