Transcending Into the Unknown - The Journey

​Transcending Into the Unknown

The Journey
self-released; 2025

By Jamie Funk

Formed in 2023, Transcending Into the Unknown are a band from Norway. Consisting of brothers Filip and Robert “pzyroks” Dahl, along with Filip’s son Stian, the project grew out of a shared musical lineage and a hunger for something more expansive than the sum of their parts. What began with a self-titled debut single has since evolved into a larger constellation with the addition of Eva Halsetrønning Rambraut on vocals, opening up a vast and more symphonic palette. Their latest release, The Journey, a six-song EP, plays like a mythic saga carved into Norwegian rock ice—grand, cryptic, and unafraid to veer into strange terrain.

“Winternight” opens with flamenco-tinged guitar riffs before snowballing into a high-drama prog rock storm. The vocal interplay borders on theatrical—first, a baritone male voice that feels ripped from a fantasy epic, followed by Rambraut’s ethereal, almost celestial counterpart. Later, a third male voice enters the fray with a more grounded mid-range tone. Together, they form a kind of prog-operatic triad, lurching between the grandiose and the meditative, the sacred and the strange.

“Giants” marches in with militaristic drum patterns and a strong cinematic pulse. There’s a synth-heavy, '80s grandeur to it—more Blade Runner than basement show—and the growling, Marilyn Manson-adjacent vocals create a shadowy tension against the cleaner melodic lines. It’s a track that lives in contrasts: ominous and glorious, glimmering and grim.

“The Valley” slows the pace, leaning into melancholia with a melodic edge that recalls late-’80s Metallica filtered through the technical labyrinth of Dream Theater. There’s a quiet desolation here, but also a sense of propulsion—a trudging forward through snow-covered ground. “Chronos,” perhaps the most structurally daring track, showcases all three vocal styles and refuses to settle, morphing into new shapes every few minutes. It’s a song in perpetual metamorphosis.

“Noir” detours into blues territory, grounding the EP with something more earthbound and textured. It’s a welcome moment of looseness before the closer, “Transcending Into the Unknown,” eases the listener back into the void. With cosmic guitar lines and Pink Floyd-esque atmospherics, it feels like both a return and an ascension—warm, expansive, and curiously serene.

The Journey is sprawling and unapologetically ambitious. At times it’s theatrical to the point of excess, but there’s real sincerity in the band’s willingness to stretch boundaries and weave their influences into something personal. If you’ve ever wished your prog metal had more flamenco, or your fantasy scores came with a side of blues, this is your portal.

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