HYBRIS

Although bands like Marillion, IQ and Pendragon flowed like a fresh breeze to revitalise the progressive movement in the early 80's, by the end of that decade the genre was showing signs of exhaustion once again. On the other hand, the legends of the 70's were also struggling to cope with the devastating force of the grunge wave and alternative trends, forcing them to reinvent themselves and rethink their proposals in order to maintain their relevance or be left out of the game.

And it is in the midst of this complex scenario that, from the cold Scandinavian lands and their bands focused on terrifying the audience with creepy stories full of demonic riffs and guttural voices coming from the darkest side of metal, emerges an exceptional work that could well have been developed in the early and flourishing 70's for the progressive universe: "Hybris", by the Swedish debutants Anglagard. An album that gives new airs to the genre, gathering and condensing elements and sound structures of Yes, Genesis and King Crimson, to mention some of their influences, in four long and solid pieces, performed with an uncommon maturity considering the youth of its members (three of them were around 18 years old...).

The tracks unfold with a remarkable fluidity and level of production, from "Jordrök (Earth Smoke)" and its initial gentle piano, to the voluble and intricate "Vandringar I Vilsenhet (Wanderings in Confusion)" and "Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet (From Clarity to Clarity)", supported at all times by the unusual solvency of the very young percussionist Mattias Olsson, the hazy mellotrons of Thomas Johnson, the arpeggiated and electric guitars of Lindman and Jonas Engdegård, and the harmonious and recurring flute of Anna Holmgren, contrasting with the intensity of Johnson's synthesizers (especially the Hammonds), to define the melancholic style of "Hybris", the highlight of which is the beautiful and medieval "Kung Bore (King Winter)".

The few sung passages seem almost dispensable, given the instrumental quality of the compositions, however, having presented the album in some alternative version from Swedish to English, would probably have generated a ripple effect of much greater international repercussion.

Excellent.

4/4.5 stars