Änglagård - Epilog. 1994 Sweden

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

Anglagard - Hybris. 1992 Sweden

The single foremost album that took 90s prog music kicking and screaming back into the 70s. Progressive rock was just beginning to make its comeback in the late 80s and early 90s, when Anglagard showed up and promptly flattened everyone on their ass. Most bands back then were more enamored with Marillion than Trettioariga Kriget (who?). Anglagard once and for all proved that the albatross moniker of "progressive rock" was a style of an era, not a philosophy that must be maintained with a certain high standard of modern creativity. Today, the term retro-progressive is used for bands like Anglagard, but that's a modern appellation. We were just grateful that "prog" was back at all, and in its original form. For that alone, Hybris will always be highly revered by rabid fans like moi. Of course the naysayers came out in droves at the time - just as they do now - stating mostly the obvious: It's not new. No, it isn't new. It is, however, an amazing distillation of a familiar sound - without any of the baggage of the 70s to get in the way. This was created by fans of the genre - for fans of the genre. Thank you Anglagard for paving that path that has continued to be well traveled today.

Ownership: LP: 1992 Colours (Norway). Beautiful gatefold with all sorts of goodies (booklets, stickers, notes). The Colours label was perhaps the last great progressive rock LP-only label before CDs took complete control, and before the vinyl renaissance of the 2010's.

CD: 1992 Mellotronen. Jewel case. This was one of the first new albums (perhaps the first?) where I had to have both the LP and the CD.

CD: 2013 Arcangelo (Japan). Papersleeve edition. Box set that uses Hybris as the cover and stores all three of their albums.

1992; 2010; 5/27/16 (new entry)

Änglagård - Viljans öga. 2012 Sweden

For years there was talk of a comeback. To the point of ridiculousness. It became something of a running joke. If not for the participation of actual band members on the various progressive rock focused chat boards, the whole thing would have been discredited. Then, seventeen years after Epilog had been released, another one of those tired announcements arrived: Änglagård has reformed and will have a new album out soon! Weee. Yawn. Heard that before.

Except this time it was real. The album cover was posted. The minute I saw it I just knew this was going to be special. Of course the naysayers were out in full force decrying the cover. Really? Where is the optimism of our planet anyway? To be honest, cover notwithstanding, I was still a bit skeptical. Spiritual leader Tord Lindman was no longer involved. And most importantly - 17 years is a long time. Really no band, in any era, is able to capture the spirit and angst of their youth. Anyone who has scaled challenging mountains, and the metaphoric equivalent in daily life, will tell their mighty tale on what a wonderful achievement it was - except the thought of doing it again is fatiguing. There's a price to pay for greatness. You have to exceed your mind, body, and spirit to accomplish it. And all of that is hard to regain, especially after going about the normal/mundane daily routine as we do.

But this is Änglagård, and they were always different. Personally, I'm floored by how great Viljans öga is. It sounds like classic Änglagård for certain, but it's still quite unique. They have changed some, and perhaps for the better. In fact, the two middle tracks 'Sorgmantel' (12:07) and 'Snårdom' (16:14) might be some the best compositions they've ever performed. Is it their best album? No, I'm not willing to say that. All three studio efforts are brilliant but I'm still partial to Hybris, perhaps the nostalgia factor wins the day.

So the question remains: Is this the bookend to a great era of progressive rock? Or are we about to embark on a new journey? I hope for the latter. Of course.

Ownership: LP: 2012 private. 2xLP. 45 RPM. Gatefold. Full sized booklet.

CD: 2012 private. Digipak.

CD: 2013 Arcangelo (Japan). Papersleeve edition. Part of a 3 mini-LP box set.

6/30/12 (first listen / review / new entry)