Sverre Knut Johansen: Metahuman
Spotted Peccary

For his sixth Spotted Peccary album, Sverre Knut Johansen drew for inspiration from Deepak Chopra and his book Metahuman, the book ostensibly about transcending ordinary being and reaching higher consciousness and one's optimal self. It's not the first time the Norwegian ambient-electronic composer has used philosophical ideas as a springboard for his musical imaginings and likely won't be the last. The beneficiaries of his approach are not only the artist but the listener too, as Metahuman impresses as another solid addition to his discography.

As always with instrumental music, the listener can choose to ignore whatever extra-musical meanings the artist has imparted—certainly track titles such as “Human (Path of Destruction)” and “Infinity Being” are clear in their intended meaning—and experience the work as a pure sound creation. Similar to his previous releases, Metahuman registers less as a collection of separate tracks and more as a symphonic suite filled with peaks and valleys and changing moods. Johansen's command of melody and timbre are on full display in this latest epic sound painting. Layers of electronics, synthesizers, and bass guitar are assembled into multi-layered constructions that while dense avoid turning muddy. Adding significantly to the sound palette, Johansen plays Haken ContinuuMini on two pieces, and David Helpling's credited with guitar, synths, and piano on one track and Ståle Storløkken Haken Continuum on three others.

The dramatic title track forms an effective and enticing harbinger, dotted as it is with atmospheric synth textures, Haken Continuum flourishes, and an arresting downtempo groove. Johansen indulges his appetite for long-form constructions in two tracks, “Human (Path of Destruction)” and “Metahuman (Extended),” each checking in at about ten minutes. Consistent with its title, the former's pitched at a grandiose level, with a simulated violin tickling the ear with dancing arpeggiator patterns and tribal drums, guitar-like timbres, and blazing synths collectively building to a senses-dazzling crescendo. Storløkken's Haken Continuum figures prominently in “Unity of Existence Through Evolution,” the instrument's capacity for note-bending key in conveying the setting's elegiac, mournful character. The relentlessly shape-shifting “Fluctuations of Awareness” similarly catches the attention when distorted warblings surface alongside a churning, helicopter-like pattern.

November 2022