INTROITUS – Elements

According to Wikipedia, Introitus is another name for the vaginal orifice. However, it’s also the band name for seven Swedish Symphonic Rockers. Introitus have previously released only their debut album Fantasy (2007), but now they are back with their sophomore album Elements. Introitus is the brainchild of Mats Bender (keyboards) and his wife Anna Jobs Bender (lead vocals), and they definitely treat Elements like a lesson in quality Progressive Rock. The Bender’s are joined by their children Johanna (percussion, keyboards, backing vocals) and Mattias (drums, backing vocals), as well as Henrik Björlind (guitars, flute, keyboards), Pär Helje (lead guitars, backing vocals), and Dennis Lindqvist (bass). Also joining them for the song “Soulprint” is Stefan Ekedahl on cello.

Anna has a beautiful voice and handles both the emotional down-tempo parts and segments where she needs a lot of strength with impressive ease. Mats has the ability to play technical keyboard solos as well as “playing second fiddle” by just laying chords. He does all of this in good taste, and there’s no showing off here. That goes for the other band members as well… all is done for the greater good of the songs. The standouts on this record are probably the strong album-opener “The Hand That Feeds You” and “Restless.” The former for its seamless journey through different emotions, tempos, and the formidable display of dynamics, and the latter for it’s impressive instrumental parts; it keeps you on your toes throughout the song.

If you’re a bit of a nitpicker, you could say there are only five songs on this album because the four songs (the four elements) in-between are short instrumental interludes that last no longer than two minutes. However, those five songs offer a lot of music — their length span ranges from eight to seventeen minutes. The music on Elements is definitely something unique. You could say it resembles post-Roger Waters era Pink Floyd at times on the slower and epic parts with wailing and emotional guitar solos, but there are also semi-heavy parts and impressive instrumental parts that will blow you away. Combining this with the obvious talent of the band members, you’ve got a band that’s right at the front line of being one of the most innovative bands within today’s Progressive Rock scene. Elements isn’t only recommended for Progressive Rock fans; this is a must-have.

Tracklist

The Hand That Feeds You / Earth / Like Always / Wind / Restless / Fire / Dreamscape / Water / Soulprint