VILJANS ÖGA

My first impression of the long and eagerly anticipated album from Swedish band Änglagård was not very positive: all four compositions seemed to me very long, cumbersome, and I was a bit lost in them. This feeling, after repeated listening, was partially disappeared. Nevertheless, I still consider the album "Viljans Öga" to be somewhat weaker than their previous recordings from the nineteens.

What a pity that the album lacks occasional vocals, that (although in Swedish) had spiced, in such special way, previous two albums! Otherwise musically - nothing new under the Sun: significant bass guitar, sharp guitar riffs, all slightly tinged with sound of Mellotron and flute. In short, all the good things already known from the 70´s by bands like King Crimson, especially their Wetton period.

Their consistent (though somewhat amusing) clinging to the Swedish names of tracks, including the specific diacritics, adds to the band on mysteriousness. The best composition is for me without a doubt "Snårdom" with a bloody heavy guitar riff and quite well memorable tune, secondly the final "Längtans Klocka", containing a very similar melody as the theme song to miniseries "The Mysterious Island" after Verne from 1973, which I really had adored as a child. Quite acceptable is an introductory track "Ur Vilande" and as the weakest link seems to be the second "Sorgmantel".

All in all: 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Non-essential, non-groundbreaking, but still excellent comeback of this somewhat enigmatic band.