Krokofant: 6

Krokofant is a Norwegian trio formed in 2011, built around the combustible chemistry of Tom Hasslan on guitar, Jorgen Mathisen on saxophone and synthesizers, and Axel Skalstad on drums. After two albums as a five-piece, they stripped back to their original trio format for 6, and the results are formidable.

"Oh My God" announces itself immediately. A striking and melodic unison hook shifts across registers, giving the track a bold, gripping energy that does not let up. The synergistic interplay between all three players is at the heart of everything here; this is a band that listens as fiercely as it plays. Hasslan's solo moves through psychedelic and prog-rock territory with real conviction before transitioning seamlessly into fluid jazz stylizations and delicious harmonies, with the shift feeling entirely natural rather than forced.

At different points in time, a lurking undercurrent of sound shadows the foreground, subtly altering the atmosphere and creating space for Hasslan's most expressive playing. The trio tears it up with the same fierce ambition that drives the album as a whole, before circling back to revisit the opening complex theme at the closeout—a satisfying and compositionally astute resolution. Nonetheless, few bands working in jazz-rock today match Krokofant's ability to balance raw improvisational energy with sharp compositional thinking.