DWELLERS OF THE DEEP

Norwegian band WOBBLER has a history that goes back to the tail end of the 1990's, and have established themselves as one of those bands that appear to be unable to create and release an album that isn't noteworthy. A quality band on all levels, always delivering high quality material. "Dwellers of the Deep" is their fifth studio album, and is set for a late October release through Norwegian label Karisma Records.

Wobbler continue their tradition of creating high quality songs on high quality albums. A certain taste for classic era progressive rock is needed to enjoy this album of course, but among those who do enjoy this specific type of music I'd wager a bet that the majority will place this album very high on their top 5 list of albums released in 2020. A production all fans of progressive rock should inspect, and one I suspect the greater majority will find really enjoyable too.

It was only a mere four years ago that the Norwegian band WOBBLER really stepped things up and usurped the throne as kings of retro prog with its fourth album "From Silence To Somewhere," an album so authentically steeped in vintage everything that you could really capture the zeitgeist of 1972 with Vietnam War protest fatigue, the Munich Olympics terrorist attacks, Watergate scandals and Coca Cola preaching how they'd like to teach the world to sing. The album was carefully planned and dripping with classic prog-isms that made you wish you could go back and time and trip out at a Yes concert. The world was stunned since the band's previous three efforts were decent but paled in comparison to the mighty roar of the sounds of "Silence."

When a band rockets into superstardom, even in underground musical terms, many things can happen. A given band can repeat the formula ad nauseam and milk it for all its worth, a given band can totally go off the rail and unleash their unrestrained avant-garde fantasies and alienate the fanbase or a given band can gracefully move on but not deviating too far from the album that put them on the map and eschew the temptation of making a carbon copy. The latter is exactly how WOBBLER has decided to proceed with its newfound glory in the prog spotlight and three years later makes a triumphant return with its eagerly anticipated followup and fifth album DWELLERS OF THE DEEP.

Once agin WOBBLER goes for the 70s retro jugular with the quintet of Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo (vocals, guitars), Marius Halleland (guitars, backing vocals), Lars Fredrik Frøislie (keyboards), Kristian Karl Hultgren (bass) and Martin Nordrum Kneppen (drums) forging that perfect middle ground somewhere in a parallel universe where classic bands like Yes, Genesis, Camel and a dash of Gentle Giant were all fused together for a moment and cranked out a bunch of albums. While some whippersnappers call this stuff vintage dad rock, others are called to evoke the sacred spirit of classic prog and remember how the wizards of yore constructed some of the most grandiose constructs tucked in the paradigm of rock music and celebrate its timelessness.

Graced with gorgeous eye-catching cover art, it's immediately apparent before even pushing play that DWELLERS OF THE DEEP finds WOBBLER staunchly positioned with its hand on the pulse of the retro prog loving public and fears are set aside of a botched comeback attempt once the wobbling keyboards, Christ Squire inspired bass lines and vocal nods to Jon Anderson come roaring through as the opening track "By The Banks" wends and winds through its proggy soundscape for a whopping playing time of nearly 14 minutes. WOBBLER is back and all fears are extinguished as this album of four tracks continues the magnanimity of its predecessor without skipping a beat! The album's four songs are divided into two lengthy prog behemoths, "By The Banks" at 13:49 and the album's highlight, the closing 19 minute sprawler "Merry Macabre" with two shorter tracks "Five Rooms" and "Naiad Dreams" tucked in between.

Like many prog albums, DWELLERS OF THE DEEP attempts to craft a nebulous concept about the roller coaster of human emotions crafted in a matrix of sonic tapestries that are designed to unite the present and the past. "By The Banks" bursts into your consciousness by breaking out the big guns of prog, namely gnarled keyboard attacks, time signature freedom and even a bit of nostalgic venturing into classic rock tracks like Boston's "Foreplay / Long Time" for a wee little moment which is WOBBLER's signature star power namely the ability to evoke many moments of the past without actually copying them! If retro prog is your calling then you've come to the right prog album here as the carefully designed constructs instantly transport you to the rickety basement studio where a bunch of hippies with greater musical ambitions spend their days mining riffs and polishing notes until they all shine with a sensual sheen!

