HINTERLAND

This symphonic gem is the Norwegian bands debut album and they lean heavily on the influences of King Crimson,PFM,Genesis and Gentle Giant and newer symphonic acts like Anglagard and White Willow.This album is chock full of densely layered keyboards,fluid guitar melodies,great bass work and crisp,jazzy drumming although I do think the vocals are a little weak.This album consists of four tracks:Serenade for 1652 which is a short 41 second prelude to the 28 minute long epic Hinterland followed by Rubato Industry which alternates between pastoral and heavy,intense instrumental passages and closes with the instrumental Clair Obscur.This album harkens back to the glory days of symphonic prog and is a must have for your prog collection.4 stars,highly recommended.

Did you saw that tv ad where a guy's drinking a Diet Pepsi, saying :' I'd like to kick it old school.' ?

When it comes to 'kicking it old school' there's many types of albums:

1) the bands who adore their idols SO much they downright copy every move of them; Glass Hammer being one of them. Results: a pastiche of the 'good ol' times'.

2) the bands who tooked some admiration for the work of past musicians, added a lot of their own stuff and finded a good balance between yesterday's sound and today's production; Anglagard being a good example. Results: fresh sound, nostalgia included...and Wobbler fits right in this category.

Wobbler is definitely doing it old school. Soaked in mellotron and vintage keyboards (litteraly, no kidding), they managed to blend a rather tormented kind of music and giving it a supersonic approach so you could almost believe this could be a blast from the past. It's litteraly a melting pot of the pentagonesque giants of prog: ELP, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis and Gentle Giant. This is not by any means a pastiche or a clone, it's simply a tribute album where you feel 100% comfortable with the fact that they carbon copy their musical heroes. And it goes so smooth, you'll see. They can go from mellotron a la KC and switch with ease to a tribute to GG vocals. Simply the best I've heard in many, many years.

Norway and Sweden are exporting a lot of their talents oversea, and with talent like Wobbler, all I gotta say is keep 'em coming boys.

To me, THE album of 2005.

This new Norweigan band sounds very much like their counterparts, dark, brooding and steeped in 70's nostalgia. Parts Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis with newer bands like White Willow, IQ and Anglagard. They are like a beef stew, but I hate to say, without the beef. Starting off with track one, it's 41 seconds and one has to scratch your head and ask, "what's the point?". Track two, "Hinterland" is the opus, and here is where all the problems begin. It's a meandering massive track with bits and pieces of all the bands listed above. Don't get me wrong, they play very, very well, but with all the false endings leading to new sections, there's nothing to bite your teeth on, hence the beef-less stew comparision. The vocalist doesn't help things by singing in such a hushed tone. Granted, there's a theme, somewhat, but it never grabs you. It just pops up every once in awhile, and the ending builds and builds then ends rather weakly, very disappointing. Track three, "Rubato Industry" is the best track up until about 7 minutes in, then the ugly false ending monster appears, streching the song out another 5 minutes of meaningless twadling. Missed opportunity, but better singing. The last song is instrumental, "Clair Obscur" is a song akin to Anglagard, and they do a good job of it, buts it's the classic case of 'been there, done it before'. So in retrospect, all musician, especially Froislie and his mountain of endless keyboards, do a respectable job mimicking the masters, (Squire, Howe, Banks), but, like the creature on the excellent album cover, it lulls you into a restful slumber. I'll look forward to a second album which, I hope, will be tightened up a bit more and condensed. Good, but definately not essential!

Early this year a befriended proghead told me the xciting news that the keyboardplayer from Norwegian band White Willow had just founded his own band and it was expected to be Mellotron-drenched! Wow, I thought, let's wait and hear! This weekend we had our annual progrock meeting with the Background Magazine reviewers and finally I got the opportunity to listen to the Wobbler album. The first composition "Hinterland" (almost half an hour) is a tribute to the Seventies symphonic rock dinosaur sound with lots of musical parts that are obvious derived from YES, GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT and Keith Emerson. And I trace also strong echoes from ANEKDOTEN and ANGLAGARD. The whole album is layered with vintage keyboards as the Mellotron, Moog synthesizer and Hammond organ, this always sounds very pleasant to me. But I also notice that the vocals are mediocre and at some moments the compositions lack direction or tend to sound too longwinding. I won't nail Wobbler as just a derivative, I won't hail them as an excellent addition, for me this is a good album, no more or less, just enjoy the wonderful vintage sound.

