Swedish Heavy Prog Band Blå Lotus release Högtid

Melodic Revolution Records and Blå Lotus are thrilled to announce that Högtid is now officially released worldwide.

About the New Album
We agreed upon dubbing it “Högtid”, approximately the Swedish word for feast, or rather celebratory season (i.e. Christmas, Easter, Midsummer and so on), sort of hinting at the superficial theme of the two main tracks ‘Pagan Solstice’ and ‘Summer Demons’ and maybe also the inclusion of our momentary rendition of an old Swedish marching tune (‘Gånglåt’). Despite this, it’s not a concept album, no overarching theme or grandiose convolution, no siree Bob! They just happened to be the songs we decided upon rehearsing during this last year-and-a-half. You could say though, that there is a common theme between the two aforementioned main songs in that they both deal with the expectations laid upon oneself and the urge to get away from them; one more in the external side of things (‘Pagan’) and one the internal (‘Summer’). ‘Pagan’ was actually a leftover song from my previous band (as was ‘Unreal Estate’) in which I played the guitar and thus these were written accordingly so I had to find a way to present them on the Hammond but eventually they proved to be more in tune with the Lotus spirit anyway.

‘Summer’ on the other hand began its life as an unassuming, Neil Young-esque folk song, amounting to probably no more than a couple of minutes in all, but demonstrably ended up being the longest track on this record. The mopey lyrics should probably not be interpreted too deeply by a suicidal person though. Then we have the most optimistic track on the album, ‘While You Were Asleep’, a psychedelic ode to the divison of labour and the fact that despite what all the fearmongers tell us, overall the world is a better place at this very moment than ever before throughout history and that it will be ever so slightly better tomorrow, so stop whining and dig into the fact that this is more a showcase of the Farfisa rather than the Hammond. A bit of variation thrown in for good measure. And finally ‘Rats’n Brats’ is just a piece of vintage heavy rock’n roll; a good excuse for letting our hair down and maxing out the fuzz boxes toward the end.

And there you have it. We hope you will enjoy the fruits of our labor as much as we have enjoyed perfecting it during this period. It’s just a pity that we can’t really put into words the exact Anglo-Saxon depiction of its name. Guess that’s why we insist on inserting all these Norse umlaut-laden words everywhere.

//Fredrik, keeper of the sevenhundred keys

Artist: Blå Lotus
Formed during the fall of 2016, Blå Lotus was basically three guys with a vision of making heavy prog rock without the aid of a guitar. Heavily influenced by old school progressive acts of yore, they immediately set out to create a fulfilling soundscape equipped with just bass, drums, and Hammond organ and a vast array of lengthy jam-based compositions interspersed with heavy stoner-like riffs.

Album Title: Hötid
Album Art: Viktor Örneland
Release Date: June 21st, 2019
Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Format: Digital

Track Listing:
1. Pagan Solstice
2. Open Hand On All Fours
3. Unreal Estate
4. While You Were Asleep
5. Gånglåt
6. Summer Demons
7. Rats’n Brats

Band Members
Fredrik Andersson: Hammond and Farfisa Organ, Mellotron, Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Flute & Vocals
Linus Karlsson: Bass Guitar, Theremin & Random Sound Effects
Wiktor Nydén: Drums & Percussion 

What the critics have said about their debut Tube Alloys

This is a great album, and it is incredible to think that they came together in Autumn of 2016, and recorded this album in April the following year, as they sound as if they have been bouncing ideas off each other for years. If you have ever enjoyed the sound of a Hammond Organ in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, then this is essential.
★★★★ 4/5 Kev Rowland – Power of Prog

 Wow! This new Swedish heavy prog rock band just totally blew me away. It’s clear these guys are totally enjoying themselves. That “no guitar” policy only proves, as Quatermass or Rare Bird (their first two albums only) had proved all those years ago, that great music can be had without a guitar. Blå Lotus is simply the new generation of it. Really worth it. 
★★★★ 4/5 Progfan97402 – Prog Archives

The sound is really cool and I like this album a lot. In this case, we are talking old-style 1970s heavy prog and symphonic prog. There is even some John Lord’s Deep Purple like keys and music here. The Hammond organ sends warm shivers down my spine and gives me a silly grin.
3.5/5 points by Torodd Fuglesteg  – Sound Of Fighting Cats

Further Information Can Be Found At:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/blalotusband/
MRR Band Profile Page
http://mrrmusic.com/bla-lotus/
Bandcamp
https://blalotusmrrartist.bandcamp.com
CD Baby
https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/BlaLotus

