Legendary Swedish progressive folk-fusion-rock band KAIPA returns in
April 2022 with their 14th studio album “Urskog” and a new
drummer
Hans comments: Most of the songs were written in 2018. At the
time I was working on the 6-CD box “Hans Lundin: The Solo Years 1982-1989”, and
revisiting my old solo albums informed my songwriting process for “Urskog”.
Listening to these old compositions influenced my new compositions in a general
way; there were also few instances where I took a nice chord structure or a
melodic fragment of an old song and turned it into something entirely new. I
also sampled some sounds from the 80's that can be heard on the new
album.
The new album opens with “The Frozen Dead of the Night”, a 19 minute
epic that takes us from the cold and bleak midwinter into the spring and its
promise to start life anew. The album's closing song “The Bitter Setting Sun”
mirrors this theme as it's time to say goodbye to the summer as we watch the
leaves falling and recall memories from summer nights when the sun refused to
set. The title track “Urskog” takes us deep into the heart of the Swedish
primeval forest, evoking images of old folklore with its Swedish lyrics.
While the rest of the band's lineup remains intact, Urskog introduces
new drummer Darby Todd from London, UK. Guitarist Per Nilsson explains: When
the time came around to start tracking drums, Morgan wasn't available within
any reasonable timeframe so on Morgan's own suggestion, we decided to amicably
part ways. Morgan's fantastic and imaginative drumming has adorned the music of
Kaipa for almost two decades and eight albums, but for what it's worth, we felt
that this could be an opportunity to bring some new grooves and new sounds into
Kaipa. While Hans had a few ideas for the drummer position I only had one
person in mind, someone whose creativity and chops rival those of Morgan's but
with more of a hard-hitting rock edge, and upon seeing a few videos of this guy
bashing the skins Hans was convinced too. So, it brings us great joy to present
to you mr Darby Todd as the new drummer for Kaipa! Darby has a resumé fitting a
musician of his caliber, having played with Devin Townsend, The Darkness, Gary
Moore, Martin Barre and many more, and while the guy is capable of expertly
playing everything from death metal to soft jazz, he's got a strong own voice
on his instrument and it's been exciting hearing him take these six new Kaipa
tunes to the skies... and beyond!
Lean back, relax and immerse yourself in the sonic forest of Urskog, or
better yet use it as the soundtrack for your own wilderness excursion!
Get the limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD & as Digital
Album HERE
Release date 29th April 2022
KAIPA:
Hans Lundin – keyboards, vocals
Per Nilsson – guitars
Jonas Reingold – bass
Darby Todd – drums
Patrik Lundström – vocals
Aleena Gibson – vocals
Urskog
01 The Frozen Dead of the Night [18:52]
02 In a World of Pines [10:04]
03 Urskog [7:57]
04 Wilderness Excursion [8:57]
05 In the Wastelands of My Mind [6:13]
06 The Bitter Setting Sun [15:20]