UMUR "Engine Machine" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Danish experimental/Avant garde rock act Düreforsög. Düreforsög impressed me quite a lot with their debut album "Knee (1997)". The music style on that album was a strange mix of brutal death metal parts and highly rythmic avant garde parts. The 2nd album by Düreforsög called "Exploring Beauty (1999)" was a much more ordinary rock album with only a slight touch of avant garde and no sign of the death metal parts which made the debut so original. A good album none the less. "Engine Machine" more or less continues down the same path as "Exploring Beauty" with an alternative rock/ punk approach and only a few touches of avant garde. It´s worth noting that the album is produced by Billy Gould (Faith No More) and Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica, Morbid Angel, Blind Guardian...etc). The album was released through Billy Gould´s Kool Arrow Records label.

The album is quite eclectic and the mood in the songs vary a lot. Examples are the energetic opener "Traffix", the psychadelic tinged atmosphere of "A Racetrack" or the silly sounding "Nothing At All". A common feature is that all compositions are of high quality though.

The musicianship is excellent. Düreforsög are great musicians and their interplay is strong.

The production is professional and well sounding.

Engine Machine is not my favorite album from Düreforsög, that honour would go to "Knee" but it is a good album well deserving 3 stars.

UMUR "Exploring Beauty" is the 2nd full-length studio album by Danish avant garde/experimental rock act Düreforsög. Düreforsög has undergone some drastic changes both in their lineup and in their general music style since their debut album "Knee (1997)". In the lineup department percussion wizard Rune T has sadly left and a second guitarist Mads Heldtberg has been added to the lineup. Rune T´s crazy percussion was defining for the sound on "Knee" and even though drummer Andreas Hauer-Jensen now also plays percussion there are no percussion parts like the jaw-dropping ones on "Knee". The music style has as mentioned also changed quite dramatically since "Knee". Gone are the death metal growling and heavy distorted metal parts. Those elements along with the extensive use of synth and programming on "Exploring Beauty" means that it could almost be two different bands who released the two albums.

The music on "Exploring Beauty" is influenced by alternative rock, post punk and there´s actually only a slight avant garde edge left. The only song with an aggressive attitude that reminds me a bit of the music style on "Knee" is "Rubber Man" where Boriz Schiøler semi-growls. Boriz mostly sings in his normal voice range on "Exploring Beauty". The rest of the songs have an alternative rock/ post punk vibe. The quality of the songs is very high though and at no time during the playing time do I find the music trivial. On the other hand it doesn´t excite me in the same way as the crazy music on "Knee" either. It´s worth noting that Düreforsög are great fans of The Residents and also play a cover of "Living in Vain". It sounds intriguing but I don´t know the original. The Mike Patton faschination that was very obvious on "Knee" is for the most part not a part of the music anymore.

The musicianship is good and at times even excellent. But it´s seldom that Düreforsög really excites me with fast or unexpected sections anymore.

It´s noteworthy that Peter Schneidermann aka Peter Peter (Sods, Sort Sol, Bleeder) is credited as co-producer on the album. Düreforsög is credited for the production themselves. The sound quality is strong and professional.

"Exploring Beauty" isn´t what I had expected after the excellent and strange debut album but it´s a good alternative rock album with avant garde moments and it deserves a 3 star rating.

UMUR "Knee" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish Avant garde metal/rock act Düreforsög (translates into Animal Testing). "Knee" is a classic album in Danish music history first and foremost because it sounds like nothing else that has ever come out of Denmark. A strange mix of extreme styles ensures that you´re in for an interesting listening experience.

The music is not for faint hearted souls as it is a mix of brutal, heavy and mostly mid to slow paced death metal parts (those parts sometimes remind me of the breakdowns practised by a band like Dying Fetus) and avant garde rock parts with lots of fast percussion playing. The vocals by lead vocalist Boriz Schiøler are varied and alternate between mouse-like shrieking singing to deep brutal death metal growling. Boriz Schiøler also uses his voice in a more ordinary manner though. A very interesting vocalist. All five tracks from the Demo Tape "Replacing Hinges Or... (1995)" are also present in newly recorded versions on "Knee" and two of those demo tracks are actually favorites of mine on the album. "Me, Myself & Ear" is a great song with almost Snake ( Voivod) like vocals and it´s great to hear Düreforsög doing something different. "There's Something Inside My Knee" just needs to be given a special mention for the high energy level and sheer aggression. What a great energetic song. Energetic is in fact one of the most fitting words that can be used to describe the music on "Knee". From start to finnish Düreforsög never lets up. This is a relentless album so don´t look for breathers. The lyrics are weird and at times funny. Düreforsög is not the kind of band that take themselves very seriously. That doesn´t mean that the general quality of the music suffers though.

