Label: Runne Grammofon, 2026

Personnel - Hedvig Mollestad: guitar; Ståle Storløkken: organ, synth; Ole Mofjell: drums.

With Bitches Blues—a clear nod to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew—powerhouse Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad explores terrain that is noticeably less abrasive than on her previous releases. Her working trio has earned deserved recognition through both electrifying live performances and consistently balanced albums. Here, she leads her Weejuns trio with drummer Ole Mofjell and Elephant9 keyboardist Ståle Storløkken. Yet this second outing—a follow-up to Weejuns (2023)—doesn’t quite match the vitality of its predecessor, often feeling emotionally distant and strangely restrained.

The title track, “Bitches Blues”, opens the album with a disciplined combination of funk, metal, and blues incisions. It is followed by “Compete Blir”, which lowers the temperature considerably, settling into a subdued psychedelic mood shaped by a steady slow-beat pulse, synth whispers, and anguished guitar cries.

“For a Moment I Thought I Could Hear You” drifts through an asymmetric, free-floating stream, while the rubato “Limite” unfolds patiently through bleak, depressive textures sculpted by organ, guitar, and drums, sketching faint melodic contours in the shadows. “Dynamax” injects more urgency into the record—a psychedelic power-metal excursion driven by a cyclical 5/4 groove. Mollestad unleashes a screeching guitar solo against expansive organ swells, while Mofjell’s prog-rock-informed drumming machinery propels the piece from below.

“Recollection of Sorrow” closes the album in an abstract ballad mode, featuring clean guitar tones and cymbal effervescence that, despite their translucence, push thin lyrical thread. Technically accomplished yet rarely exhilarating, Bitches Blues leaves the impression of an album that could have dug deeper emotionally and texturally in order to achieve a more compelling result.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Bitches Blues ► 05 - Dynamax

Label: Rune Grammofon, 2023

Personnel - Hedvig Mollestad: guitar; Ståle Storløkken: Hammond organ, synths, continuum; Ole Mofjell: drums.

Weejuns is the product of a productive collaboration between Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad, keyboardist Ståle Storløkken, and drummer Ole Mofjell. In this improvised session, experimental ambient segments provide a platform for bold metal-inclined forays that gradually merge in a control manner. The potential for creative expression is vast, and the music, far from feeling one-dimensional, becomes increasingly audacious as it unfolds. The trio fearlessly embraces atonal elements, allowing their notes and timbres to mingle and intersect. Those familiar with Mollestad's work will notice a different approach, especially due to the instrumentation, while her trademark guitar sound remains consistent.

On “Go at Your Peril”, they cook up a tense, bluesy rock stew with limited motion and explorative activity. Unison arpeggiated lines signal a shift in intensity, announcing the forthcoming improvisation. “Come Monday” takes a more spectral approach, with both dial and vibing electronic sounds, while Mofjell’s drumming reverberates in the background. It’s a well-ventilated experiment, though not as accessible as the subsequent piece, “Hug That Tree”. The latter, assembled from various components, starts with refracted drums responding to codified synth patches and irregular streams of shattering guitar. Multiple frequencies create a psychedelic effect before an odd-metered guitar riff emerges, underpinning sinewy keyboard layouts. The texture undergoes changes, and the roles are reversed when the synth bassline holds the groove for a ferocious guitar improvisation.

“I’ll Give You Twenty One” introduces ominous clouds, reflecting the trio's somber side through persistent drones and languid, sustained tones. Later, cyclic riffery takes on a groovy form. “Stay at Your Peril” immerses the listeners in a state of ambiguity and contemplation before transitioning to a jazzier atmosphere that segues into a seven-beat arpeggiated chord progression. Muscular drumming and the keyboard’s lower notes infuse a rock sensibility by the end. The album concludes with the Satriani-like “Pity the City”, a more emotional and polished piece with an asymmetric time signature {8+9}. The bars are subsequently equipoised for the guitar solo.

Weejuns haunts from the first note to the last but may require time for its alternation of precise and open moves be fully absorbed. While not as explosive and immediate as Ekhidna (2020) and Tempest Revisited (2021), it’s more risk-taking and ruminative. There’s more to delve into, but it already comes with the stamp ‘recommended’.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Hug That Tree ► 05 - Stay at Your Peril ► 06 - Pity the City