André Drage - Wolves (2025) [Official Digital Download]

The second release from Drage records.Wolves is a fusion record inspired by Mahavishnu orchestra, Soft Machine and King Crimson, as well as newer heavy metal music and jazz-rock bands from around the world.

It’s always great to see drummer and composer André Drage unleashing another follow-up after his electronic, powder-keg release Journeyman. You never know he’ll think of next. Well, the mad scientist has done it again. This time with his next album with the André Drage Group entitled Wolves.

Moving from electronic to the complexity, jazz fission, rhythmic rock, and intensive exercise that’s unfolding, Wolves gets down and dirty by taking you back to a time when the music was groovy, complex, and right down to the bone. Following in the footsteps of The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa, Elephant9, and the Post-Suzuki years from CAN that comes to mind, Drage pulls all of the stops signs out and gives his band members carte blanche by revving up their engines and driving off into the hot, steamy evening that’s ready to make you sweat like crazy.

There are the hay-wiring effects, the spaced-out electronic avant-garde territories, and the tones of Hancock’s Headhunters-era which comes into the sleeves Drage has in store for the listeners. Not to mention some reference to Sly and the Family Stone that comes into the picture.

Why do you think ‘Wind in their Sails’ sounds like a tip of the hat to ‘Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Ef Agin)’? Because Drage proves that he’s more than just a prog artist, but a musician who gets down and funky like no other. And of course, that drive down into the ‘Meeting of the Spirits’ which speaks of ‘Fire’ that Mathisen channels the work of Jean-Luc Ponty and Jerry Goodman.

Mathisen is no pun intended, on fire when he plays his violin, giving Bomstad, Asbjornsen, Bjerkan, and Drage a chance to clear the way so that he can pour his heart and soul into his improv during the piece. Not to mention the thrill ride of a lifetime during the funk-rock blaxploitation into space for the ‘Tigerboy’ to appear.

You got to give Bjerkan a chance to unleash his mighty Thor hammer when he goes to town on his Fender Rhodes just sweating bullets when he lays down some extreme measures to cross the finish line as the rhythm section has his back to achieve the goal he has accomplished. Just as you think it’s over, think again.

Closing up the pack is the action film-noir scenery of ‘Brainsoup’ in which is served to you; hot, spicy, and massive shit tons of Wasabi sauce added into the mix! Andre has cooked his soup with this mega spicy ingredient that puts Hot Ones to shame, waiting to be served to you to see if you like it or not.

Tracklist:
01. Potent Elixirs 5:30
02. Tigerboy 5:48
03. Wind in their sails 6:01
04. Fire 5:03
05. Nesodden 5:08
06. Brainsoup 7:41


Thanks to the Original customer!