EXCERPTS FROM A FUTURE PAST

HÄLLAS is one of those Swedish retro prog bands that has been getting a lot of attention in recent years for mining the 70s prog and hard rock world and adding some of the more modern production technologies along with influences from various genres ranging from black metal to synthpop. This band was formed in Jönköping in 2011 with the stable lineup of Tommy Alexandersson (bass, vocals), Alexander Moraitis (guitar), Marcus Pettersson (guitar), Kasper Eriksson (drums) and Nicklas Malmqvist (keyboards).

The band spend a few years honing their chops and released the self-titled EP independently in 2015 and while that four-track debut perfectly showcased the band's intent of bridging the gap between 70s Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash, the tracks sounded a little too retro for my tastes although these guys clearly displayed their fiery passion for the retro melodic hard rock sounds that made the 70s such a wonderful musical place to begin with! While touted as a progressive rock band, the debut EP was clearly missing that aspect.

Two years later in 2017, HÄLLAS finally unleashed its debut full-length album titled EXCERPTS FROM A FUTURE PAST which saw the band develop its sound into something more unique and crafted a more sophisticated blend of their influences which found its way onto the Swedish indie label The Sign Records. While the band's proclivities are clearly rooted in the 70s hard rock action of Uriah Heep, the band dropped many of the Sabbath aspects and instead focused on the organ driven prog of early Uriah Heep with some of the blues rock inclinations of Wishbone Ash. Also more emphasized in the mix were ample uses of progressive rock as well as the organ parts adding more textures beyond a mere atmospheric backdrop.

With so many prog acts taking the leap into oft perceived complex pomp, HÄLLAS on the other hand keeps such excesses at bay and prefers the time signature deviations and overproduced slickness to be kept on a leash. What HÄLLAS focuses on instead are catchy hooks based in 70s inspired bluesy hard rock with the crossover prog characteristics shining through via organ driven technicalities and somewhat extended compositions at least on the ending tracks "Shadow of the Templar" and "Illusion Sky," however for the most part these tracks are based on simple guitar riffs in the vein of 70s bands like Rainbow, Wishbone Ash, UFO or Uriah Heep. Alexandersson's vocals display a tender vulnerability at odds with some of the brasher bravado that the 70s exhibited and the entire mood is a bit on the spacier side with subject matter revolving around medieval fantasy worship.

Gosh, these guys even look the part and if someone told you this band really was from 1974 or somewhere around that time, you could totally believe it! While many such retro bands go the full mile to play the part by recording on analog equipment, i'm not sure if HÄLLAS went to such extremes however given the warm organic sounds that perfectly replicate the guitar tones, groovy bass lows and period piece organ sounds, i would not doubt it for one minute if that was the case. The entire album that exceeds 42 minutes is actually rather dreamy for a hard rock album as the vocals are fairly monotonous and not even a tiny bit dramatic and the organ sounds are always providing an ambient backdrop if not outright taking the lead. The guitar riffs go up and down the scale while the bass and drum provide a stable if unremarkable rhythmic background.

If period piece retro rock is your thing with the additional touches of prog lite then HÄLLAS will be your up your alley but to be honest i'm not as impressed as many seem to be about this band. Yeah, all the boxes are checked for that authentic feel but when it comes down to it the compositions are hum along in a similar manner without a lot of dynamic changes. There seems to be missing that extra mojo that makes this style of music truly compelling and while the band is quite competent at crafting an album's worth of retro pseudo-prog from the 70s, it just feels a little too safe for my liking.

For their first full length (well at least traditional LP length) release and 2nd installment of a trilogy, Swedish retro rockers HÄLLAS largely dispensed with the proto metal influences in favour of a lighter but still riff propelled space rock sound. "Excerpts from a Future Past" is also much more cinematic and expansive than the self titled EP, like the songs are an accompaniment to a visual narrative, and luckily the lyrics, vocals and arrangements fully support these connections.

The influences of DEEP PURPLE and URIAH HEEP are felt in the heavy blues oriented aspects and in the extensive use of organ, but HÄLLAS tends to the more melodic aspects, grafting some WISHBONE ASH balladry, which is most evident on the potent "The Golden City of Semyra". Tommy Alexandersson's vocals. while wholly emotive, largely avoid the melodrama that sometimes plagued the original bands, though nobody thought of it that way at the time. Still, it is commendable that, in spite of the retro tag, HÄLLAS has updated aspects of their sound to reflect not just modern technology but also customs.

Compared to the debut, these tracks are also more intricate, with most of the complexity lying in how the various movements are bridged together again, to overuse the imagery analogy, like scenes in a film. The opener, "Astra Seer", "Repentance" and finale "Illusion Sky" are especially adept at this interweaving. My main complaint is that, apart from the overwrought "Shadow of the Templar", this is all enjoyable but falls somewhat short of excellence. That quibble would be rectified in the future, er, the past, yeah in 2020.