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The album that kicked off the '90s prog revival
It was only a matter of time before a band like Änglagård came around. The 1980s and the early 1990s were obviously prog rock's lean years. While some welcomed the neo-prog scene (Marillion, IQ, Pendragon, etc.), others were less than happy with the scene, accusing them as being little else than a pale, modernized update of the Gabriel-era Genesis sound. And then there's Genesis, who spent the 1980s releasing ever more commercial albums culminating with Invisible Touch (which at that point sounded pretty indistinguishable from Phil Collins' solo career, particularly No Jacket Required), and pretty much sticking in that same territory with We Can't Dance. And of course, from 1979 to 1992, you had punk rock and disco give way to new wave. And then new wave eventually gave way to the grunge/alternative rock scene (lead by Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, etc.), which seemed even less encouraging in the world of prog. And then Änglagård came around, picking up where the 1970s left off, and releasing Hybris near the end of 1992. The album was originally released on CD on the Mellotronen label in Sweden, and on LP on the long-defunct Colours label out of Norway. I happen to own the LP, which came with a booklet that had the lyrics to all the songs, and many black and white photos of the various band members. What's really surprising is you might think the band would consist of a bunch of thirty to forty-something musicians who would have been there in the '70s to witness and participate in the rise of prog rock, but not at all. The ages of the band members were from 17 (drummer Mattias Olsson) to 24 (guitarist/vocalist Tord Lindman), but they play like they were there in the 70s! Aside from Olsson and Lindman, the other members were guitarist Jonas Engdegård, keyboardist Thomas Johnson, flautist Anna Holmgren, and bassist Johan Högberg. And while everyone else in '92 were all too happy to use lots of digital synthesizers and drum machines, the members of Änglagård went for a totally analog approach. Real drums, and even so much as using a Hammond organ and Mellotron, but never a DX-7. The combination of electric and acoustic instruments was certainly welcomed, since the combination of instruments fell out of favor by the late '70s. And what was great was Änglagård's music was inspired by many of the prog greats: King Crimson, Genesis, Yes, and there's often a Nordic feel throughout their music. Also another band worth mentioning is Cathedral, with their 1978 album Stained Glass Stories, which was no doubt a big inspiration for Änglagård. The album starts off with "Jordröck" which sounds like the band revisiting SFF's Symphonic Pictures. There are some really loud passages with loud guitars and organ, which suddenly become quiet, with acoustic guitar, Mellotron, and flute. The next three cuts, "Vandringar i Vilsenhet", "Ifrån Klarhet till Klarhet" and "Kung Bore" all follow the same pattern: unbelievably complex music, where the band does one thing, sticks to it for a couple minutes, then move on to the next thing, often with loud passages becoming quiet and vice versa. Certainly the band might revisit a previous theme, but often just moves on to the next thing. The music requires your full attention, meaning it'll probably require a few listens to get it (as many good prog albums often are). It's amazing a band like Änglagård pulled off such a great album in the otherwise bleak world known as 1992. Old-time prog rock fans were obviously happy with this band, as they harkened back to the glory days of prog, and totally avoiding any '80s and '90s modern elements. It's also pretty safe to say that without Änglagård, the '90s prog rock revival wouldn't have happened, and bands like Anekdoten, Landberk, Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, Sinkadus, etc., wouldn't have had the recognition they do now. No doubt about it, Hybris is a total must for all prog rock fans.