...And thus Wobbler invented botled prog. The band took the dye of all their major influences and soaked the fabric of their music in it. The result is a real game of "spot-the-influence" throughout almost 57 minutes of music you may think you have heard before. "Is that Gentle Giant?", you might ask, quickly changing your mind to King Crimson or ELP. When it's not either, it might be Genesis, Anglagard, Gryphon, Yes or even Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield and Queensrÿche... Yes, if you're anyone in the prog business, you were probably emulated somewhere in "Hinterland". Far from a masterpiece, somewhat lacking in originality, the album makes such a collage of progressive music than I would not hesitate in presenting it to some absolute stranger to Progressive Rock as a more than suiting introduction, with the certainty that if he enjoyed this album, he would be converted to Prog for life... For that, 4 stars!

WOBBLER are pure and pure ear candy for this music lover and "Hinterland" is anything but a cold barren wasteland of songs! Imagine the aggression of WHITE WILLOW, KING CRIMSON and ANEKDOTEN mixed with the gentleness of ÄNGLAGARD and you are not far off the musical landscape this band live to tell. "Hinterland" sounds like a bit of the past and a bit of the present mixing majestic mellotron passages with heavier complex grinds. Wobbler are Lars Fredrik Frøislie (WHITE WILLOW keyboards), Martin Nordrum Kneppen (drums), Kristian Karl Hultgren (bass, sax), Tony Johannessen (vocals) and Morten Andreas Eriksen (guitars). Sonically these guys move from dark mellotron moods to all out heavy KING CRIMSON'ish rally points to gentle cascading Scandinavian folk like parts. The album is essentially 4 epic tracks which hit all the right buttons for me making this simply a grand album.

As much as I like classic prog from the likes of Yes and ELP,Wobbler just feel like a pale imitation.They sound to me like a cross between Flower Kings and Anglagard who they would obviously like to be.Unfortunately too much of this is like the worst meandering stuff that Flower Kings churn out and lacks the direction and compositional qualities of Anglagard.On the plus side they use real Moogs and Mellotrons and have avoided any 'glossing' of the music.You get an authentic sounding seventies prog album and that has some appeal but I would rather listen to Par Lindh Projects 'Gothic Impressions' or Anglagards 'Hybris' in this respect.But just for their efforts and for the fact that you won't hear many more albums that sound like this, I would give them 3 stars but don't approach this album with too many high expectations.

This album may have been released in 2005, but the sheer range of vintage keyboards at the disposal of main man Lars Fredrik Froislie give it an unabashedly 70s sound. Thankfully, Wobbler isn't just about the sounds, because the songwriting also works to great effect. While Froislie was last heard as the keyboardist on White Willow's album Storm Season (2004), Wobbler is more of a direct descendant of Scandinavian neighbours Anglagard, and at some points in this excellent release actually surpass even that fine "retro-prog" group.

Essentially this album is three tracks long ... if you ignore the pointless 40 second intro, which again is reminiscent of a trick Anglagard used on their Epilog album. As such the 27 minute title track is absolutely crucial, and it has everything! Emerson style organ to kick it off, delicate flute passages that come in around 5 minute mark, melltron washes that accompany the vocal segment at around 7 minutes, superb guitar work from guest Baroque guitar player Ulrik Gaston Larsen that reminds me of Steve Howe, a nice classical guitar/flute interlude at the 12:40 point, a dark riff at 14:30, topped off by some striking synth work. By the 17 minute mark, early King Crimson is the reference pointm while on 22 minutes, a spacey mood threatens to take over, before a return to classical guitar concludes the fun.

Rubato Industry is another sweeping work, full of rich textures, with an infectious melody and music that will call to mind both Gentle Giant and Camel (in the synth leads). The 15 minute largely instrumental (save for the Gothic vocals) Clair Obscur starts off the most pastoral of the three, but develops in a more violent direction after some time, too. If there's a complaint it's that the pieces struggle to establish their individual identity! Also, the lead Vocals of Tony Johannessen are not technically pleasing, but fortunately the melodies are great, and occasionally there are additional choral vocals that lend the album a Gothic air.

