Swedish band CB3 (an abbreviation of the full band name, Charlotta’s Burning Trio) is comprised of Charlotta Andersson on guitar, Pelle Lindsjö on bass, and Natanael Salomonsson on drums. They successfully sold out the vinyl and cassette release of their previous work, From Nothing To Eternity, and now have a more conventionally formatted release called Aeons available.
They make an impressive sound that conjures up jazz, rock, and pscyhedelia. It’s as if Floyd, Crimson, and Mahavishnu had birthed the infamous three-headed Cerberus and then taught the dog to rock!
There are “only” five tracks, but they provide over 30 minutes of proper rock with all of those influences fed in seemingly randomly. Yet after a few listens, the scope, planning, and execution of this work becomes apparent. From the opening repetitive riff of ‘Zodiac,’ the enthralling melodies with Heepish touches pour out amidst the clever musicianship. ‘Sonic Blaze’ is just that – the guitar explores all sorts of patterns, and the King Crimson sound is echoed (not copied) rather nicely. Also, the Rush time signatures add to the depth of a remarkable piece. At nine minutes, ‘Acid Haze’ is the longest track and takes you through Sabbath via very early Priest calling on Space Trucking live with Floyd along the way…love this track. ‘Warrior Queen’ changes the feel to a more melodic prog – a bit like Golden Earring did on their magnificent Moontan album. Finishing aptly with ‘Apocalypse,’ the acoustic guitar brings Heep to mind again as the tune builds to a Crimson central section. Then, a saxophone cuts in to bring the comparison even closer, but still maintains its veracity.
This instrumental album is crammed full of virtuoso examples of musicianship may not be “easy listening,” but I promise you that it not only grows on you, it also has some of the finest examples of painting pictures with sound you are likely to hear this year – and, yes, it is only January!
Aeons will be released on 28th February via The Sign Records.
