VILJANS ÖGA

Änglagård's return in 2012 (and subsequent disappearance) was a powder keg in the sea of progressive rock at the time, especially since it was the mark of when a lot of other bands started to get back in the swing of things. The Flower Kings halted their 5 year long hiatus with Banks of Eden, and so did Echolyn with their even longer 7 years with a self titled magna carta, and while they were a lot earlier, it should be noted that Discipline came back into the forefront with their 2011 release of To Shatter All Accord, so they were, in a way, the marksman when it came to older bands deciding that they needed to head back to the studios for one more record.

Now, is Viljans öga the actual last Änglagård record? Uhhhh...I don't know? There is no telling that they HAD disbanded for good after this, especially since on their site they had two recent interviews as of 2023, and it does seem like the band is still playing live, though sparingly. They're not dead anymore, but in terms of going back to the studio it's unclear. In fact, their last record they released was in 2018, that being Live: Made in Norway, and that was definitely a hot minute ago.

But, if this IS their final record and they're content with just being a live band playing the songs off of them, then that is fine, cause this is a great way to cap things off.

Unlike Epilog, which never quite hit the same strokes that Hybris gave for me, Viljans öga managed to be my cup of tea!

Viljans öga has a sound that is very much in-line with something from Hybris, featuring discordant and oftentimes gothic sounding passages of Swedish proginess. Very much the standard for Änglagård at this rate. But to differentiate themselves with the past, they pulled a few tricks. For one, I noticed that they feel more celebratory here than on either Hybris or Epilog. Not to the point where it feels optimistic, but I did notice that this record is considerably way more bombastic. The two epics of Ur vilande and Snårdom shows this off perfectly in my opinion, being tracks that rarely if ever go into more quiet passages, giving this album a sort of loud demeanor that I really enjoy.

I also have noticed that the band is putting their other efforts into the music in a fairly well meaningful way. Obviously being a very well received group in the prog mythos, Änglagård would have a few alternatives ever since they disbanded on Epilog. Pär Lindh Project, Thieves' Kitchen, and White Willow certainly come to mind. While I haven't heard much from these bands, I could note that Viljans öga certainly has an air, and methodical thinking towards composition that one may find off of something like Argot or Ignis Fatuus. They managed to merge what they have known for the past few decades worth of band material, and converted that into a Änglagård sound.

I think my only gripe with this record though is that at points I feel as though they're trying a bit too hard to be like Hybris. Not enough for me to be like "Bah they're just nostalgia baiting" but sometimes I do feel as though they pulled more from their debut than on Epilog. Despite being a diehard Hybris stan, I think it would've been cool to see them refine on the dark, acoustic passages of Epilog more on here, as they never really dipped into that kind of energy they had on their deathbed onto here.

But despite that, Viljans öga is still an amazing record. It may not be a send-off, as the band seems to still be going, but for the currently final record from this legendary Swedish band, it is a great tour through a style that seemingly died in the 90s after the disappearance of them and Discipline. Hope they come back though, another Änglagård would genuinely make me jump for joy.

Best tracks: Ur vilande, Snårdom

Worst tracks: N/A

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