HFMC

A review by Don Cassidy of Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio

The third release by a band has a historical musical precedent of being very important in a band's history. Often it takes a band a few albums to find themselves and the third release has been that place. This is evident in classic releases such as The Yes Album, Trilogy by Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, Machine Head by Deep Purple (Mark II), and Cream's Wheels Of Fire. On HFMC, Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion has taken their mix of progressive rock and hard/classic blues based rock to another level. In an interview with Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio, Hasse Froberg told us that the band, 'reached another level on this album.' When hearing the songs, the instrumentation, and production of HFMC, this reviewer agrees. In addition, it appears that the band has released an album that will be an early contender for album of the year and one of the best releases by any member of The Flower Kings.

Most progressive rock fans are familiar with Hasse Froberg as the dynamic singer/rhythm guitarist of The Flower Kings for close to 20 years. While band leader and progressive rock icon Roine Stolt represents the more classic side of progressive rock, Hasse represents that dynamic Bon Scott/Robert Plant element of the band, that is particularly evident in their live performances. When the band was on hiatus in 2010, Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion burst on the scene with their debut album, Future Past. This was followed by the excellent Powerplay in 2012, which was show cased by their appearance at the Rites Of Spring Festival in May of 2012. After a triumphant return to the prog scene, which included two acclaimed albums, The Flower Kings are again taking a break. This allows the individual band members to move forward with their music and projects outside of The Flower Kings. The time was right for a huge step forward by Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion.

HFMC is a 63 minute release that contains 9 tracks, three of which totaling greater than ten minutes in length. After a short keyboard intro by Kjell Harldsson, Seconds, the band begins the album with the track, Can't Stop The Clock. This song has been chosen as the first video for the album. With the majestic beginning and memorable chorus, I can see this song as a natural opener for the live stage. The next song, Everything Can Change, was described by Froberg to me as one the best songs he has written in terms of structure and arrangement. The next song, Pages, is the longest one at over 15 minutes in length. With music written by drummer, Ola Strandbeg, this is one of the proggiest songs by the band with many exciting twists and turns. The Gilmour influenced guitar by Anton Lindsjo at the ten minutes mark is particularly memorable. Genius slows down the tempo for five minutes and Froberg sings about the mental struggles of someone blessed with talent that left the world too soon. The Warmth of the Evening is next and is described by Froberg as the most symphonic rock song on the album. More than any other song, this one may remind the listener a bit of The Flower Kings. The next track, Something Worth Dying For, is the heaviest song on the album and again features the guitar of Linsjo. The final ten minute plus song on the album, Someone Else's Fault, was described by Froberg as, ' a mix between Stevie Wonder, Yes, Whitesnake and AC/DC.' As with many of the songs, the guitar of Linsjo, the keys of Haraldsson and majestic vocals from Froberg lead the way. The album concludes again with the ticking clock, this time representing Minutes.

There is no question that HFMC further cements this band as a force on the modern progressive rock scene and not just a side project for Hasse Froberg. The band are truly masters of blending modern prog with blues based heavy/classic rock and the playing and arrangements on the album are a treat for the listeners. With his work with both The Companion and The Flower Kings, Froberg continues to distinguish himself a top notch songwriter, musician and performer. In addition, the members of The Companion, Anton Lindsjo, Kjell Haraldsson, Ola Strandberg, and Thomas Thomsson, all equally contribute to the synergy that is evident to the listener. This fantastic album is available on Glassville Records and I would highly recommend to attempt to catch Hasse Froberg & Musical Companion live.

Don Cassidy President, Interviewer, DJ, Artist Promo contact Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio www.deliciousagony.com

Share this HASSE FRÖBERG & MUSICAL COMPANION review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to YESABWH
• Report this review (#1380129)
• Buy HASSE FRÖBERG & MUSICAL COMPANION music online with PA partners
• Show all HASSE FRÖBERG & MUSICAL COMPANION MP3/Stream
• Go to HASSE FRÖBERG & MUSICAL COMPANION page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to HFMC page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for HASSE FRÖBERG & MUSICAL COMPANION related discussions