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1 Jordrök 11:11 2 Vandringar I Vilsenhet 11:56 3 Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet 8:09 4 Kung Bore 13:04 Bonus Track 5 Gånglåt Från Knapptibble 7:19 Bass, Mellotron [Mellotron Effects] – Johan Högberg Design [Cover Design] – Anders Johansson Drums, Percussion – Mattias Olsson Electric Organ [Hammond], Mellotron, Keyboards – Thomas Johnson Engineer [Engineered By], Mixed By, Producer [Produced By] – Roger Skogh Flute – Anna Holmgren Guitar – Jonas Engdegård Illustration [Cover Illustration] – Göran Stenberg Lyrics By [The Lyrics Is Plotted By] – Tord* Music By [All Music Written By], Arranged By, Mixed By, Producer [Produced By] – Änglagård Other [Cake Technician] – Pia Skogh Photography By [Photos] – Anna Holmgren, Göran Stenberg, Johan Högberg, Tord Lindman, Åsa Rabaini Vocals, Guitar – Tord Lindman - Tord Lindman / electric and nylon & steel acoustic guitars, vocals - Jonas Engdegård / electric and nylon & steel acoustic guitars - Thomas Johnson / Mellotron, Hammond (B-3 & L-100), synths (Solina, Korg), clavinet, pianet, piano, electronic church organ - Anna Holmgren / flute - Johan Högberg / bass, bass pedals, Mellotron (effects) - Mattias Olsson / drums, concert bass drum, tambourine, vibraslap, po-chung, gong, glockenspiel, tubular bells, bongos, Tibetan finger cymbals, wind chimes, a-gogo, cabasa, African drums, effect-flute, varied bells and percussions With: - Pär Lindh / performer (unconfirmed) Exergy Music / Krake. Musician credits are taken from inside the Digipak (Thomas Johnson is credited as Tomas Jonson inside the booklet). No track durations given on the release. Packaged in a 6-panel gatefold Digipak with the tray in the middle, plus 16-page booklet. Recorded in Studio Largen July-Sept. 1992. Gånglåt från Knapptibble is an early version of the song Skogsranden from the album Epilog. It was recorded in the end of August 1993 at Crimsonic Label Studios. As some old progheads, I usually pay more attention to classic bands from the 70’s than to the later ones, so I really never cared too much about ÄNGLAGÅRD until this Thursday when another reviewer of this page invited me to a musical clinic dedicated to this magnificent band, and my perspective changed in 180 degrees, really I haven’t been so impressed with any other group since I heard Gabriel Genesis for the first time. ÄNGLAGÅRD means Garden of Angels, and never a name of a band has been so perfectly chosen, their music is almost celestial, even when they belong to the 90’s the members avoid the use of instruments that weren’t used in the 70’s by their predecessors. Plethoric of magnificent Keyboards and Mellotrons, is hard not to place ÄNGLAGARD CD’s in the same section of the old dinosaurs as Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. “Hybris“ is everything that progressive genre represents, is simply brilliant and I will take the risk to affirm is absolutely original, even if some progheads believe they are too influenced by early bands. It’s clear that “Hybris“ has strong influence from Yes, Genesis but specially from King Crimson and even from Focus, but ÄNGLAGÅRD took this influence and worked with it in their own unique way, avoiding to do simpler works as the Neo Prog Bands or cloning some great tracks. You can notice the influence of the mentioned bands but is almost impossible to affirm they are copying a determined song, they did their own original stuff, inspired in classic prog’ bands. The first track Jördrok (Earthsmoke) starts with an unbelievably beautiful piano section, somehow dark and melancholic as the winter season in Sweden but also haunting and scary, almost as announcing the Crimsonian explosion that will follow, precise flute touches, lots of Mellotron and baroque Organ sections by the excellent Thomas Johnson (Who was born long after the invention of the Mellotron but plays it with great ability) complete this incredible opener hard to describe in modest words, 11:10 minutes of pure and pristine progressive rock. “Vandringar I Vilsenhet“ (Wanderings in Confusion) is another almost 12 minutes epic that starts with a soft flute followed by a dark organ reminiscent of Bach, again hard passages softened by the sweet flute of Anna Holmgren. This is the first song with lyrics in Swedish, which of course are impossible for me to understand, but who cares about lyrics and words when music talks so loud and clear, Tord Lindman’s voice is delicate and acute but absolutely unique and appropriate for the music. Another perfect track. “Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet“ (From Strength to Strength) starts with a circus like music the first and only section I really don’t like, but so short that really doesn’t matters at all, again followed by a shocking crimsonian section and Tord Lindman’s voice, this time lower and less feminine than in “Vandringar I Vilsenhet“. For the first time I can listen a passage clearly inspired in early Genesis with a flute that..