Once the established mood is set on the 14 minute opener designed to pacify any lingering doubts that WOBBLER would "de-prog," the yellow brick road of "By The Banks" finds the band in good form as they traverse the 70s soundscapes effortlessly with one melodic groove transmogrifying into another existing somewhere between the hard rocking world of Yes' early 70s albums like "Close To The Edge" to medieval folk splendor in the form of band like Gryphon and early Genesis and if you hadn't picked up on the Yes-isms yet, the thundering roar of "Five Rooms" will leave you no way of denying it. This "short" track of only 8 1/2 minutes will evoke a taste of "Roundabout," "Close To The Edge" and other rhythmic complexities a la Squire, Howe, Bruford and Wakeman and like the Yes album title, skirts too close for comfort at times but never stays too close to the sun lest it burst into flames. No way, WOBBLER is too clever in how they flirt with greatness but then take the seas of rhythmic and melody into their own.

"Naiad Dreams," a track of only 4 1/2 minutes begins with a nice classical guitar intro and maintains a nice chilled Renaissance fair vibe that serves as a nice intermission before the album's best and most daring track "Merry Macabre" prances on for exactly 19 minutes with a series of classic prog gymnastics that finds a merry-go-round of prog workouts and psychedelic meanderings that culminate in a climactic conclusion of one of the most anticipated prog albums of the year. In conclusion, WOBBLER have hit another home run for sure with DWELLERS OF THE DEEP however the wow factor seems to be missing from this one. Something about "From Somewhere To Silence" had that touched by God feel whereas this one doesn't quite measure up to the perfection of its predecessor.

Despite what i deem as a slightly inferior album as a whole to "Silence," make no doubt about it - WOBBLER is back and back with a bang. Had this album really emerged in 1972 it would have indeed become one of the classics of the era but in reality there is only so much retro prog i'm willing to engage in on a profound level and unless it reaches the height of perfection as did "Silence," then i can only get excitied at the level of declaring this an EXCELLENT album and not whipping out the masterpiece designation. For those more enthralled with this style of prog then they will not be disappointed one little bit. Commence the dwelling! The deep beckons!

I've been an avid follower and champion of these Norwegians for over ten years, however I think they may have overstayed their their adherence to the choice of YES imitation. As skilled as they are, as remarkable are the "new Yes songs" that they produce, I think it has gone too far. I want to hear more original sounds and more original ideas. Though Rick Wakeman, Chris Squire, and Jon Anderson (and to a lesser degree, Steve Howe and Alan White) should feel flattered, I'm afraid that no one will ever hear of Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo, Marius Halleland, Lars Fredrik Frøislie, Kristian Karl Hultgren, or Martin Nordrum Kneppen because everyone who hears a Wobbler album will only be hearing and comparing them to Yes.

1. "By the Banks" (13:49) My daughter's name is Persephone. I'm not sure yet whether this song is worthy of sending to her. The main rhythmic pattern and rising and falling chord progressions that the song returns to over an over throughout is memorable enough in a kind of Uriah Heep-approach-to-"South Side of the Sky"-kind of way-- and it is intra-dispersed with many divertissements and stylistic and instrument choice deviations to keep it interesting, but I'm not sure what element or aspect of the Goddess of the Spring and Queen of the Underworld they were going after, cuz I'm not feeling it. The most interesting part of the song, for me, is the unusual (and modern) instrumental bridge from 12:27 to 12:36. The end seems reverential but also quite final due to its abruptness--which, again, leaves me unsure as to what they were trying to express. The construction and instrumental performances are all top notch, it just lacks some (26.5/30)

2. "Five Rooms" (8:28) Wow, that was an odd opening: portentous organ preceding a racehorse start (a bit too wild and frenetic)--like Drama YES. things settle down in the YES-like third minute, and then feel solid YES until the frenzy continues--this time more controlled and smooth than the first time--at the end of the fourth minute. The first "new" (non-YES) idea comes in the middle of the fifth minute (though the drumming style may be non-Yes throughout). (17.5/20)

3. "Naiad Dreams" (4:24) opens with 90 seconds of solo classical guitar. The voice of Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo enters, singing a verse over the solo guitar before other instruments (bass, glockenspiel, pedal steel electric guitar) finally join in. Thank goodness for the fact that Andreas's voice is distinctive and different from Jon Anderson's, so that a song like this can take on it's own identity instead of being categorized as a "Yes imitation." The addition of the "female(?)" vocalist in the second half is awesome. (8.75/10)

