Thrown down in one day at Element Studio, Gothenburg, ‘A Guidance’ depicts the one-time action of Fixation’s
trio following their noses to creaking conclusions of eerily reverberant keys and barbed noise underlining
and ensnaring Leif Elggren’s gnarled, desiccated delivery. The two citizens of The Kingdoms of Elgaland
Vargaland occupy an uncanny, shared fissure of interest with a rare, possessed conviction in their thing as
the album shifts from the sparing tension of Nordwall’s looming keys and awning lacunæ filled by the ranting
voice in an almost operatic form on ‘Evil Moisture’, to ratchet the intensity to voluminous degrees on ‘Opening
of the Grave’, and steadily let it all fester and grow into sorest tones on ‘To Return’, ultimately expending all
energies and dropping fists on the lower end of the keys in ‘Forever in the Ever and Never.’ If you’re in the right
mood this one will suck you right in and pin you there.
“Full focus. Recorded in one day on the Element Studio in Gothenburg. For some reason, I had decided to play
the grand piano though effects. Leif had brought only texts for some vocal action. Linus had a sound in mind.
Daniel had chosen a cover image already. I remember it so well, that it all sort of just happened. We did not
talk about what kind of energy or tension we were after. Sometimes it is just like the music is just there and
you don’t have to do anything than just to let it flow. I think we were in some kind of shock when we listened
to it. So we left it alone for a few years before we could approach a final mix. I think this is one of the greatest
experiences I have had recording an album. I have no idea if anyone will care. But I do in a way I rarely do these
days. - Joachim Nordwall[info sheet from distr.]