ALBUM REVIEW: Guru Meditation – Next Life
NEXT LIFE formed in 1999 in Norway. Their new album, Guru Meditation, is their fourth effort and follows on from 2011’s Artificial Divinity, and consists of thirteen songs. Guru Meditation was recorded in Strype Audio by Hai Dinh and Hans-Petter Lund Jørgensen and was mastered by Audun Strype. Being their first album in nine years, will the band live up to their expectations?
NEXT LIFE kick off with the titular track, and it instantly grabs the audience’s attention. It is fast-paced, sounding like a computer going haywire whilst guitars frantically play in the background. The synthesises sound like they could easily be from the early two-thousands rock scene, or a b-side to an old ENTER SHIKARI song. It is a strong opener, and transitions smoothly into the next song. Despite being very short, at only one minute and seventeen seconds, the song’s pacing does not feel rushed.
The Beyond Perception follows on, and is a synthesised heavy song. The instruments smoothly transition into the song without feeling rushed. This, in turn, is thanks to the fantastic production on the album. The guitars sound fresh, and the song does not ruin the pacing of the album so far. Prophecy Come True and Alive are the next two songs, and they are both similar. However, whereas Prophecy Come True is heavy on the synthesizers, Alive is instrumental heavy. This allows the guitars and drums to shine. The pacing is even on both songs, and they do not sound like they are out of place on the album.
As the album progresses, it becomes more reliant on the electronic side of the album. This is shown in songs like Infinite Karmic Repetition. It has a slow build up before anti-climatically ending. However, this is not a bad thing. This is because it shows that the album has progression and a direction that it is heading in.
Eternal Twilight is the penultimate track on the album. An eerie song with slow-building synthesises, it sounds like the opening score to The Twilight Zone or some other science-fiction show. It progresses into an electronic song, which has a thumping bassline. The song fades out nicely. Intellegence III is the final song. It starts off with an electronic beat that sounds like a heart monitor before the keyboards kick in.
In conclusion, Guru Meditation is an ambitious record that is truly one of a kind. What is interesting about the album is that it does not have a single lyric on it, which really helps make the album unique. The unique selling point of the album is that it tells the songs through the instruments. Whereas most albums might have a couple of interludes that make the audience appreciate the instruments, Guru Meditation uses the no lyrics to its advantage. The album’s pacing is nice and even. This allows each song – no matter how short – to have its time to shine. A must-listen for fans new and old.
Rating: 8/10
Guru Meditation is out now via Fysisk Format.