{"id":46492,"date":"2022-11-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/firmament\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T11:20:08","slug":"firmament","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/firmament\/","title":{"rendered":"Firmament"},"content":{"rendered":"

For those inclined to progressive rock\u2014and let\u2019s face it, we are a tribe unto ourselves\u2014one of the many intriguing aspects of the genre is that it contains geographically specific subgenres. For example, British prog tends to be quite distinct from either American or Italian prog, and even within British prog there\u2019s the \u201cCanterbury scene,\u201d a particular style associated (with questionable accuracy<\/a>) with in one specific region within the UK. Scandinavian prog, though, is a flavor that I had precious little experience with before becoming a fan of Big Big Train<\/a>, the UK-based collective that also includes Swedish singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Rikard Sj\u00f6blom<\/a> of Beardfish, Gungfly, and solo renown. <\/p>\n

Which brings us to Sj\u00f6blom\u2019s geographical\u2014and to some extent musical\u2014neighbors Dim Gray, a young Norwegian trio whose sophomore album Firmament <\/i>offers a compelling sonic landscape that feels distinctly Scandinavian. It\u2019s an expansive sound that alternates between moments of delicate precision and oversized, cinematic flourishes; this is music that pairs well with fjords. In terms of points of comparison, the group\u2019s sound brings to mind a cross between the intricacy of classic Yes and the high-contrast heavy-soft dramatics of a group like Kaleo. At a phase in their development where many bands are still searching for a sound, Dim Gray\u2014Hakon Hoiberg on guitars and vocals, Tom Ian Klungland on drums and percussion, and Oskar Holldorff on keyboards and most lead vocals\u2014already has a clear vision for its music.<\/p>\n

Opener \u201cMare\u201d opens with skittery guitar chords over restless, echoey drums before Holldorff\u2019s voice and keys explode into the foreground, with delicate, elegant verses surging over and over into a sky-filling chorus. \u201cAshes\u201d features similar contrasts in sound but feels a little more contained, with a tension-and-release dynamic and Holldorff\u2019s strong lead vocal conveying longing and urgency on this concise 3:14 number. The even briefer (2:48) \u201cUndertow\u201d builds off of Klungland\u2019s stuttering, unsettled backbeat, with strings featured in another high-contrast arrangement. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAvalon \/ The Tide\u201d is an early highlight, opening with a quiet piano-and-vocals interlude before swelling with anthemic flourishes as Holldorff imagines a landscape \u201cwhere the ocean meets the sky\u201d; it\u2019s a song that helps ground the band both musically and lyrically in the distinctive physical landscape of Scandinavia.<\/p>\n

The next several tracks only accentuate the sense of space and grandeur Dim Gray offers. First the high-contrast \u201c52~\u201d travels from airy solo keyboard-and-vocals to a booming full-band chorus and back (and forth, and back again). \u201cAbalus \/ In Time\u201d\u2014another highlight\u2014is similarly expansive and dramatic, with Hoiberg\u2019s resonant guitar, Holldorff\u2019s swirling keys, and Klungland\u2019s propulsive drums taking turns in the spotlight. And then \u201cLong Ago\u201d emphasizes the delicate elegance the band is capable of, with piano, keyboards and strings framing evocative interplay between the two vocalists as the song builds to a satisfying conclusion. The similarly gentle \u201cMy Barren Road\u201d features Hoiberg\u2019s subtle, rippling guitar supporting Holldorff\u2019s earnest vocals.<\/p>\n

\u201cCannons\u201d presents a different look, with an almost Celtic lilt and intricate guitar work, while \u201cIron Henry\u201d leans into the keys and string section for a solemn contemplation. The instinctive theatricality of the band\u2019s presentation comes to the fore on the title track, a steady-building, passionate ballad about missing a loved one. The album closes with the atmospheric \u201cMeridian,\u201d featuring layered keyboards ebbing and flowing and an almost chanted quality to the vocals.<\/p>\n

Firmament<\/i> represents the distinctly cinematic sonic vision of a band that feels made for live performance, where the innate drama and billowing emotion of these songs can be drawn out even further. It\u2019s no surprise to hear that they add two guest players for live shows; they\u2019d almost have to in order to generate a sound this textured and intricate. The fullness of sound and exciting dynamics that Holldorff, Hoiberg and Klungland achieve here is a key part of Dim Gray\u2019s appeal, and marks them as talents to watch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":34638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[10795],"rating":[5617],"class_list":["post-46492","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-dim-gray","rating-rating-b-plus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/46492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=46492"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=46492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}