Media Contact
Fredrik Andersson
blalotusband@gmail.com

Label Contact
Melodic Revolution Records
Nick Katona
nick@melodicrevolution.comPlease follow and like us:

Melodic Revolution Records Online:
http://mrrmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MelodicRevolutionRecords/
https://www.youtube.com/c/MelodicRevolutionRecordsMusic 
https://twitter.com/MusicIsOurVoice 

Melodic Revolution Records Spotify Playlists:
https://open.spotify.com/user/melodicrevolutionrecords


Swedish Progressive Rock Band Blå Lotus return with sophomore album Högtid

Melodic Revolution Records and Blå Lotus are thrilled to announce that Högtid will be officially released worldwide digitally on June 21st, Summer Solstice

Fredrik Andersson tells us about the new album.
So, this is our sophomore effort, consisting of songs put together during late 2017 and on through 2018. As usual, I had written and prepared them beforehand and presented them to the rest of the band through rough demos, albeit striving to leave enough space for the others to leave their own mark on them and by months of rehearsal and occasional live performances, we eventually had fine-tuned them to the degree that we could lay them down the basics during the hot sizzling summer of 2018. The remainder of the overdubs (that is, Farfisa, Mellotron, Pianet, synthesizer and vocals, all weighing heavy on my shoulders) did suffer a bit due to procrastination (the whip apparently didn’t crack hard enough) and me ending up in hospital due to an intestinal inflammation towards the end of the year. I got better though, not least through the spiritual support of my fellow bandmates and eventually we could present the finished product to our main man Nick who instantly approved.

We agreed upon dubbing it “Högtid”, approximately the Swedish word for feast, or rather celebratory season (i.e. Christmas, Easter, Midsummer and so on), sort of hinting at the superficial theme of the two main tracks ‘Pagan Solstice’ and ‘Summer Demons’ and maybe also the inclusion of our momentary rendition of an old Swedish marching tune (‘Gånglåt’). Despite this, it’s not a concept album, no overarching theme or grandiose convolution, no siree Bob! They just happened to be the songs we decided upon rehearsing during this last year-and-a-half. You could say though, that there is a common theme between the two aforementioned main songs in that they both deal with the expectations laid upon oneself and the urge to get away from them; one more in the external side of things (‘Pagan’) and one the internal (‘Summer’). ‘Pagan’ was actually a leftover song from my previous band (as was ‘Unreal Estate’) in which I played the guitar and thus these were written accordingly so I had to find a way to present them on the Hammond but eventually they proved to be more in tune with the Lotus spirit anyway.

‘Summer’ on the other hand began its life as an unassuming, Neil Young-esque folk song, amounting to probably no more than a couple of minutes in all, but demonstrably ended up being the longest track on this record. The mopey lyrics should probably not be interpreted too deeply by a suicidal person though. Then we have the most optimistic track on the album, ‘While You Were Asleep’, a psychedelic ode to the divison of labour and the fact that despite what all the fearmongers tell us, overall the world is a better place at this very moment than ever before throughout history and that it will be ever so slightly better tomorrow, so stop whining and dig into the fact that this is more a showcase of the Farfisa rather than the Hammond. A bit of variation thrown in for good measure. And finally ‘Rats’n Brats’ is just a piece of vintage heavy rock’n roll; a good excuse for letting our hair down and maxing out the fuzz boxes toward the end.

And there you have it. We hope you will enjoy the fruits of our labour as much as we have enjoyed perfecting it during this period. It’s just a pity that we can’t really put into words the exact anglo-saxon depiction of its name. Guess that’s why we insist on inserting all these norse umlaut-laden words everywhere.

//Fredrik, keeper of the sevenhundred keys

Artist: Blå Lotus
Formed during the fall of 2016, Blå Lotus was basically three guys with a vision of making heavy prog rock without the aid of a guitar. Heavily influenced by old school progressive acts of yore, they immediately set out to create a fulfilling soundscape equipped with just bass, drums and Hammond organ and a vast array of lengthy jam-based compositions interspersed with heavy stoner-like riffs.

