Similar to my thoughts on Osanna's Palepoli, Änglagård's second album perfectly fits my ideal of what a progressive rock album should be and what it should sound like. Except I don't really feel it. I adore Hybris, but Epilog never hit me the same. Which is not me saying I don't like the album - oh yes, I do. Very much so. But it should be (or I think it should be) a 5 star masterpiece and falls a hair short. Even though the songs on Epilog are varied, they share common traits that become a bit tedious. The soft-loud-soft-loud dynamics are predictable after appearing unpredictable on first impact. I miss the sparse Swedish vocals as well - perhaps too much of the same thing when going totally instrumental. Without a doubt, Änglagård were the best thing going in 1994, and this new album was very much anticipated, and they delivered in grand fashion. Fantastic production too. It would be another 19 years before they released the follow-up - an album that is arguably better than Epilog as they rectified some of the issues I state above. I doubt there are too many people reading UMR who aren't already familiar with Änglagård, but if not, start with Hybris, and make Epilog the 3rd stop on your journey.
Ownership: CD: 1994 private. Jewel case release with thick booklet containing eerie photos, and some poetry for each piece (in Swedish). Full recording details as well.
LP: 1995 Gates of Dawn (USA). One of only a handful of new/contemporary LP's I bought in the 90s. Part of it is I knew Michael Piper and wanted to support him. But I also knew that Änglagård on vinyl would be a special package. And it is. Thick gatefold with libretto that replicates the CD booklet. Also has a sheet translating the poetry (or lyrics that aren't sung) to English. Stunning package.
CD: 2013 Arcangelo (Japan). 2xCD. I bought this purely as collector mania. I got the whole Änglagård box set, which is stunning. The Epilog CD comes in a thick gatefold like the original with all the details as the LP. Comes with an additional booklet in Japanese. Also contains the second disc (as released in 2010 by the band) with a 3:40 minute bonus track. Rather excessive. I didn't listen to it on this revisit.
1994; 3/7/10; 7/6/22 (new entry)
Anglagard
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