4. "Merry Macabre" (19:00) opens with piano, which is then joined by cymbal play, glockenspiel, and bass before the full band breakout in the second minute. It almost sounds like an opening for a MAGMA Zeuhl song. But then the band launch into a full-forced heavy YES onslaught with Andreas singing over the top with the passion of PETER HAMMILL. I really like the STEPHEN STILLS lead electric guitar meandering around over and within the weave during the second and third minutes of this one--and then the 1980s rhythm guitar arpeggi in the instrumental fourth minute. The organ play is wonderful. A sparsely populated section in the fourth and fifth minutes provides a little respite before the next (jazzy) full band section at 6:25. There is an interesting bounce to the Hammond in the eighth minute. Then it gets a little jazzier (ANDY TILLISON-like) in the ninth and tenth minutes before softening into a gorgeous early-KC/ANEKDOTEN- like portentous weave at 9:30. Andreas joins in briefly to offer some simple words in the eleventh minute before an excellent (and wholly original) instrumental passage with psychedelic-treated voice mixed within ensues. It's almost REINE FISKE/PAATOS-like here. Awesome as the craziness builds and builds well into the fourteenth minute before a MiniMoog at 13:30 leads a shift toward a less-pleasing more rock section. At 14:30 everything drops out for piano and Andreas singing. This sounds like German band ANYONE'S DAUGHTER! The solo piano runs off into a very classical-sounding passage until an old synth joins in during the seventeenth minute and then the whole band jumps back in with an insistent pace reminding me of MOTORPSYCHO. Nice keyboard and cymbal work in this passage as the vocalist(s) try to wrap it up. Overall a pretty cool journey into the "darker" side of Wobbler (which really isn't very dark). (35.25/40)

Total Time 45:41

The mastery of composition and performance is still there. The sound production is superb. The YES-sound and - style patterns are still dominant, but there may be a little more variety on display here than on previous Wobbler releases. Though the multi-voice vocal harmonies are excellent (probably even better than those of YES), I feel too often that these guys are going too far to try to replicate the Yes weaves. Also, this album, for me, lacks the memorable melodic hooks of the two previous albums.

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection--especially if you adore 1970s Yes music.

The last album ''From Silence to Somewhere'' was a good comeback for the band to the greatness of their first demo songs released on their first album. Is the new album will continue on the same level? The first track ''By The Banks'' is a strong track of Retro Prog taking inspiration to Yes first period before Rick Wakeman joins the band. You can enjoy the Moog and Mellotron chords parts throughout the album. There a lot of singing on this album that reinforces the impression of the influence of Yes. ''Five Rooms'' brings a faster pace with some big rolling bass. The next song is a breather with some great arrangements with an acoustic guitar that reminds me of Steve Howe. We have a peaceful atmosphere the perfect song of that genre that keeps the melody flowing. ''Merry Macabre'' is another solid epic with some groovy and tripping parts reminiscent of Anekdoten. Often an album could be a bit too long but on this one, you crave for more after 40 minutes+. Fans of Yes, Gentle Giant, and serious Symphonic Prog lovers that enjoy the dark and light mood of big epics with a vintage sound will not miss this one.

To me Dwellers of the Deep is by far the best album they've ever done. I own all their previous releases so I got to see them evolve. This album contains some of their finest recordings ever with "By the Banks", "Five Rooms" and the 19 minute "Merry Macabre". Amazing music all around with Lars Fredrik Frøislie providing authentic vintage keyboard including Mellotron (and perhaps Chamberlin, he does own an M1). "Naiad Dreams" is calm and largely acoustic, serving as a breather from the intensity of "Five Rooms". I usually should refrain from believing this is as great as many of the classics from the '70s but this album very much is that! Five stars shouldn't be something you throw at but the music so amazed me it deserves that rating. I can't believe the heights Wobbler are soaring with. And I'm really amazed at the drumming of Martin Nordrum Kneppen here, he gives his best drumming here (I also own several Tusmørke albums where he's a member of too). No doubt a highlight for 2020 and some of the finest prog in recent years.

One of Symphonic Rock Emperors WOBBLER have come back to our world. Another surprising to me they could create such a fantastic album for only three or less years. Their previous work "From Silence To Somewhere" was much appreciated to get the award Collaborators Top Prog Album of 2017 and I guess the latest one would have such a brilliant power and authority to climb the top of the mountain of the progressive rock scene. This album "Dwellers Of The Deep" has got more compact and more condensed than the previous one, and all of the four tracks are highly created and produced. Consider this opus will never betray every single Symphonic Rock fan, let me say.

