Trøbbel Bjørn Torske

Bjorn Lynne claims he only makes his CD albums for his personal satisfaction; you'd therefore expect them to be self-indulgent, whimsical, and full of flaws. The opposite is true. Bjorn manages to be exciting and original without ever alienating the listener. He has tunes in abundance - even the guitar lines are singable. 'Wolves' is probably his best album so far. A heady mixture of ambient moods, cinematic soundscapes, and heavy metal. If you like none of these styles, you still may love this album, for there is no simple way to describe Bjorn's music.

Much-awaited has been the new recording of the Machaut Messe de Nostre Dame from Bjorn Schmelzer and Graindelavoix, one of Glossas long- standing artistic family members. Following on from the trio of discs devoted to music in the spirit of the medieval master draughtsman Villard de Honnecourt the Antwerp-based ensemble currently in residence at the Fondation Royaumont in France has now turned to the first-known composer of an integral mass cycle: Guillaume de Machaut, who was a canon at Reims Cathedral in the fourteenth century.

Bjorn Riis is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter, mostly renowned for his work with Norwegian prog band Airbag. Forever Comes to an End feature seven songs, with inspiration from classic rock, prog and movie scores. Bjørn’s unique guitar playing has a centre role, with soaring leads, heavy riffs and beautiful textures. Lyrically, the album deals with broken relationships and loss and the emotional duality between resentment and forgiving. The album is very much a tribute to all of Bjørn’s musical influences. From the dark and dirty riffs of Toni Iommi and Zakk Wylde, to the emotional playing of David Gilmour and Steven Rothery…

Montage was Bjorn Lynne’s second CD, self-financed and self-published in January 1994. Stylewise, ”Montage” is a slightly more daring album than the previous ”Hobbits & Spaceships”. Tracks contain a wide mixture of styles and sounds, and although the album was produced entirely on synthesizers and effects, it is easy to hear Bjorn Lynne’s love for symphonic rock starting to shine through, especially on songs like ”Montage” and "Communion”; both of which are long tracks moving through several stages of ever changing moods. There are also some more down-to-earth simply melodic pieces like ”Head Held High” and ”Fantastic Voyage ’94”. And, there are some slightly more experimental pieces like the futuristic and very cyber-oriented ”The Spirit of Mechanica” as well as the symphonically ambient ”Enlightenment Through Fear”.

The Void is a sci-fi adventure in music. It was released in 1997 to much praise by the fans as well as the music critics. The sheer pulse, vibrancy and spaceness of this album has been able to cross all musical boundaries; the reviewers don't know what to call it; some even say that Lynne is inventing a new style of music, and the people working in record stores have real problems figuring out in which section to put this album. The Void has elements of progressive/symphonic rock as well as more contemporary electronic, ambient and rock styles. It is a concept album about a space trip that went horribly wrong - there is a vibe, a certain something that is hard to put your finger on, which gives the album a deep atmosphere…

The inspiration for writing this music came about from reading Allan Cole's fantasy novel "The Gods Awaken". It is a dark story, but Bjorn always aimed to make this album a positive one - one that can lift spirits and spread positive vibes, so he took the positive angle on much of the story. Bjorn himself plays acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, bass guitar and percussion. In addition, there are guest appearances by many other musicians who contributed to this album over the approx. 18 months that it took to write and record.

When I heard Hegge's previous album, "Feeling", for the first time, I was wildly excited. There was something about the immediacy and the squeak-free playing with built-in resistance and thick nerves. Here at Berget, we are spoiled for bands that make a celebration of jazz history and make it sound fresh. Hegge is among the best in the area, and playfulness is one of the qualities managed. The quintet on "Beyond Your Wildest Streams" is the same as on "Feeling" from 2020: Jonas Kullhammar on tenor saxophone, Martin Myhre Olsen on soprano and alto saxophone, Vigleik Storaas on piano, Håkon Mjåset Johansen on drums and cymbals and Bjørn Marius Hegge on bass. The latter has also composed the songs.

Bjørn Riis will release his second solo album, Forever Comes to an End, in May 2017. The album is the follow-up to the highly acclaimed and awarded debut, Lullabies in a Car Crash. Forever Comes to an End feature seven songs, with inspiration from classic rock, prog and movie scores. Bjørn’s unique guitar playing has a centre role, with soaring leads, heavy riffs and beautiful textures.