Style: Progressive rock, folk rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Soen, The Dear Hunter, new Leprous, Hozier
Country: USA (Wisconsin)
Release date: 11 April 2025
I like going to the sphagnum bog near my house. Carved into the landscape by the inflow of the Champlain Sea some 12,000 years ago, this ecologically significant area is home to a rich array of flora and fauna in spite of its oligotrophic conditions. Once used for farming, it is now wrapped around by a scenic boardwalk peppered with signage detailing the bog’s history, plants and animals to look out for, and bafflingly, one rather editorialized sign depicting how mysterious bog creatures might come lurching out of the mist and kill you. A strange juxtaposition, to be sure, but perhaps not wholly incomparable to the experience of wandering through the murkier corners of progressive rock: the terrain may be uneven, there may be some unpredictable encounters along the way, but there’s always a promise of discovery.
Billed in the steam room of the Progressive Subway as a mix of Soen and The Dear Hunter, Samtar immediately caught my attention as a fan of those two bands. A one-man project with a prolific seven albums to his name in just five years, Samtar’s offerings are indeed deserving of both these comparisons and more, as he pairs a ringingly resonant baritone register giving touches of Soen’s Joel Ekelöf (“Desert Creature”) and Jim Grey of Caligula’s Horse (“Refuse”) with instrumental backing that ponderously navigates from dreamy and subtle to insistent and pulsing. In addition to the various heavier influences, Samtar also bears somewhat of a resemblance to Hozier (“All You Ever Wanted”) in his plaintive vocal delivery and blues-tinged folk instrumentals. The more those jazz and blues elements poke out of the mire, the better the effect, as the swingin’ guitar lines provide a smooth complement to Samtar in his relaxed baritone element.
All’s not well in the bog, however, and some of the trouble lies in the higher vocal range that Samtar seems intent on conquering. “Destiny is a Lie” illustrates this inconsistency perfectly, as the track sees him venture into a flimsy falsetto that adds nothing to the delivery. Belting, as in “All You Ever Wanted”, isn’t much better. It’s not that he can’t hit the high notes; more that doing so sometimes sounds like an uncomfortable strain.
This lack of vocal and lyrical subtlety sometimes makes for jarring juxtapositions of the album’s understated moments with the more bombastic ones. In “Fickle Fortune”, when Samtar cries out, “I fucking hate the fact we play these games”, I want to chastise him: sir, we’re in a bog! Don’t disturb the apparitions. Similarly in “Broken Sparrow”, which is the least heavy track on The Bog of Cosmic Delusions, Samtar’s climactic, passionate vocal release lacks the restraint and precision required for a successful execution, and the passion feels unearned. Also awkward at times is the way the lyrical and musical phrases are paired: emphasis often falls on the wrong syllable—this is particularly noticeable in “Distant Voices”, but recurs throughout the album.
While the vocals bubble most prominently up to the surface of The Bog of Cosmic Delusions, Samtar delivers capable and varied instrumental performances across the album. Also to his credit, Samtar’s writing boasts some genuinely catchy hooks: tracks like “Desert Creature” and “Fickle Fortune” are effortless to bop along to, and firmly lodged themselves in my head throughout my time in the mire. The weight given to the bass in the mix contributes to this infectious appeal, infusing a persistent groove under the action that reminds me of a walking bass line at times. “The Whispers” is probably the most instrumentally suggestive of The Dear Hunter; the intro sounds like it could be straight off Migrant. The glittering keys and jazz-adjacent guitar throughout are satisfying, though this track as well as a few others (“All You Ever Wanted”, “Vicarious Voodoo”) end rather abruptly.
Not unlike the boardwalk that winds through the bog near my home, The Bog of Cosmic Delusions is a journey replete with twists and turns, and a few unwelcome bogeymen along the way. Samtar’s strengths—his baritone voice, catchy riffs, and moody instrumental backdrops—offer stepping stones of real promise. But the trek is tripped up by unpolished vocal forays, lyrical clumsiness, and occasional lapses in nuance and finesse. With a finer touch and careful footing, Samtar’s next expedition might yield more solid ground.
Recommended tracks: Desert Creature, The Whispers, Vicarious Voodoo
You may also like: Thomas Giles, Birdmask, Mono Town
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Samtar is:
– Samtar (everything)
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