Review by Steve Joyce
To prepare for this review I immersed myself in “Waving at the Sky”, the second album from Norway’s AVKRVST, during an unseasonably warm and bright British Spring, resplendent with glorious, mood-enhancing sunshine. It’s just as well. The subject matter in this album is so unremittingly bleak, without the uplifting summery vibes I might well have thrown myself into the village duckpond! Although, it must be said, the music throughout this album is an absolute joy to listen to.
For the uninitiated, AVKRVST – pronounced “AWKRUST” – is the realisation of a childhood dream by two schoolfriends, Simon Bergseth and Martin Utby. The band is named after Norwegian author, poet, artist and humorist Kjell Aukrust (1920-2002), who hails from the same home town and was famous for creating idiosyncratic characters. Bergseth and Utby are the co-composers of AVKRVST’s music, with Bergseth on vocals, guitars and bass and Utby on drums and synths. The line-up is completed by Øystein Aadland on bass/keys, Edvard Seim on guitars and Auver Gaaren on keys. On the evidence of “Waving at the Sky”, this is a formidable band of highly talented musicians, all of whom play with style, taste and feeling, eschewing self-indulgent histrionics and pointless shredding.
AVKRVST’s first album, 2023’s “The Approbation”, created waves in the prog world, stunning listeners with the quality of its songwriting, storytelling and musical potency. A concept album about a bleak soul alone with his thoughts in an isolated forest cabin, Prog Report’s album review hailed “an extremely well thought out, written, and performed progressive rock album” and concluded that “this impressive debut album proves AVKRVST to be a true contender within the genre.” And so, expectations are at fever pitch for the sometimes tricky second album.
Over seven tracks and forty-five minutes, “Waving at the Sky” provides a prequel to “The Approbation”. The songs are inspired by a gruesome family tragedy and the bleak soul from the debut is one of the main characters. The subject matter, based on true events – neighbour families who abuse their own and each other’s children – is harrowing and unsettling. Says Bergseth, “it’s basically as dark as you can get.”
So, not a comedy, then, but AVKRVST are in good company. In the words of David Gilmour “it’s hard to write a happy song, unless you’re John Denver” and all genre fans will recognise that the best and most transcendental music is often melancholic in nature. And so it proves here – but there are plenty of stimulating passages of music to counterbalance the despair expressed in the lyrics.
The songs flow into each other to provide a continuous listening journey. One or two of the transitions are a little jarring, I guess deliberately – this is not an album for making you comfortable! The effect is that listening to the whole album is more or less essential, rather than picking out isolated tracks.
Opening track “Preceding” is a punchy three-minute instrumental with a forceful bassline, intricate guitar, lush keyboards and a vibe which evokes the opening few minutes of Steven Wilson’s “Luminol”. There’s a gorgeous middle section and some brief spoken word over the outro, taken from the real-life child abuse trial, sets up the storytelling of the remaining six tracks. It’s an attention-grabbing starter and a real statement of intent.
“The Trauma” follows, a shrewd choice as second single from the album as it highlights the many considerable strengths of this band: urgent, electrifying riffage; a dramatic instrumental passage; beautiful guitar playing, heart-stirring vocals and a soaring chorus. The overall vibe in this song reminds me of Opeth in their Still Life / Blackwater Park era, complete with growling vocals which are used sparingly (perhaps to the relief of many) for maximum effect. The gut-wrenching “God, please let me out of this loathsome life” lyric hits hard. Bergseth surely rivals Mikael Åkerfeldt with his mastery of clean and harsh vocals and an ability to convey genuine feeling in the words that he sings.
Third track “Families are Forever” – has a relatively mellow synth-led beginning giving way to gentle acoustic guitar and mournful verses, punctuated by phat bass and expressive drums. Growls and creepy guitar usher in a multi-layered chorus and once again similarities with Opeth’s music are hard to ignore. As the song progresses the instrumentation builds in intensity. Growly and clean vocals provide dramatic contrast, earlier musical motifs are reprised and a majestic goosebump-inducing guitar solo rounds out the song. Three tracks in, the listener is already left in no doubt that “Waving at the Sky” is a deeply penetrating emotional experience.
