Anglagard (discography) - Hybris - Epilog - Buried Alive

Änglagård’s sound is rich in mellotron, Hammond and piano, and a brooding wash of guitars and bass/bass pedal accented by Holmgren’s moody and precise flute. The band’s compositions are characterized by long, often instrumental tracks with significant tempo shifts and sometimes intense guitar flourishes. The Epilog album is instrumental in its entirety, and many of the tracks are distinguished by striking passages from Johnson’s grand piano. Early Porcupine Tree also comes to mind, particularly when listening to Epilog. Änglagård deserves a place in the Archives for their admirable effort in carrying the banner of large, expansive symphonic music well into the nineties, with a sound that both pays homage to the great progressive giants of the seventies, and advances that sound with virtuoso accompaniment and expansive, layered compositions.

What is there to say about ÄNGLAGARD's "Hybris"? 1993's "Hybris" is one of the top prog albums released since 1969. This album features four tracks ranging between 8-12 minutes in length. The four compositions overflow with aggressive Rickenbacker bass and Hammond organ riffs, hell-ish mellotron, FRIPP-inspired guitar lines, and gentle Swedish-folk melodies. ÄNGLAGARD formed in the early 1990s as a reaction to the terrible neo-prog of the late 1980s. Their goal was to bring respect back to progressive rock, and did they ever! The band's second album, "Epilog", is also a classic. If you're new to the prog scene, quickly add this CD to your collection.

http://www.progarchives.com

Studio Album, released in 1992
Track Listings:
1. Jordrök (11:10)
2. Vandringar i Vilsenhet (11:53)
3. Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet (8:04)
4. Kung Bore (12:57)
Bonus track on remastered CD:
5. Gånglåt från Knapptibble (7:19)
Total Time: 51:23

Musicians:
- Thomas Johnson / Mellotron, Hammond organ B-3 and L-100, solina, clavinet, pianet, korg mono/poly, piano and church organ electronic version
- Jonas Engdegård / Stratocaster, Gibson 335, nylon and steel acoustic guitars
- Tord Lindman / vocals, Gibson 335, nylon and steel acoustic guitars
- Johan Högberg / Rickenbacker bass, basspedals and mellotroneffects
- Anna Holmgren / flute
- Mattias Olsson / Sonor drumset, Zildjians cymbals, concert bass drum, triangles, tambourines, vibraslap, po-chung, gong, castanets, line-bells, cow-bell, wood-blcok, glockenspiel, tubular bells, bongos, bells, ice-bell, finger cymbals, waterfall, a-gogo bells, cabasa, claves, French cowbell, African drums, effect-flute.

Except for the crystal-clear production it would be easy to mistake this for a early/mid- 70s prog album; the band has crafted a work which manages to be an ode to the classic bands (YES and early GENESIS especially) without seeming too derivative… I suppose I don't need to mention the excellent Hammond and Mellotron work, which ties everything together without taking more than their share of the mix. The rhythm section is incredibly tight, handling tempo and meter changes better than most bands handle straight 4/4 time; my only complaint is that sometimes in the faster and more intricate passages they seem to be striving for complexity over musical expression, but that is a hallmark of the prog genre as a whole and even my favorite bands suffer a little ( in my opinion) because of it. The slower passages are solemn without being melodramatic, and they are not afraid to make a section simple and sweet if it calls for it …

http://www.progarchives.com

Studio Album, released in 1994
Track Listings
1. Prolog (2:00)
2. Höstsejd (15:32)
3. Rösten (0:14)
4. Skogsranden (10:48)
5. Sista Somrar (13:10)
6. Saknadens Fullhet (2:00)
Total Time: 43:44

Musicians
- Mattias Olsson / drums, cymbals and percussion
- Johan Högberg / bass
- Thomas Johnson / Hammond organ, mellotrons and other keyboards
- Jonas Engdegård / guitars
- Tord Lindman / guitars
- Anna Holmgren / flute
Guest musicians:
- Åsa Eklund / voice
- Martin Olofsson / violin
- Karin Hansson / viola and double bass
- Jan Christoff Norlander / cello


Total

At the end of this gig - the last Änglagård would play for some time (but not forever) - the band left the stage in tears. After reading the previous statement, you may be thinking, "Well it was the end of a brief, but impressive career. No wonder they were crying - it was an emotional time." However, the cause for tears was not the emotion of their last concert, but the fact that they had all left the stage with an incredible amount of disapointment and regret for not playing better than they had. Thomas Johnson (Piano, Keyboards, et cetera) had afterward said, "How can an entire crowd be ironic at the same time?" I think that Johnson is overstating the shortcomings of this album, but at the same time, it was quite disapointing for many reasons….

http://www.progarchives.com

In spite of that… it deserves to be listened… and ejoyed!

Live, released in 1996
Track Listings
1. Prolog (2:20)
2. Jordrök (11:45)
3. Höstsejd (14:03)
4. Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet (14:03)
5. Vandringar i Vilsenhet (13:08)
6. Sista somrar (9:04)
7. Kung Bore (12:34)
Time: 72:16


Hybris: Hybris.rar
Epilog: Epilog.rar
Buried Alive: Alive.part1.rar Alive.part2.rar