The opening track "By The Banks" has brilliant critical enthusiasm. The topnote of swift keyboard work and thrilling rhythmic basis will catch our mind strongly. Their chorus, not so powerful but sensitively harmonized, is going to drive us mad. The construction of this track can be called as an authentic symphonic rock. Beautiful keyboard texture in the middle part is quite tempting. Always wondering why they launch such a complex soundscape that we can listen to fully with relaxation and meditation. Maybe because their melodic / rhythmic formation is pretty elaborate, delicate, and perfect. "Five Rooms" has more complicated melody lines and drastic rhythms but sounds quite catchy. Suppose their intensive melody-making apparently inspired by YES (reminds me of something like 'early' YES actually) or some legendary symphonic prog pioneers would let us feel so ... heavy texture here and there is also of our comfort. This track is 8 minute short for their production but we cannot avoid feeling this stuff should consist of colourful sound variation. "Naiad Dreams" is sorta delicate but delightful ballad one. A only-four-minute song has potential to ease us up. Acoustic guitar-based safe and sound attachment can suit all tastes suffering from current coronavirus pandemic. The last magnificent suite "Merry Macabre" should be their masterpiece. Bright phases like sunlight, deep depressive nervous zones, light-flavoured (but never thin nor flat) cheerful lesions, theatrical dramatic melodic sound-scenic paradises ... dazzling kaleidoscopic musical collective strongly with artistic vibes and innovative movements will never end. The last phrase immerses the listeners in a complete manner. Obviously they addict every single fan via such a killa impressive ensemble. We should listen carefully to this epilogue without any breath nor any eye blink.

For me, sounds like this album should top our expectations. As they release albums, their integrity improves massively. Oh God.

Continued polyphonic saturation mastery with modern implementation

Dwellers of the Deep is the next part of this exceptional journey that Norwegians Wobbler have had for these 20 years or something. This further exploration of the deepest recesses of symphonic progressive rock flourishes with the completion of another accomplished masterpiece after From Silence to Somewhere , which in itself is amazing. This work builds on several aspects of its predecessor, especially the hints to the modernization of the sound, slightly higher concentration to the musicianship and improvisation rather than the songwriting process and third but not last - even lusher saturation with atypical but brilliant moments. The self-confidence of the band members lead to great solo performances, with special note to keyboards and bass. Another symphonic prog brilliance from Wobbler, with different angle of sharper challenger to the predecessor. Do not miss!

Another top notch threat to the tops of different lists!

'Dwellers of the Deep' is the fifth studio album by Norwegian retro-proggers Wobbler, released in 2020, some three years after their highly praised magnum opus of lush symphonic rock 'From Silence to Somewhere'. This record is hardly different - but why exactly? It is certainly the same style that they presented on the precedent album, focusing a tiny bit more on composition, making 'Dwellers' somehow more tight. However, this takes none of the enjoyment of the listening experience - the magnificent and largely lush retro prog sound, that also is the reason for many comparisons to Yes to be drawn, is still here, it is quite recognizable, and it is unsurprisingly the reason for which this mysterious Nordic band is so highly regarded.

No changes in the lineup means that the five members of Wobbler could focus on expanding their scope, and maybe stretching out a bit further the 70s symphonic prog sound they are going for (and successfully championing it!), so that they can simultaneously meet the high expectations after their 2017 work of grandiosity, and not make a repetitive sequel of it.

'Dwellers of the Deep' kicks off with the nearly 14-minute 'By the Banks' - the massive retro keyboard sound takes the listener on from the very first second of this record, just to introduce the rest of the band that go on to play another mind-wobbling instrumental introduction. This is a more dynamic number from the band, and a fantastic way to open the album.

After that comes the pretty perfect 8-minute song 'Five Rooms' - I am seriously doubtful whether they recorded this in 2020, or they went back in time, probably somewhere around 1972, and recorded this in the same studio where Yes were doing whatever they were doing back then. It is a gorgeous celebration of that old-school prog fiesta sound that we usually associate with Yes and Gentle Giant. At the same time, the attention to detail and the wacky shifts that the band does, reminds strongly of King Crimson and Änglagård. However, most importantly these guys remain Wobbler all the time, and I think that with the previous album and now this one, it can be safely stated that these Norwegians have pretty much nailed a recognizable sound of their own!

