Passing Time In Style...

Molior Superum - As Time Slowly Passes By... (2019)

We last heard from Molior Superum with their Electric Escapism EP back in 2014 (man, time flies), and half a decade later, they've returned with this full LP to follow their 2012 debut. Starting with the title track, a trim little piece of melody exploration, the band sets a tone of fanciful warmth and casual technical prowess, letting their deft finger-work and ear for tonal-rhythmic intersection guide the way. 

With the progression into “Att Födas Rostig”, things get a bit dirtier in flavor, as the guitar takes on a southern blues twang, making for an interesting pairing with the Swedish lyrics. The heavy rock cruising is kept light enough for some shredding to slip smoothly into place among the rowdy riffs, and that balance between tunefulness and a dirty bass end is developed in a variety of ways across the rest of the album.

While there's a lot of '70s hard rock influence to be heard in the songs, the band does a great job of putting a personal spin on it, finding ways of tweaking it into something that stands apart from most heavy rock acts of then and now. It's hard to pin down the specifics of that distinction, but part of it is just how fresh the songs feel. They don't get bogged down in the bass, but the lightness doesn't drift off into pop rockish cotton candy clouds, either. Whether incorporating vocals or going off on sprawling instrumental rides, Molior Superum make it clear that they kept developing their skills in the time between releases. 

 Infectiously fun and compelling (more than once, I found myself humming along to a song I was hearing for the first time), the songs ride a fine line of having clearly gone through lots of crafting while still holding a spontaneous air to their twists and shimmies.

At a fairly trim 37 minutes, the album is kept focused, energetic, and engaging, while also being long enough to keep a few secrets back from the initial listenings. While it's not set for release until March 29^th, you can go ahead and order vinyl copies of the album, in a variety of colors, directly from Molior Superum's BandCamp page. As there's only 100 of each color pressed, you'll want to snag it fast, or be kicking yourself about missing it.

~ Gabriel

For Fans Of; Deep Purple, Eternal Elysium, Hijo de la Tormenta, Mondo Drag, Mountain

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Molior Superum - Sweet Oblivion (320 kbps)

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Fingers In The Outlet...

Molior Superum - Electric Escapism EP (2014)

Molior Superum have been making music for about half a decade now (if you need a refresher, check out our review of Into the Sun from back in 2012), and while 2014 saw the release of a single (The Inconclusive Portrait) in June, the band also released this quadruple-track EP in December.  Offering up ~20 minutes of heavy rock, Electric Escapism begins with "Bortom Livets Sjal" (just in case you forgot they hail from Sweden), a real kicker of an opening track which bashes out the core rhythm on drums while slathering it up with big-amped guitar and bass, riding wild through the leather-booted rocking.
"Eyes in Orbit" picks up from there, maintaining the main vibe but getting even harder on the drums, and from the sound of things, doing a good job of giving the guitarist some serious blisters.  It's a quick 'n' dirty basher that's a lot of fun, and it's strong enough to avoid being overshadowed or forgotten, even in the position of #2 out of 4 tracks.  "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" gets just as dirty as it needs to in order to fit with its title, which references a 19th-century piece of Japanese pornographic art, and stretches out its tentacles in a psychedelic entrapment of coiling chords and slick grooves, hitting almost 7 minutes of fuzzy fun all on its own.
Lastly, "Försummad" brings things home by slowing down a little from the previous track's rocket blast, still blazing hot, just in a steady trajectory to touch down firm at the end of the ride.  Taken all together, the four tracks on the EP show that Molior Superum have lost none of their fire, and that the next release, whether it's a single, another EP, a split, or a full album, will certainly be worth your time and money to snatch up and stuff into your ears.  Now that the weather's warming up (at least in my part of the world), it's the perfect time to get these songs flowing if you haven't already picked up your own Electric Escapism.
~ Gabriel

For Fans Of;    Mos Generator, Persona, Daily Thompson, Isaak, Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters

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Molior Superum - Eyes in Orbit (320 kbps)

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Stoned In Sweden...

Molior Superum - Into The Sun (2012)

You can always rely on the good ol' Swedes to break out the old school influenced tunes when they're most needed. It's been a while since had a good classic rock sounding band appear in our inbox. We had planned to cover Graveyard's Lights Out, but between everyone and their mother dropping us tunes, the loss of writers and the fact that there's a load of outside parties trying to take us down you're just gonna have to settle with Molior Superum. Not a bad trade off if I'm totally honest, especially if like me you were born about 30 years too late and long for a time where gig tickets cost just a couple of bucks, bands had their own planes and you only had a choice between vinyl or 8 track. Well dig out your bong and strap yourself in because if you hadn't assumed by the cover art you're in for a good old fashioned bass heavy psych session.
Although the opening couple of tracks are sang in english the guys do revert back to their native tongue for the remaining half of the album. But don't let that put you off, what you may not understand wont by any means deteriorate the rest of the track(s). With the aforementioned bass heavy element throughout, coupled with an array of upbeat riffs the end result reminds me of the early years of Clutch. The unique style of rock that plays on all the best parts of stoner, southern and desert rock all rolled into one. It's pretty killer and whats more impressive is that the guys are able to keep it up for the entirety. Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the instrumental prog like psych towards the end, maybe its a result of growing up on too much Yes or Genesis, but credit where credit's due, it's done bloody well! Few bands these days can truly pull off an organ, but Molior Superum have successfully made it into that minority.
~ Jay

For Fans Of; Clutch, Graveyard, Cactus, King Hobo, Dwellers

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Molior Superum (320kbps)

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