WATCH FOR THE UMBLES

It was the year 2002, when a new band, called GARGAMEL moved on the stage of the progressive rock theater. 4 years later, the smart norwegian guys produced their first album, they gave it the name WATCH FOR THE UMBLES. It was an album full of ideas, full of great instrumental work (especially on the cello and the flutes), few chant and very long tracks.

You could clearly hear GARGAMEL's influences here: KING CRIMSON, ANGLAGARD and WOBBLER (allright, I don't really know if the last band was one of their influences but sometimes they sound very similar to that band, especially in the first song of the album, "Tics"). Sometimes I even heard some PINK FLOYD influences (especially in the last song "Agitated Mind").

All in all the album was very dreamy and sounded somehow exotic. The frequent use of the cello gave this album often a sad touch, the chant may not have been everybody's taste, I have to admit that I did not like it either as I heard it for the first time, but the oftener I listened to that CD the more I liked the chant. Now I think it fits perfectly to that strange style of this band.

However, this very less known band (I guess so) has created something new and if these guys go on as hitherto they can become very succesfull because they have a lot of potential.