Gazpacho

Progressive rock

There are two bands named Gazpacho: The first are a Norwegian band, who have been described by one critic as being classical post ambient nocturnal atmospheric neo-progressive folk world rock Gazpacho almost defies genre classification. Gazpacho were at one time described as the greatest unsigned band in the world by some critics. A tour of Europe as support for Marillion's Marbles tour in 2003 radically raised their profile, earning the respect of audiences everywhere they played and garnering critical acclaim. Without the backing of a major label, Gazpacho is one of many bands now utilising the resources of the internet to create word of mouth promotional opportunities, with a reliance on their website and its forum, online shopping, MySpace and other 'net initiatives to spread the word. This allows the band to hold down full time jobs, yet still manage to release an album a year with total artistic control over their compositions and distribution. Characterised by moody keyboards, a stunning violin virtuoso, a poignant and relevant rhythm section, ethereal guitars, Jan Henrik Ohme's floating, pure Hypnotic voice and atmospheric contributions from samples, low whistle, tin whistle, banjo, accordion, didgeridoo and mandolin. This is not a bombastic, pompous progressive outfit, but a cohesive unit that forgoes the technically brilliant but emotionless solo in favour of mood creation through emotive keyboards, layering of textured sounds, use of spatial tension and seamless...