FIRE FORTELLINGER

Lars Fredrik Frøislie is the keyboardist and a backing vocalist of Wobbler, and Fire Fortellinger (Four Stories) is his first solo album. I had a few people reach out, independent of one another, to tell me about this album, and they all had a line to the effect of, "I know you're not really a fan of Wobbler, but?" I would like to clarify something: I don't dislike Wobbler. I think they're over-praised in modern progressive rock discourse, but I don't think they're bad. Dwellers of the Deep was a mixed bag of a record, yes; but From Silence to Somewhere, Rites at Dawn, and Hinterland are all pretty solid. They're not doing anything groundbreakingly original, but they're putting out good, classic-style, Mellotron-and-organ-powered prog. 

So, I went into Fire Fortellinger less skeptical than many people probably expected me to be. This guy's the keyboard player for a very keyboard-forward band, so I knew about what to expect. And sure enough, this album is pretty decent, classic-style prog.

The album opens with dramatic Mellotron on "Rytter av dommedag" ("Rider of Doomsday"). Frøislie says this song is themed around Ragnarok, and the sense of urgency in this opening passage sells that heavy idea. His vocals have character to them, though his voice isn't the strongest from a technical standpoint. It suits some of the folkier elements in this suite very well.

Despite clocking in at nearly 17 minutes, this song feels much shorter than that. The different sections come and go fluidly, and there's a smart sense of evolution to how everything is structured. The closing passage is especially strong. Wordless vocals and jumpy, kinetic organ passages give a sense of both grandeur and finality.

"Et sted under himmelhvelvet" ("A Place under the Firmament") is very folky. Its introduction focuses on vocals, Mellotron strings, and harpsichord. Eventually, a majestic synthesizer line comes in, and the whole song swells. A couple minutes in, the song kicks into high gear, and a Chris Squire-inspired bassline powers things along as Frøislie's many keyboards trade the lead. The opening theme is revisited in this song's conclusion, and it reminds me a lot of Astra's "The River Under".

Side two kicks off on a high-energy note with "Jærtegn" ("Milestones"). Clavinet and organ bounce about, and Frøislie has layered his voice upon itself. I mentioned in my review of Wobbler's last album that his playing occasionally reminded me of John Evan of Jethro Tull, and I feel that comparison applies here quite well. Things slow down after a little while, and folk influences once again become prominent. It's a little sappy at moments for my taste, but it's not bad. 

Fire Fortellinger ends on another big suite, "Naturens katedral" ("Nature's Cathedral"). It starts off slow and plodding, with a woozy, fuzzed out bassline and dramatic vocals. Moving on to its next section, this passage maintains a darker atmosphere where synthesizers and organ take the lead. Though there are a lot of good ideas in the extended instrumental sections of this song, there are some issues with coherence. Certain ideas gel perfectly, whereas others feel more incongruous. This long song's best moments are its highest-energy passages, particularly near its midpoint.

This album was more-or-less what I expected, and perhaps even a bit better. It's enjoyable, fairly diverse keyboard-driven prog. It draws a lot from progressive rock's heyday in the 1970s, as well as Scandinavian folk. Certain instrumental passages drag on for longer than needed, but that's almost expected on a lot of albums like this one.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/06/26/album-review-lars-fredrik-froislie-fire-fortellinger/