Now anyone who's familiar with Anglagard will notice four or five similarities between the bands in my descriptions of this album, but it wouldn't be totally fair to dismiss Wobbler as a knock-off. While I agree that the band needs a little more time to truly establish its identity, I have no hesitation in declaring Hinterland to be the finest progressive rock record of 2005. ... 78% on the MPV scale

WOW! Man . this is the kind of music I really enjoy! Yeah, you may want to check my review on Anekdoten that I really enjoy all of their albums especially "From Within". Why Anekdoten? Because the music offered by WOBBLER is pretty similar with what Anekdoten offers even though I do not claim any sense of plagiarism. No, not at all. All of them are in the vein of early King Crimson music. Wobbler gives a taste of symphonic combined with a bit of avant garde even though still in "accessible" boundary. I kept smiling when I listened to this album - especially "Hinterland" epic track - at the first spin because finally I got the right album to enjoy. No wonder, this debut album is in Progarchives Top 5 albums of Year 2005. They deserved it.

"Hinterland" is a strong debut album that took the prog music industry by surprise. It's true their music is not original and heavily influenced by its predecessor prog bands like Anekdoten, Anglagard, Sinkadus and early proggers like Genesis, King Crimson and Gentle Giant. The unique thing about the band is that their music does not sound like any of early prog bands but it's close to Anekdoten, Sinkadus and Anglagard.

The opening epic - after short opener of "Serenade for 1652" (:41) - which is the album title track "Hinterland" (27:46) was I thought would be a boring one looking at the duration. But I don't have that kind of feeling when I first listened to it and repeated many times. The music flows wonderfully with many style changes as well as tempo changes. In each segment the band crafts the music in such a way that each instrument, be it guitars, mellotron, or flute plays its part in such a distinctive way. AT the beginning the music resembles Anglagard and Anekdoten. But the next segments especially those with flute remind me to Sinkadus music. It's so touchy. Some parts remind me to the fast tempo part of King Crimson's "21st Century of Schizoid Man" around minute 18-20.

"Rubato Industry" (12:44) starts off with a combined works of guitarist Morten Andreas Eriksen and keyboardist Lars Fredrik Frøislie. It sounds like Anekdoten with mellotron packed sounds and keyboard sounds. The music moves into a bit complex arrangements with King Crimson style. The song is a wonderful adventure with some paradoxes stemming from different sounds of keyboards, guitars augmented with bass and synthesizer solo. It's a beautifully crafted song.

The album concludes with an instrumental "Clair Obscur", which sounds like Änglagård's with complex composition. The band positions this track at the end of the album with an intention - I think - to give an impression to the listeners that this is the culmination of their hard work in composing the music they offer.

I agree, there is nothing new you hear with this album as most the music style and approach, I'm sure you have ever heard before. However it's a very enjoyable album at least it fits my personal taste. If you enjoy King Crimson, Anekdoten or Anglagard it's most likely that you would favor this album. It's an excellent addition to any prog music and it's one of best releases of the Year 2005. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Never quite sure how to review newer generation prog groups without appearing negative about them if what they do is highly derivative. To call Wobbler (barbaric name) adventurous or groundbreaking would be granting the ProgArchives reader/users for idiots which is hardly the case. Wobbler has everything to please all progheads (except that really ugly artwork sleeve) if that very proghead is not caring about the originality, the inventivity and the personality of the music he listens to. This Norwegian Quintet might just be the fifth generation of descendants of the prog dinosaurs that once graced the blue planet some three millenniums (uuuuhhh!.. decades ;-) ago. The first ancestors being Genesis and King Crimson having given birth to Marillion and IQ (this generation had been almost stillborn) some twelve years later, than rising like a phoenix from the ashes through Anglagard and Anekdoten again a decade later, with the bastard sons of Sinkadus and Nebelnest coming later on, Wobbler is now at the forefront of this relatively easily accessible prog pastures, that is slowly drying up from over-grazing.

