Label: Rune Grammofon Records, 2024
Personnel - Mats Gustafsson: baritone saxophone; Johan Berthling: bass; Andreas Werliin: drums.
The explorative Swedish trio Fire! - comprising saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Johan Berthling, and drummer Andreas Werliin - first convened in 2009 before expanding successfully into an orchestra. Their eighth album, Testament, comprises five tracks presented in a more skeletal form, stripped down to pure sax-bass-drums tapestries devoid of electronics or additional elements. All the same, these cuts exalt the artistic and improvisatory leanings of the musicians.
“Work Song for a Scattered Past” imposes circularity with a patterned bass phrase, invigorated by dynamic drumming and growling saxophone blows. They elastically push apart but, at the end, converge into consonance. “The Dark Inside of Cabbage” displays relaxed if lumbering baritone lines over a rhythmic bed of bass drones and skittering drum chatters.
“Four Ways of Dealing With One Way” unfolds as a hypnotic, repetitive exercise, its mutable saxophone tones deceptively floating through time. Gustafsson’s performance on “Running Bison, Breathing Entity, Sleeping Reality” captivates as he blends growling expressions, breathing techniques, multiphonics, and a mix of popping and flapping sounds filled with rich tonal resonances. Over time, it becomes chanty with the assistance of rumbling and tidy bass as well as percussion, gradually evolving into a mesmerizing slowcore enchantment.
Strangely accessible, the album comes to a close with “One Testament, One Aim, One More to Go, Again”, where a plain eight-beat cycle bass figure, neatly backed by Werliin’s understated percussion, gives free rein to a smoky rock stride and flavorful Eastern influences. Testament was recorded live in the studio on analog tape and expertly mixed by renowned rock audio engineer Steve Albini.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Work Song for a Scattered Past ► 04 - Running Bison, Breathing Entity, Sleeping Reality ► 05 - One Testament, One Aim, One More to Go, Again