DWELLERS OF THE DEEP

4.5 stars. This is my album of the year for 2020 a year I find very weak but I have an awesome top three with SONAR and Hedvig Mollestad's releases that year. Although I'm bumping this up from 4.5 stars it is incredible to me not to have one true 5 star record for that entire year. Covid's influence showed up in 2020 but 2021 made up for it in my opinion, a very solid year. I have felt a connection to this band for various reasons. I got into Prog about the same time they released their first official record "Hinterland" and was completely intrigued with it.

I got this album within 2 months of buying Prog for the first time and I found it difficult as at that point I hadn't even heard an Avant or Zeuhl or experimental album. Yet the mellotron and vocals really hit the spot for me. I also connected with that picture of the band in the liner notes for "Hinterland" with five long hairs standing out in the cold and abundant snow that this Canadian can relate to. But five albums in 15 years? I mean that's ANEKDOTEN-like isn't it? And how about the buzz for this band in 2005, they hadn't even released their first album "Hinterland" and Nearfest invited them to play that year, the word was out.

These guys would turn out to be like the reincarnation of ANGLAGARD, SINKADUS and ANEKDOTEN but from Norway not Sweden. In fact their 2 song demo release in 2003 screams ANGLAGARD and those two tracks would show up on their second release "Afterglow" but re-recorded. I still remember driving my 20 year old daughter up the mountain to her friend's place listening to "Hinterland". I was infatuated with their sound.

So "Hinterland" and "Afterglow" featured the same lineups before "Rites Of Dawn" hit us with a new singer sounding a lot like Jon Anderson, in fact the first half of the album sounded a lot like YES, too much but I did get over that strong flavour. A new guitarist for their masterpiece "From Silence To Somewhere" who continues here and we get a guest violinist on this record.

The standout track for me here is the side long "Merry Macabre" at 19 minutes and talk about some incredible passages! That mellotron and upfront bass hit us like a storm at times. I mean after 11 minutes we get hit hard as it turns dark and more powerful as we shield ourselves from that storm. "Naiad Dreams" is by far the shortest piece at 4 1/2 minutes and the best part is when the vocals step aside before 2 minutes and the mellotron comes to the fore.

The opening two tracks of this four song record really set the stage. The opener "By The Banks" hits the ground running with organ over top before vocals and mellotron arrive. Some ground shaking bass here then another calm as they continue to contrast the light and heavy. "Five Rooms" contrasts the uptempo and slower moments well and I just about fell over hearing the Canterbury organ at 5 1/2 minutes but again the mellotron is such a treat here.

Many seem to have been turned off with that YES vibe starting with "Rites Of Dawn" but these last three studio albums along with ALL TRAPS ON EARTH from 2018, ANEKDOTEN's "Until All The Ghosts Are Gone" from 2015, SHAMBLEMATHS "II" 2021 and JORDSJO's "Jord" from 2015 have all scratched that retro/ mellotron itch that I seem to have a chronic problem with.