THE STORY OF MR. BOGD PART 1

1. A Hasty Departure well we have to admit that Patrik's voice hasn't changed since the start; after the sound either, still the violins, the organs of the time and the vintage folk prog atmosphere, flute in front and bouzouki behind Fredrik; in short a vintage Scandinavian sound in their vein 2. The Inn Of The Haunted Owl continues with the nasal voice that can make one think of that of JETHRO TULL, of Martin BARRE's singer rather; Jon abuses his organs for a sound already returned and consensual 3. Dreams In A Brougham continues with the typical Irish sound, yes that of 'Local hero'; we are far from the vicissitudes of life, the pipe seems to slow down time; a beautiful bucolic dream interlude 4. Chichikov Bogd follows, yes the sequence of pieces is proven; the sound increases, on a well-watered folk bourrée; the eclectic keyboard that gives a more modern sound, is far from the YES of the 90s. The variation is fresh, bringing all the instruments into a dazzling progressive melting pot; the finale is dancing, fresh, boosted 5. Mr. Tilly And His Gang continues with the country march of a Tolkienen universe; the air becomes jerky, a little bouzouki to embellish, organs of the time, a funfair, the piece taken as a military march, the passage grandiloquent, theatrical, hilarious operetta; in short a very beautiful piece with a drawer in fact

6. Through A Rural Landscape as an interlude, sumptuous, lively march with a jazzy saloon piano that sets the mood, another progressive trap piece 7. The Feline Companion continues with the classical arpeggio piano solo; Patrik talks more than he sings, talks about things, about the mysterious Mr. Bogd surely; this piece is the most symphonic with a dreamlike crescendo; well a story of a woman with a cat on her back I like 8. Read All About It! ah cinematic intro from the time when we didn't know that existed; sounds of horseshoes, a bell in the distance; an energetic rhythm, the nasal voice, in the good sense of the term, and if there was a violin with it I would sign to write that this RITUAL is much better than the JETHRO TULL, too chopped, lacking progressive tessitura. Here the sound gets worse, becomes electric, energetic, still festive; the finale explodes on a heavy riff, furious choirs showing a singular, enjoyable aspect, boosting the term vintage out of my mind 9. Forgotten Qualities and a bit of bucolic with this chirping; the acoustic arpeggio for the simple bucolic ballad, enough to settle down after all this colorful and note-filled unpacking. As a Frenchman, I find there the delicate sweetness of an ANGEL of yesteryear, magnificent, I find there the enchanting melody of a BIG BIG TRAIN, of the FLOWER KINGS; the arpeggio continues and launches 10. The Three Heads Of The Well on a wild Nordic solo that would have toured Europe; the bouzouki, the oriental toms as witnesses. A typical folk sound to help us return to port because this snubbed album is worth the trip.

I cannot be the only proghead who was surprised when Ritual made their presence known in 2020 with the release of an EP, 'Glimpses From The Story of Mr. Bogd' featuring songs from the next two albums. They had been so inspired by working to a narrative with 'A Dangerous Journey' that they decided to take it to the next level, writing music and lyrics based on a story written by band's bassist and main lyricist Fredrik Lindqvist, which totalled 90 minutes and will be released over two albums, of which this is the first. Even though they may have been out of the public view for many years, the band are still the same quartet of Patrik Lundström (vocals, guitar), Jon Gamble (keyboards, harmonium, harmonica, vocals), Fredrik Lindqvist (bass, bouzouki, mandolin, flutes) and Johan Nordgren (drums, percussion).

I am very glad indeed that I listened to this after playing their 2007 album, 'A Dangerous Journey' (which was the previous release) as here they have taken everything they did on that and lifted it to a new level. This never sounds like a band who have come back to the scene after being away for a long time, but rather it sounds as if it could have been released the following year. It is rather like Tolkien, who was asked by his publisher to write a sequel to 'The Hobbit' and came back with something which was obviously very related but also somewhat different, for which he apologised (his letters are well worth reading), 'Lord of the Rings'. The band have not changed what they were doing in terms of their approach, but everything has been amplified ? with no deadlines to work to, or if there were originally they were soon passed by, it has allowed the band to produce something which is sheer class as they have managed to do so without muddying the sound by doing too much. There are times when it is just an acoustic guitar, with other instruments joining, while the use of folkier elements certainly provides a lot of depth and Gentle Giant is never too far away.

This album has been out a few months now and I find it difficult to comprehend that it has only one other review on PA, and none from any other collaborators, yet I am happy to put this in my Top 10 of the year as it is a progressive rock album which is very special indeed. It shines, it soars, and it never seems as if Ritual have been away as we get taken on a wonderful journey which encompasses lots of styles and themes. Even if you have never heard their earlier albums then be confident in getting this as this is prog which has been elevated

This 4-piece Swedish Prog band made a few albums in the 90's and early 2000's and then disappeared, but has now re-formed and re-emerged after a 17-year hiatus with a fantastic new album, of which this is the part of a series (2nd part coming out later). The band features a varied musical approach incorporating classic progressive rock with folk, punk, and various modern elements. Great diversity and originality, from classically-influenced melodic instrumentals to hard-rocking modern prog, and they also feature many eclectic acoustic instruments, such as bouzoukis, mandolins, flutes, harmonica, etc. well-integrated into their sound. The Story of Mr. Bogd is a concept album following the varied adventures of the mysterious Mr.Bogd. One minor criticism is that there is no ending or conclusion to the album, it just ends abruptly. I recognize that this is just the first part of the story, but when the parts are released separately as individual albums, there should be some sense of conclusion to this part at least, so that the album can stand on its own. No doubt with the second part, this will be remedied, and that may actually make this first part make more sense, but it did leave a very unfinished feeling to the project. But, overall, a quite wonderful excursion. Best tracks: Chichikov Bogd, Dreams in Brougham, Read All About It, Through a Rural Landscape, Forgotten Qualities. Rating: 4