RITES AT DAWN

It's true what many reviewers say: this album sounds like a YES clone, inspired to the golden period of the YES, the one including The Yes Album, Close To The Edge and Fragile. But I don't think it's a bad thing. WOBBLER have been able to put the clock back to the 70s, composing and playing something that , if you don't know, seems coming directly from the 70s.

However there's not only a YES influence. "The River" in example reminds more to the KING CRIMSON (of the Bruford period of course), and they still have that touch of "Scandinavian" that's undefineable, but makes a dotted line which links bands and artists like ANGLAGARD, PAR LINDH, BO HANSSON and also the great PEKKA POHJOLA.

The vocals are high pitched, but not so high as Anderson and Squire can be, maybe more similar to Rabin, but apart of mentioning the possible influencer this album is first of all a collection of excellent songs, containing all the things that one can expect to find in a prog album: odd signatures, sudden changes, solos, strong bass and percussions, contaminations with jazz and classics (not too much but there's a bit).

In terms of rating, even though it's non essential as it doesn't contain anything really "new", is a so goos album that everybody can enjoy on different levels. First for the pure listening pleasure, then for the impressive musicianship of the band that from a pure technical point of view doesn't have anything less than the bigs mentioned above.

That's why I think it can find its place in any collection and rate it with 4 stars.