HYBRIS

Anglagard, one of those bands EVERY proghead should have heard about. Lately I tried to get around reviewing the two Anglagard albums because I try to concentrate on bands without a general echo like Anglagard. But now it's time to write a little bit about this great band. I woun't tell you new things, just take a look on how many times Anglagard got reviewed here but I may help to proof that Anglagard is a band no proghead should leave out. I got to know Anglagard due to a german prog site. The two albums are rated as the two best prog albums of all time, at least refering to the rating and amount of reviews. And what can I say? I don't think that you will find a better prog band. I consider Anglagard's music to be perfect, nothing is missing, nothing bothers me, just perfect. I really love the fine mellotron-work, truly awesome. The mixture between beautiful, mellow parts and weird, crazy almost wild sections. Unlike "Epilog", their debut "Hybris" features vocals. Some consider the vocals to be bothering but I don't think so. The vocals don't make such a big difference. (Sorry for the same introduction...)

"Jordrök" is an instrumental and for me, one of the best songs on the big, wide world. The awesome piano intro leads into the main part of the song. I really like the melody and mixture of mellow and loud parts. One thing is conspicuous, no instrument seems to be dominating, all of them contribute to the general sound. "Vandringar i Vilsenhet" features swedish vocals. I don't understand them, unfortunately but they don't bother, far from it, I even like them. But the instrumental work wich envolves from mellow to wild and quite weird, is the main part of Anglagard's music. "Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet" begins with a muted crazy circus like music and directly changes to a heavier crazy part with lightly dominating guitar. The middle part is quite calm but rises in the end. The last two minutes feature a some melodies wich never got out of my mind, awesome. "Kung Bure" is another highlight, ok nothing but highlights on Anglagard albums. But "Kung Bure" features some great melodies and up and downs. I love the instrumental part in the middle of the song. I am a lucky owner of a remastered digipack edition so I can tell you something about the bonus track "Gånglåt från knapptibble". It was written for a music magazine dealing with our common passion prog. It features some parts wich also appear on Epilog. It sounds very weird and crazy in the beginning, features some vocals and lesds into a calm and mellow part. In the end the vocals appear again.

Like I said in my review for "Epilog", Anglagard is the best prog band there is, or was. All other bands are not fit to hold a candle to this great band from sweden. Genesis, King Crimson, ELP or Gentle Giant, nobody of them really moved me like Anglagard does. I can listen to "Hybris" and "Epilog" again and again, it never gets boring, you always discover new things because it is so varied. So if you don't know this band you definitely missed something. If you read this review because you want to inform about Anglagard and don't know what to thing about them, don't think, get their albums as fast as possible, you woun't regret it. Highly recommended isn't the right term here, we have to invent something new for Anglagard albums.