Band Members
Fredrik Andersson: Hammond and Farfisa Organ, Mellotron, Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Flute & Vocals
Linus Karlsson: Bass Guitar, Theremin & Random Sound Effects
Wiktor Nydén: Drums & Percussion 

Album Title: Hötid
Album Art: Viktor Örneland
Release Date: June 21st, 2019
Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Format: Digital

Track Listing:
1. Pagan Solstice
2. Open Hand On All Fours
3. Unreal Estate
4. While You Were Asleep
5. Gånglåt
6. Summer Demons
7. Rats’n Brats

Watch the official teaser here released March 12, 2019 

What the critics have said about their debut Tube Alloys

This is a great album, and it is incredible to think that they came together in Autumn of 2016, and recorded this album in April the following year, as they sound as if they have been bouncing ideas off each other for years. If you have ever enjoyed the sound of a Hammond Organ in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, then this is essential.
★★★★ 4/5 Kev Rowland – Power of Prog

 Wow! This new Swedish heavy prog rock band just totally blew me away. It’s clear these guys are totally enjoying themselves. That “no guitar” policy only proves, as Quatermass or Rare Bird (their first two albums only) had proved all those years ago, that great music can be had without a guitar. Blå Lotus is simply the new generation of it. Really worth it. 
★★★★ 4/5 Progfan97402 – Prog Archives

The sound is really cool and I like this album a lot. In this case, we are talking old-style 1970s heavy prog and symphonic prog. There is even some John Lord’s Deep Purple like keys and music here. The Hammond organ sends warm shivers down my spine and gives me a silly grin.
3.5/5 points by Torodd Fuglesteg  – Sound Of Fighting Cats

Further Information Can Be Found At:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/blalotusband/
MRR Band Profile Page
http://mrrmusic.com/bla-lotus/
Bandcamp
https://blalotusmrrartist.bandcamp.com
CD Baby
https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/BlaLotus

Media Contact
Fredrik Andersson
blalotusband@gmail.com

Label Contact
Melodic Revolution Records
Nick Katona
nick@melodicrevolution.comPlease follow and like us:

Melodic Revolution Records Online:
http://mrrmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MelodicRevolutionRecords/
https://www.youtube.com/c/MelodicRevolutionRecordsMusic 
https://twitter.com/MusicIsOurVoice 

Melodic Revolution Records Spotify Playlists:
https://open.spotify.com/user/melodicrevolutionrecords

BLÅ LOTUS – TUBE ALLOYS – MELODIC REVOLUTION RECORDS

As soon as I started playing this I was taken back more than 20 years to two albums released on the long-lost Ad Perpetuam Memoriam label by a band called Death Organ. Led by keyboardist Per Wiberg (Opeth, Spiritual Beggars), their music was a strange mix of death metal and prog, and notably contained no guitars. I wonder if these guys have come across them, as yet again we have a band producing heavy music, with no guitars involved. Actually, their motto is, “No six-strings allowed,” and they create a soundscape equipped with just bass, drums and Hammond organ and a vast array of lengthy jam-based compositions interspersed with heavy stoner-like riffs.

The trio of Fredrik Andersson (Hammond and Farfisa Organ, Mellotron, synthesizer, electric piano, flute and vocals), Linus Karlsson (bass, Theremin, sound effects) and Wiktor Nydén (drums) have taken Atomic Rooster as a starting point and have then moved on from there. I was fortunate enough to see Vincent Crane, John Du Cann and Paul Hammond (all three now sadly deceased) some 35 years ago, and the power they were putting out onstage, without a bass, was quite incredible, and here Blå Lotus are doing the same without guitar. With a very heavy use of Hammond, their sound is strongly rooted in the early Seventies, and they move between extended instrumentals and vocals with ease. That this is a great album is never in doubt, and it is incredible to think that they came together in Autumn of 2016, and recorded this album in April the following year, as they sound as if they have been bouncing ideas off each other for years. Now if only Per Wiberg would reform Death Angel, and the two bands went out on the road together, that would be something well worth seeing. If you have ever enjoyed the sound of a Hammond Organ in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing, then this is essential. https://blalotusmrrartist.bandcamp.com/album/tube-alloys-2

8/10 – Kev Rowland

Swedish Heavy Prog Band “Blå Lotus” Recording Sophomore album

Blå Lotus is back in the studio recording the follow-up album to the highly acclaimed debut Tube Alloys, released in January 2018. Pictured below is the keyboard rig of Fredrik Andersson. Swedish Heavy Prog band

Tube Alloys was only released as a digital album and are available worldwide on all digital platforms including the band’s Online shops

The Band
Fredrik Andersson // Keyboards & Vocals
Linus Karlsson // Bass Guitar
Wiktor Nydén // Drums & Percussion

Listen // Buy &Share
Bandcamp: https://blalotusmrrartist.bandcamp.com
CD Baby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/blalotus
iTunes Store{https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tube-alloys/1332894889