The musicianship is outstanding. The guys in the band were no more than 19-20 years old when they recorded this album and just listen to what they are playing. They are extremely skilled musicians. Rune T who is credited for playing on rubbish needs to be mentioned for his outstanding percussion skills. This guy could have played with Zappa that´s how good he is IMO. Unfortunately he would leave the band after this album.

The production is strong. It´s not flawless but suits the music well. The vocals are a bit low in the mix when Boriz is not growling but it´s a minor flaw. It´s noteworthy that Peter Schneidermann aka Peter Peter (Sods, Sort Sol, Bleeder) is credited as producer on "Knee".

"Knee" is a pretty original album allthough influences from some of the projects Mike Patton has been involved in are apparent. I will mention Mr. Bungle and Tomahawk. The music on "Knee" is not as out there as the music practiced by Mr. Bungle though so if you like your avant garde rock/ metal with a somewhat easier accessible approach "Knee" might be the answer. I know I have enjoyed myself greatly with this album and I´ve considered giving "Knee" a rating somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I´ll make it a small 4 star rating though. It´s very rarely an album makes my body move in spastic movements (that´s what it looks like when I dance) and for that they deserve that extra half star.

(By the way. Notice that beautiful childish cover art. Just hilarious when you know that you can expect death metal growling and avant garde rock parts inside).

UMUR "Replacing Hinges Or..." is the debut demo tape by Danish avant garde rock/ metal act Düreforsög (translates into Animal testing). The demo was recorded on the 29th of November 1994 on a 4-track tape machine in the band´s rehearsal room in the youth club called Huset on Skt. Knuds vej 7, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. The five songs on the demo tape was recorded in three hours and mixed in three hours in the following week. All five tracks on "Replacing Hinges Or..." were re-recorded for Düreforsög´s debut full-length studio album "Knee (1997)".

I remember this demo tape circulating when I went to high school in the mid nineties. Düreforsög were generally considered as a very interesting/hip thing by the most arty types on my high school, but the band didn´t suit my taste at the time (my interests were in death metal and later progressive metal in those years). I might have heard the demo at some party or other but quite frankly it´s a bit hard to remember much from those days (you figure it out LOL). So I don´t have the original tape, but while this review is being written Düreforsög have given visitors on their official website the opportunity to download the songs for free. I´ve downloaded and listened to the songs for a few weeks and I´m actually very impressed by what I´m hearing.

The music on the demo is eclectic in style and generally a bit weird but that´s to be expected by an avant garde rock/ metal band right. There is an emphasis on the rythm section that I really enjoy. There is both a drummer and a really skilled percussionist (I´m told that Rune T´s percussion kit consisted of all sorts of strange garbage). The bass playing is also very impressive. The guitar plays some pretty dissonant things while lead singer Boriz Schiøler shows his schizophrenic tendencies with both talking style singing (ala David Byrne, Les Claypool), weird high pitched screams and death metal growling.

The first four songs are all good examples of Düreforsög´s style while the last song "Henning?" is just a short outro. "There's Something Inside My Knee" is definitely my favorite here with its punk like vers and crazy percussion sections. Rune T´s is one crazy and skilled percussionist, that´s for sure. "Me, Myself & Ear" reminds me a bit of Primus, but Düreforsög´s generally have their own unique sound.

The musicianship is excellent. These guys were somewhere between the age of 16 and 19 when they recorded this demo and their skills are already highly evolved. Again I have to mention percussionist Rune T for his outstanding playing on the demo.

The production is raw demo quality, but still enjoyable.

The compositions are a bit imature which is excusable considering the band´s young age. I´m still greatly entertained by "Replacing Hinges Or..." though and I would recommend that you visit Düreforsög´s official website and download this demo if you think the above description of their music sounds interesting. A solid 3 star rating from me.