EPILOG

Having been completely blown away by Änglagård's first album Hybris, I had to get this one too. It took a while to get into Epilog as it doesn't quite have the immediacy of Hybris, but it's well worth the effort. There is so much to appreciate here; the neo- classical opening number, the echoes of Genesis' "Fountain of Salmacis" in "Höstsejd," combined with the laid-back Camelesque approach to composition, with some (more melodic) Gentle Giant stylings, and some prog-metal thrown in. It's amazing that it all works as a cohesive whole without sounding a derivative mess, but after repeated listenings it holds its head up way above many more lauded albums. I still prefer Hybris, which is more joyous and fresh, but this comes a close second and deserves to be much more widely known and appreciated. The production is crystal clear, the musicianship outstanding. This is prog at its melodic best. Though what on earth the 14" "Rösten" is about... even more pointless than Bill Bruford's "Five Percent for Nothing"....