1. The Pilot
2. Bismarck Explorer
3. Cold Rigid and Remote
4. Abduction
5. The Enemy
6. Solitude Unites Us
7. 8511
8. Presumed Dying
Year: 2008
Label: Fosfor Creation
Remember this name – Jupiter Society is a future of cosmic prog
rock/metal. This project was formed by Carl Westholm (Carptree, Krux)
and it made its debut with a first album entitled „First Contact/Last
Warning” and I must admit that this release is very good. To make things
even better Carl was helped out on this occasion by Mats Leven (ex
Therion, Y, Malmsteen), Leif Edling (Candlemass, Krux), Declan Burke
(Frost) and Lars Skold (Tiamat).
Musically „First Contact/Last Warning” is somewhere between gentle,
cosmic and spacious tracks served for years by Arjen Lucassen and
sophisticated and kind of cold compositions of Beyond Twilight. There is
much of loftiness here and there are motives known from Carptree too.
Those who love ambient experiments will find some sounds to hold close
to their hearts, as well as those who delight in sountracks. To my mind
„First Contact/Last Warning” has an atmosphere of a sountrack to a
fantasy film. The main characteristic here is variety and there is fire
like that from the burning spaceship in the artwork on the album’s cover
underneath this superficial calmness and laziness which build up the
overall atmosphere. There are some interesting women’s vocals, various
keybord lines creating the music landscape here and low-tuned guitar
underlines the overall quite gloomy sound of the album. „First
Contact/Last Warning” is the album you have to listen to for a couple of
times, it’s the album which reveals its beauty gradually and it’s
difficult to comprehent right at a very beginning. You need time and
attention but thanks to these qualities it’s a great fun to listen to
since you discover something new every now and then
The album is available in shops with a 20-page booklet which is for sure
a great addition to the music itself. Unfortunatelly I have only a
promo releas but what I have heard it’s enough for me to recommend this
album beyond any doubt and without even casting a glimpse on the
booklet.
9,2/10
Piotr Michalski
translation: Gosia Michalska
