VILJANS ÖGA

Änglagård was born in 1991 out of the Swedish Prog Rock movement when Tord Lindman (guitars and vocals) and Johan Högberg (bass) put out ads looking for musicians with an interest for the progressive and innovative music of the early seventies. These ads were answered by keyboardist Thomas Johnson and guitarist Jonas Engdegård, who met with Tord and Johan, and these 4 became friends very fast. Drummer Olsson and flautist Anna Holmgren soon joined this group and by the spring of 1992 their first album, Hybris, was released. They disbanded in 1994, the same year of their second album entitled Epilog, after their final performance at Progfest in Los Angeles. Short lived as this was, Änglagård earned quite a bit of what would be considered critical acclaim for Prog Rock circles. Now here they are, reappearing again after almost a decade to present their new release, Viljans Öga. The promotion by the band for this album has been barely audible, and yet it has picked up quite a bit of speed in Prog circles through not much more than word of mouth.

The album consists of only 4 tracks, with the shortest track clocking in at 12 minutes long. Being instrumental, the music is a little difficult to describe, but I will attempt to give it the best description I can by saying it is like a musical journey through Alice's Wonderland. It is filled with beautiful and subtle complexities, sometimes startling mood changes, striking pace changes between peaceful and wild, at times odd harmonies and pitches, and some very interesting orchestration: guitars, bass, percussion, and keys being mixed in with wind instruments. As I listened to this album I was like a man under a spell ? completely captivated and never knowing what to expect next. If you have heard the old albums, Hybris and Epilog, trust me that the band have returned in rare form, and some crystal clear production gives them a new sparkle. And if you are unfamiliar with Änglagård, but have some interest in Prog at all, trust me this is a release you do not want to miss!

Originally written for www.seaoftranquility.org