Gazpacho

Due to reasons which most fans will be well aware of by now, Gazpacho’s “Fireworker” 2020 album tour was cancelled. Stuck with the predicament of having a well honed show rehearsed and the prospect of a long period off the road, the band had a decision to make. The idea of a live stream which would reach fans far and wide quickly presented itself and the band had a perfect setting in their very own rehearsal space in beautiful Fredrikstad.

Known for their distinctive art rock that balances tense and beautiful arrangements, sinister and soulful melodic lines, Gazpacho’s Soyuz furthers their experimental output. A band who are used to seizing headlines with bizarre stories, including The Independent (UK) branding Molok as “An album that could destroy the world”, Gazpacho have a holistic approach to the album writing process, imbuing each with a captivating concept. The themes of Soyuz were born from the idea of how beautiful moments pass and cannot be “saved for later”, so within Soyuz are interconnected tales of people and lives “frozen in time”. Taking inspiration from a multitude of eras and subject matters, including the doomed Russian space capsule Soyuz and its iconic captain Komarov; the Tibetan Buddhist funeral practice in “Sky Burial”; the inclusion of the oldest recording of the human voice from 1860 and the Hans Christian Andersen inspired “Emperor Bespoke”.

For nearly twenty years, Gazpacho have reigned as the kings of atmospheric and affective art rock. That’s certainly no small feat, as the subgenre is full of wonderfully moody, ornate, and emotional artists; yet, none of them manage to achieve the same level of exquisite baroque resonance and hypnotically introspective weight as the Norwegian sextet. As a result, they never fail to provide awe-inspiring examinations of the human condition, and their latest observation, Fireworker, is no exception. It is undoubtedly among their greatest achievements, as well as one of the most profound pieces of music you’ll hear in 2020.

Due to reasons which most fans will be aware of by now, Gazpacho's "Fireworker" 2020 album tour was cancelled. Stuck with the predicament of having a well-honed show rehearsed & the prospect of a long period off the road, the band had a decision to make…

Gazpacho's music has been described by one critic as being "classical post ambient nocturnal atmospheric neo-progressive folk world rock". The music has been compared to A-ha, Radiohead, Marillion and Porcupine Tree. Without the backing of a major label, Gazpacho is one of many bands now utilizing the resources of the Internet to create word of mouth promotional opportunities, with a reliance on their website and its forum, online shopping, MySpace and other 'net initiatives to spread the word. This allows the band to hold down full time jobs, yet still manage to release an album a year with total artistic control over their compositions and distribution.

Firebird was the first Gazpacho album to be launched under a label, Intact Records (later reissued by Kscope). On Firebird, Gazpacho kept faithful to melancholy-filled artistic music with it’s somewhat serious themes, but also renewed themselves with a rougher edge and a fuller soundpicture. Appearing on Firebird is none other than Marillion’s guitar legend Steve Rothery contributing with stunning melodic guitars in ‘Do you know what you are saying?’. Firebird marked the fact Gazpacho managed to release 3 albums in 3 years, an achievement any full time band would be proud of, however Gazpacho members all have full time jobs.

"Bravo" is the debut full-length studio album by Norwegian rock act Gazpacho. Gazpacho did absolutely everything themselves on Bravo: from writing, recording, production, mixing, manufacturing, mastering and graphic design. Everything was carfully planned and worked on to the nearest detail. Nonetheless, there are over 17 people contributing to the making of this album, all being within the circle of friends and having the belief in what Gazpacho do (and asking them politely for a favour..). No session players, no rented extra’s, no agencies. They share one common thing: they love music.

"When Earth Lets Go" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Norwegian rock act Gazpacho. The debut album "Bravo (2003)" attracted the attention of Marillion, who offered Gazpacho the support slot on their 31-date European "Marbles (2004)" tour which ran through 11 countries. Before going on tour with Marillion, Gazpacho opted to record and release "When Earth Lets Go", to have more material to chose from for their setlist.
The music on "When Earth Lets Go" more or less continue the semi-progressive rock style of it´s predecessor and as such it feels like a very natural successor to "Bravo (2003)". The warm, emotional and melancholic vocals by lead vocalist Jan H. Ohme are still the center of attention but the rest of the band also deliver a pleasant and warm backing…

Classic Rock Prog have described it as a "thrilling example of how this band combine straightforward songwriting with subtly layered arrangements and gently executed dynamic shifts' before going on to state that it is 'an album that hides its depth, grit and versatility behind a disarming mist of frailty, but with immense emotional weight, making every gorgeously sorrowful moment count… aside from marvelling at the sheer beauty of the whole thing, you may find yourself feeling both exhausted and curiously uplifted as the last chords die away."

"Molok" the follow up to their acclaimed 2014 album Demon sees the band continue to push the boundaries for creating the most complicated and strangest concepts for a record while simultaneously becoming the first band ever who are actively trying to destroy the universe with their album.
One of the most striking features of the music crafted by Gazpacho are the vocals. While a lot is going on, the soaring, light toned lead vocals is an aspect of this band that makes an immediate impact, and that you do tend to focus on no matter what else is happening…