Motorpsycho

by Mario Mesquita Borges
Norwegian alternative rockers Motorpsycho formed in October of 1989, in Trondheim, combining the efforts of a three-piece crew, fronted by Bent Saether (bass, vocals), along with Hangus Magnus Ryan (guitar) and Kjell Runar Jenssen (drums). One year after assembling, the trio recorded Mayden Voyage, its first demo tape, which eventually turned out to be delivered months later as Lobotomizer, their first album. Shortly afterward, Jenssen parted ways with the group, and Hakon Gebhardt filled in the drums position. In 1992, Motorpsycho offered its second recording, a vinyl EP titled 8 Soothing Songs for Rut. Demon Box, the Norwegians fourth studio effort, arrived in 1993, along with the contributing keyboard aptitude of Helge Steen. By then, the band's cult and following in Norway started growing even more, mainly due to a local Grammy nomination. During the succeeding two years, the group issued two EPs: Mountain in 1993 and Another Ugly in 1994. Still in 1994, the team offered Timothy's Monster, a record compiling the previous year's work. It was also by that time that Morten Fagervik and Lars Lien joined in the band, temporarily replacing Steen. Tussler, yet another full-length disc, showed up in 1994, as a special concept soundtrack for an imaginary Western movie. During the subsequent year, Motorpsycho played at numerous festivals, not only in Norway, but also in Europe, steadily strengthening a loyal and growing fan base. Blissard arrived in 1996 and, one year later, so did Angels and Daemons at Play. The double album Trust Us hit the record stores in 1998, prior to Roadwork, Vol. 1: Heavy Metall Iz a Pose, Hardt Rock Iz a Laifschteil, the crew's first live album, in March 1999. Let Them Eat Cake showed up in January 2000, one year before the album Barracuda.