Up next, “Conflating Memories” is a song of multiple movements. The first section flows along nicely with mellow vocals over a guitar ostinato, although I’m not a fan of the cross-stick percussion which sounds like a studio clicktrack. Fortunately, this soon gives way to a “”Raven”-esque flute solo and a lovely guitar solo which softens up the listener for something truly extraordinary. What follows is a passage of total and utter brilliance dominated by one of the most incredible keyboard solos I can remember hearing. I would go as far as to say that it’s in the same league as Bill Hubauer’s godlike solo on Neal Morse Band’s “Beyond the Years” (from 2021’s “Innocence and Danger”). It’s a major high spot of the album and an absolute must listen. A graceful guitar solo completes what after a slightly unpromising start, ultimately proves to be a magnificent song.
Featuring Haken’s Ross Jennings, lead single “The Malevolent” is kickstarted by a “Where Eagles Dare” style drum break and a rip-roaring, propulsive riff. It’s fast, energetic and packs so much into its sub-three and a half minutes, including an anthemic chorus and a crowd singalong outro. The song’s “too young to die, too young to feel this old” lyric impacted on me. I’m a huge fan of Jennings and he adds obvious star value, but his contributions are in the background and frankly Bergseth is such a strong vocalist in his own right, he doesn’t need any additional firepower.
My favourite song on the album comes next: “Ghosts of Yesteryear”. It’s got everything! An ethereal intro, stirring riffs, a captivating guitar solo and moments of brutality. Once again, the deeply sorrowful lyric and vocal performance is hugely affecting, with the catchy “Ghosts of Yesteryear” refrain and mentions of drowning hinting at tragic events in the back story. It’s a completely entrancing song.
Album closer “Waving at the Sky” is a twelve minute epic providing a great showcase for AVKRVST’s proficient musicianship. I loved the early acoustic section, which flows smoothly in and out of six and seven time. Synth atmospherics call to mind the best of Porcupine Tree, and there’s a neat ghostly section with eerie sound effects. After another short stab of growls synth-led pyrotechnics command attention. Again, lyrically profound and incredibly sad, the “My life is torn apart / Forevermore, I stand alone / ‘til death takes me by heart” brought a lump to this reviewer’s throat. A wondrous soaring instrumental outro over a lengthy fadeout completes a massively enjoyable and satisfying listening experience.
Make no mistake: this is a great prog rock concept album. The story is as absorbing as it is distressing – and knowing that it’s based on fact makes it all the more poignant. The music which delivers it is compelling, frequently thrilling, incredibly well performed and a joy to listen to – such that, I’m pleased to report, the village duck community will remain undisturbed for the foreseeable future.
In what can sometimes feel like a crowded genre, AVKRVST stand out as a band that knows how to make music packed with brilliant melody, harmony, dynamics and major extremes of feeling from exhilarating highs to heart-shredding despair.
As with “The Approbation”, comparisons with Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson and Opeth are inevitable, and there are undeniable similarities. For me, this is unquestionably a good thing and the results are completely splendid. Fans of such artists should regard “Waving at the Sky” as an essential purchase, and the album has enough distinctively original moments to delight all fans of progressive music.
As AVKRVST start to plan their third album, fans and critics alike will crave further progression and expansion of the band’s musical identity. With the immense talent on display here, such advancement is a nailed-on certainty and promises to be extremely exciting. Meanwhile, the sheer quality of “Waving at the Sky” simply cannot be ignored. Get this album!
Released on June 13th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic
Tracklist “Waving at the Sky”:
1. Preceding (03:14)
2. The Trauma (05:17)
3. Families are Forever (07:49)
4. Conflating Memories (06:59)
5. The Malevolent (feat. Ross Jennings) (03:25)
6. Ghosts of Yesteryear (06:17)
7. Waving at the Sky (12:19)
Simon Bergseth – Composer, guitars, bass & vocals
Martin Utby – Composer, drummer and synths
Øystein Aadland – Bass/keys
Edvard Seim – Guitars
Auver Gaaren – Keys
“Waving at the Sky” is now available for pre-order in the following formats: https://avkrvst.lnk.to/WavingAtTheSky
