All things have a beginning, a middle and an end, and so it is with the fantasy trilogy by Norwegian Prog Rockers THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN, who follow the adventures of the mystical creature Father Robin over the triple concept album “The Songs & Tales of Airoea”.
Starting out with “Book I: The Tale of Father Robin (The State of Nature)” which was released in September of 2023 and is set on the land , followed by the December release of “Book II: Ocean Traveller (Metamorphosis)”, which takes place on the sea, we now come to 2024 and the much-anticipated release of “Book III: Magical Chronicle (Ascension)” which takes place in the Cloud Lands in the Sky and is due to hit the streets on the 23 February.
And today, Karisma Records have released the opening track from the album as a single. Titled “Magical Chronicle”, it is a vocal driven track full of lush harmonies and clear references to prog classics such as GENTLE GIANT, YEZDA URFA and the Canterbury Scene.
“Magical Chronicle“, can be downloaded or streamed from a variety of services at :
https://link.karismarecords.no/TCOFR_MagicalChronicle
The lineup of THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN (or TCOFR for short) draws its members from some of the most respected bands on Norway’s Prog Rock scene, and as a result you will find musicians from WOBBLER, JORDSJØ, TUSMØRKE and seasoned post-rockers THE SAMUEL JACKSON FIVE in its ranks.
Emerging during 1993-94 from what was left of the band FANGORN, and inspired in large part by the classic bands and albums that were part of the 1970s progressive music scene, it took thirty years for TCOFR to complete “The Songs & Tales of Airoea”, trilogy.
The result of these thirty years of work is the creation of a whole fantastical world through which Father Robin travels and undergoes a whole series of adventures spanning three decades and told through 18 songs spread out over the three albums.
Contributors to the Trilogy include Thomas Kaldhol (MT. MELODIÉ, THE SAMUEL JACKSON FIVE), Lars Fredrik Frøislie (WOBBLER, IN LINGUA MORTUA, WHITE WILLOW), folksinger Aleksandra Morozova (MT. MELODIE, OSLO PHILHARMONIC CHOIR), Kristoffer Momrak (ALWANZATAR, TUSMØRKE, LES FLEURS DU MAL), Håkon Oftung (JORDSJØ) and illustrator Lars Kvernberg.
Tracklisting on “Book III: Magical Chronicle (Ascension)” (which follows on directly from Books I and II) is as follows:
13. Magical Chronicle
14. Skyslumber
15. Cloudship
16. Empress of the Sun
17. Lost in the Palace Gardens
18. Epilogue
“Book III” will be released in CD, Digital and LP formats and is available to pre-order from:
Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no/shop/
Bandcamp: https://fatherrobin.bandcamp.com
US Webshop: https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com
“Book III” makes a fitting closing chapter to the trilogy, starting off as it does with the upbeat “Magical Chronicle”, followed by the atmospheric “Skyslumber”, and “Cloudship”, the soaring prog ballad that YES never wrote. The album then explodes into the dynamic psych-rocker “Empress of the Sun”, a song full of energy and contrast that eventually slides into a keyboard lead middle part that is reminiscent of THE DOORS at their most adventurous.
The closing part of “Book III” begins with “Lost in the Palace Gardens” a track that starts off with a beautiful acoustic guitar part that not only brings to mind British folk bands such as STEELEYE SPAN, but also the guitar work of a certain JIMMY PAGE. The track follows up with vocal parts where the voices of Andreas Prestmo and Aleksandra Morozova flawlessly complement each other, making it a perfect culmination of this highly ambitious body of work.
THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN are set to appear at the 21st International Art Rock Festival Minnuendö at the Peralta Auditorium in Navarra, Spain on the 11th May.
More information about THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN can be found on the band’s website www.fatherrobin.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesofFatherRobin
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN
Website: www.fatherrobin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesofFatherRobin
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thechroniclesoffatherrobin?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
KARISMA RECORDS
Promo and other information: post@karismarecords.no
Karisma Records contact: post@karismarecords.no
Karisma Records: http://www.karismarecords.no/
Karisma Records Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karismarecords
Karisma Records Bandcamp: https://karismarecords.bandcamp.com
Karisma Records on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KarismarecordsNor
Karisma Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarismaRecords
Karisma on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/karisma-records
Karisma Records Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no
Karisma Records US Webshop: https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com
PATRICIA THOMAS BAND MANAGEMENT 