VILJANS ÖGA

I want to make this clear: This is by no means a perfect album; I do not consider this to be one of the guiding lights by which progressive rock music should be compared or to which artists should aspire. It lacks the commitment and courage of using lyrics and vocals. It is, however, an incredible gathering of talented artists who have made a complete effort to create intricate compositions fully displaying their top-notch instrumental wizardry as well as And, for once, Anglagard has mastered tying into its complicated compositions both melody and emotion. I believe it is through their maturity that they have been able to discipline such an amazing collaboration. And, yes, I agree, that the stronger prominence of both acoustic guitars and woodwinds have helped bring this album to this level of not only masterful performance and presentation but to universal accessibility and acceptance.

While I appreciated the technical and instrumental mastery that it took to create Hybris, I found it repellingly cold and cerebral. While I found Epilog more engaging and melodic, not so pretentious, I still felt no long-term love for it. After intense and frequent revisits (even now) I still find little to no attraction to either of those albums. Viljans Ã?ga, however, has entered my heart. I play it often. It has the pastoral, spacious, melodic sections--and lots of them!--that my soul seems to require in order for me to want to come back to music--my favorite music. Whether it will make my All-time Top 100 is doubtful. Whether music listeners will want to rank this up there in the PA all-time Top 10 is not for me to say, but then, I do not consider Thick as a Brick, Godbluff, or Wish You Were Here, among the ten most seminal, influencial standard bearers of progressive rock music. Good luck, everybody! We're all counting on you!