Hardrockers trying to get into jazz in the twenty-first century should go straight to the music of Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen. In my opinion, no one is more proficient at blending the raw power and compositional backbone of rock music with the harmonic richness and adventurous chord work of jazz quite like Mollestad, especially with her trio. The new Hedvig Mollestad Trio album ‘Bees in the Bonnet‘ might actually be the best way to start a journey into hard-edged progressive jazz-rock, as it features some of Mollestad’s most abrasive riffs to date, once again outdoing herself with some excellent instrumental guitar music.

What sets Mollestad apart from other jazz guitarists attempting to cross over into rock is that her riffs are simply better. She genuinely plays like a hard rock guitarist rather than a jazz player with additional distortion. What might make ‘Bees in the Bonnet’ hit so hard with me is the fact that she goes all-in on the riffs. The riffs were always a central part of the music of the Hedvig Mollestad Trio, but ‘Bees in the Bonnet’ tones down the improvisational aspects in favor of incredibly heavy riff work and the fantastic interaction between Mollestad, bassist Ellen Brekken, and drummer Ivar Loe Bjørnstad.

Mollestad never made a secret of her love for King Crimson. That influence has never have been as clear as it is on ‘Bees in the Bonnet’, though, with the possible exception of her masterpiece of a solo debut ‘Ekhidna‘. What might help is that the trio format puts the focus on the riff, the rhythm, and occasionally a melody. It’s not just one specific period of King Crimson’s work either. Opening track ‘See See Bop’ would not have been out of place on ‘Red’ in a slightly different arrangement, while the fantastic ‘Itta’ has hints of the abstract industrial learnings of nineties King Crimson, though with a gorgeously melodic latter half.

Don’t expect the whole album to sound like that, however. ‘Golden Griffin’ builds from an intro reminiscent of Mastodon with less busy drums to a theme that feels like a distorted variation on Chick Corea’s ‘Señor Mouse’, only to make room for a crushing middle section with some wild, at times atonal lead guitar work. ‘Bob’s Your Giddy Aunt’ starts out very abstract, almost avant-garde, then builds on Brekken’s fantastic bassline, while closer ‘Apocalypse Slow’ is a masterclass on heavy riffing dynamics. The ballad ‘Lamament’, on the other hand, is far more traditionally jazzy, serving as a nice moment of respite on a heavy album.

In a way, ‘Bees in the Bonnet’ brings together the best aspects of Mollestad’s work with her trio and those of the works released under just her own name. While the Black Sabbath grooves are less prominent, the album is no less heavy than any other Hedvig Mollestad Trio album, and it accounts for headbanging as well as active listening. I’ve said it before, but I will say it again: if I was allowed to only listen to one jazz-related artist for the rest of my life, it would be Mollestad. ‘Bees in the Bonnet’ might be my favorite album released in 2025 so far.

Recommended tracks: ‘Itta’, ‘See See Bop’, ‘Apocalypse Slow’