Swedish psychedelic/progressive rock alchemists AGUSA present their third full-length album, and second for Laser’s Edge, simply titled Agusa.
The follow-up to 2015’s Agusa 2 (Två ) sees the AGUSA circle expanding their kaleidoscopic output which conjures images of nature and the cosmos, their extensive passages again leading the listener into fantastic realms of a possibly supernatural or parallel existence. While Agusa 2 (Två) engulfed forty minutes of music through two massive tracks, Agusa sees the band delivering their singular brand of, trance-inducing, folk-inspired, occult rock through more traditional track lengths, offering five songs which range from five to ten-and-a-half minutes in length and are a bit heavier than the album’s predecessors.
Agusa was recorded and mixed by Viktor Rinneby and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Bob Katz, and completed with art by Danilo Stankovic and design by Peter Wallgren.
In September 2016 AGUSA released their live disc Katarsis, which had been recorded in Athens, Greece six months before. Following that release the band had hectic schedule with gigs in Scandinavia, Poland, and back to Greece. This proved to be too much for organ player Jonas Berge who left the band in January 2017, while recording the new Agusa album, which caused the band to take a pause in order to complete the album and replace Berge. Finding a talented organ player who would also fit into the group proved to be a difficult task, but finally Danish organ player Jeppe Juul was picked as Berge's successor. Juul is originally from Denmark but now lives in the deep woods of southern Sweden in primitive circumstances, where they must carry all water from a nearby well and occasionally get some electricity from some solar cells on the roof. He has previously played with many acts in different genres; Marcus Miller, Royal Danish Ballet, and Lili Haydn, among many others.
AGUSA has performed live throughout Europe, including the mighty Roadburn Festival and more. Preceding the new Agusa album, flute player Jenny Puertas gave birth to a daughter in May which saw the band performing sans-flute for several shows, and additionally, organist Jonas Berge rejoined the lineup for several performances, which saw them playing live with two organ players. As always, AGUSA performed vastly different versions of the new songs live compared to how they ended up on the album, continuing their ongoing mission of turning every concert into something unique.
credits
released October 27, 2017
Tobias Petterson – bass
Jeppe Juul – organ
Jenny Puertas – flute
Tim Wallander – drums, percussion
Mikael Ödesjö – guitar
The Laser's Edge label collaborates with progressive bands like Riverside, White Willow, Knight Area, District 97 and
Eloy.
Sensory targets bands working within the broad scope of progressive metal. Notable artists on Sensory include Circus Maximus, Delain, and Diablo Swing Orchestra.
Free Electric Sound is our fusion label with Mörglbl revitalizing a near dormant genre....more
supported by 13 fans who also own “Agusa (24/96 hi-res)”
These guys have horns and cellos, and they're not afraid to use them. If you're looking for a Yes or Genesis clone you're out of luck, but if you want a band who take the time to stretch out and give a song time to develop you're in luck.
I'm going to change my mind about my favourite track regularly.
Oh, and flutes.
PartTimeZombie
supported by 9 fans who also own “Agusa (24/96 hi-res)”
This is a 5-star album. Thanks for such wonderful music. "If it all comes down to you" is my fav and one of the best songs I've ever listened to. juan_andres
The Long Island metal band's third album etches arena-sized hooks into their jagged compositions, deftly balancing experimental and poppy inclinations. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 12, 2022
A career-spanning live album from the European experimental rock band, featuring King Crimson's Gavin Harrison on drums. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 27, 2021
supported by 9 fans who also own “Agusa (24/96 hi-res)”
Anyone with an aversion to "contemporary prog" should listen to Wobbler and they'd realize that prog classics are not just confined to the 1970s. This album is just so tight on every level that if you'd have told me this was recorded in 1974, I'd have no basis for questioning it other than the lack of more prominent tape hiss. Great from start to finish! babayetu