HYBRIS

It's a shame Anglagard only lasted as long as it did, since they truly could have been giants in the prog genre. With only two studio albums before break up, they almost single handedly gave hope back to the progressive community. I'm personally a fan of neo prog, but that movement resulted in bands with absolutely no originality. There are those who argue that even Marillion, the forerunners of the sub-genre, were Genesis knock-offs. However, Anglagard managed to pay homage to King Crimson, Yes, and Genesis in a way that allowed them to create original, inventive music. The lyrics are in Swedish, so I ca;t understand them but, much like Italian symphonic, the instrumentality speaks louder than the words. Olsson's drumming is incredible and he joins the ranks of underrated prog drummers like Mark Zonder of Fates Warning with his astonishing kit work.

The band itself sounds like it was a prog supergroup; the bass reminds me of Chris Squire, the guitars have a Frippian element to them, the flute unwillingly conjures images of Jethro Tull, the keys have the aggression of prog metal, and the drums sound like many drum gods combined.

My favorite track is the opening instrumental Jordok, though all tracks are prog gold. Despite sounding like an amalgam of 70s prog heroes, Anglagard is one of the most original prog groups of the 90s. The non-English lyrics might put off some, but those who can look past it will find some of the best instrumentality ever heard.