'Naiad Dreams' is a very gentle and almost entirely acoustic piece, representing the more lyrical and calmer side of Wobbler that goes on to introduce the big winner of the album - the 20-minute 'Merry Macabre'. This is an epic that is nothing like the epics that Wobbler's peers release these days, as it sounds pretty sinister, extravagant, and compelling, almost diverging from the uplifting tone of the rest of the album; divided into three parts, each of which seems to get darker and weirder, it is more than exciting to see the Norwegians in such light, and if I were to guess, this is a shade of their music they will continue to explore on future releases... hopefully!

All in all, 'Dwellers of the Deep' is an excellent album, another great achievement for Wobbler that will certainly age as one of the best moments in their discography; probably not as astoundingly lush and melancholic as its precedent, but nonetheless a very well-constructed album that makes perfects sense... well, probably not the mythological lyrics, but musically as a whole! A highly recommended band and album.

4.5 stars. This is my album of the year for 2020 a year I find very weak but I have an awesome top three with SONAR and Hedvig Mollestad's releases that year. Although I'm bumping this up from 4.5 stars it is incredible to me not to have one true 5 star record for that entire year. Covid's influence showed up in 2020 but 2021 made up for it in my opinion, a very solid year. I have felt a connection to this band for various reasons. I got into Prog about the same time they released their first official record "Hinterland" and was completely intrigued with it.

I got this album within 2 months of buying Prog for the first time and I found it difficult as at that point I hadn't even heard an Avant or Zeuhl or experimental album. Yet the mellotron and vocals really hit the spot for me. I also connected with that picture of the band in the liner notes for "Hinterland" with five long hairs standing out in the cold and abundant snow that this Canadian can relate to. But five albums in 15 years? I mean that's ANEKDOTEN-like isn't it? And how about the buzz for this band in 2005, they hadn't even released their first album "Hinterland" and Nearfest invited them to play that year, the word was out.

These guys would turn out to be like the reincarnation of ANGLAGARD, SINKADUS and ANEKDOTEN but from Norway not Sweden. In fact their 2 song demo release in 2003 screams ANGLAGARD and those two tracks would show up on their second release "Afterglow" but re-recorded. I still remember driving my 20 year old daughter up the mountain to her friend's place listening to "Hinterland". I was infatuated with their sound.

So "Hinterland" and "Afterglow" featured the same lineups before "Rites Of Dawn" hit us with a new singer sounding a lot like Jon Anderson, in fact the first half of the album sounded a lot like YES, too much but I did get over that strong flavour. A new guitarist for their masterpiece "From Silence To Somewhere" who continues here and we get a guest violinist on this record.

The standout track for me here is the side long "Merry Macabre" at 19 minutes and talk about some incredible passages! That mellotron and upfront bass hit us like a storm at times. I mean after 11 minutes we get hit hard as it turns dark and more powerful as we shield ourselves from that storm. "Naiad Dreams" is by far the shortest piece at 4 1/2 minutes and the best part is when the vocals step aside before 2 minutes and the mellotron comes to the fore.

The opening two tracks of this four song record really set the stage. The opener "By The Banks" hits the ground running with organ over top before vocals and mellotron arrive. Some ground shaking bass here then another calm as they continue to contrast the light and heavy. "Five Rooms" contrasts the uptempo and slower moments well and I just about fell over hearing the Canterbury organ at 5 1/2 minutes but again the mellotron is such a treat here.

Many seem to have been turned off with that YES vibe starting with "Rites Of Dawn" but these last three studio albums along with ALL TRAPS ON EARTH from 2018, ANEKDOTEN's "Until All The Ghosts Are Gone" from 2015, SHAMBLEMATHS "II" 2021 and JORDSJO's "Jord" from 2015 have all scratched that retro/ mellotron itch that I seem to have a chronic problem with.

Dwellers of the Deep finds Wobbler continuing to mine the vein of retro inspiration and modern execution which yielded such good results on From Silence To Somewhere. As on that album, the overall sound is reminiscent of Yes jamming with Gentle Giant (think Yes textures laid over Gentle Giant rhythms), and if you're much of a proghead I probably already persuaded you to give it a shot just on the basis of that comparison.

If you need more insights, though, perhaps I'll note that this seems to go into slightly spooker or more anxious territory than its predecessor; some of the quieter and more pensive moments on here remind me of the similarly quiet and foreboding moments that Discipline often work into their compositions. There's also a good dose of modern sounds, with pulsating electronic terrors unleashed towards the end of closing epic Merry Macabre. As far as I am concerned, Wobbler are right at the top table of present-day prog, and Dwellers is a capable defence of that position.