When a bunch of kids near Stockholm formed a band in 1970, they couldn’t have known they’d still be releasing records 46 years later.
Yet the arrival of Trettioåriga Kriget’s 10th studio album is proof of a remarkably durable career which, despite the odd hiatus, has seen little variation between the line-up on their 1974 self-titled debut and their latest. The band (their name translates as The Thirty Years War) were included in the Mikael Åkerfeldt-curated 2014 Roadburn Festival, and Seaside Air is cited as their first album sung entirely in English. They blend melodic strands of symphonic and gutsy rock with lyrics referencing childhood milestones. These have a nostalgic halo articulated by vocalist Robert Zima, who, at the low end of his register, infuses a brooding, David Gilmour quality to these musings upon life’s game of circles. Taking the view that there can never be too much mellotron, the album’s thumping Euro rock swagger and cantering pop-orientated choruses are awash with chilled strings and pastoral flutes. Some will enjoy their safe and formulaic approach, but others may find the music comes and goes like waves on a beach, with about as much impact.