So as you might guess from the above paragraph, expecting this Norwegian quintet to renew anything is really not in the order of things (neither do they have the pretension to), but whatever they chose to do, they do it well! Extremely well!! If Anglagard had taken the different influences and mixed them up so well that it was almost new (especially given the relative failure of the previous generation of groups), Sinkadus, the Për Lindh Project (and to a lesser extent Nebelnest which was much more improvisational) did not manage to take over the banner as high (due to their inspiration. or lack of it), something that Wobbler might just be able to do, but it might just be a bit to soon that yell it out loud.

Just three tracks (not counting that useless intro) on this album, the longest being .. toooo long. The main problem I can see compared with the previous generation is that they are trying to go one step further (but obviously from what you can read in this review, they are not succeeding), and if the music stays dazzling, full of all the ingredients we all love, it (the music) seems to drag on a tad as if it was taking the long way home just to kill time as if nothing very exciting was awaiting it home. Yes that 27 min+ title track is impressive, intricate, multiple, enchanting, using and abusing the mellotron and the flute (two guest musicians) characteristic to be found in the following almost 13-min Rubato and on the closing Clair Obscur. All very impressive but unlike their predecessors, it is almost impossible to pick instantly on which track you are listening to when you start blindly throughout Wobbler's debut album.

If I spent hundreds of hours on end listening to the early Anglagard, Landberk and Anekdoten in the early to mid 90's (must've listened those some 200 to 300 times), I doubt I will do quite the same with this debut album. All I can see it doing is providing an acceptable alternative to those groups whenever I need a dose of Retro Prog. And this in itself is already not bad. But the complete lack of personality bothers me enough for them to lose 100 points on my weighing scale and one full star in the ProgArchives rating system.

It's kind of funny reading the list of instruments that each member plays, and seeing the long list under Lars' name including mellotron, organ, keyboards, moog,etc. This is really an enjoyable album, bringing to mind SINKADUS, ANEKDOTEN and ANGLAGARD. I wish the vocalist had a greater part in this record because I really enjoy his singing.That's part of what I like about ANEKDOTEN, and I do find the vocals of the two bands sort of similar.

I'm not totally in love with the title song, it has it's moments though. In keeping with the name of the song it has many pastoral passages, and many tempo and mood shifts. I am quite impressed with "Rubato Industry", the drumming is incredible, lots of mellotron, great vocals, flute and a cool keyboard melody. The song gets very uplifting six minutes in followed by flute and piano. "Clair Obscur" is a complex instrumental that opens with mellotron and the song is quite powerful at times.The angular guitars are great too.

I'm looking forward to an even better result on their next album, but until then I will keep enjoying this is amazing record.

When I listened to this album the first time about one year ago I've been admittedly highly fascinated by it and felt merely slain down by the massive contingent of analogue keyboard sounds offered here. Retro Prog bands are springing up like mushrooms since quite a while and honestly, as much as I'm adoring this good ol' dinosaur-sound I've to say on the other hand that this fact is becoming also quite tedious meanwhile.

The big problem with an album like "Hinterland" is that as a lover of 70's Prog one can't easily defy its fascination and beauty although with keeping a certain objective distance one cannot deny its antiquated character and huge lack of any innovation. Certainly anyone (including me) who likes the works of early Crimson, Yes, Genesis and the ones by third retro wave bands like Anglagard or Anekdoten will find this album highly enjoyable. Though one could as well say that the band doesn't do here anything else than stringing one Prog cliché to the other and especially the monster title track could be well used as a kind of quiz game to guess who of the big seminal keyboard heroes Froislie cites in which section. Highlights of this little focused and loosely structured composition are for me the (too few) moments when other instruments than the omnipresent keys like flute, acoustic guitar (both providing a nice baroque flair), bass (Squire-esque) and Einarsen's vocals (which are good by all means) are coming more to the fore. This track in a way builds up a permanent tension which yet never comes to any explosion thus it starts to sound meandering after a while. The two "shorter" tracks work much better somehow and are more rewarding, also more memorable and don't sound that much like a patchwork as track #2. They also reveal a slightly more modern sound, closer to Anekdoten's or Anglagard's and especially "Rubato Industry" is the most fascinating one. What I like most with this band and that applies in fact as well to Froislie's main band White Willow and the two former mentioned Swedish ones from the 90's is that their music never sounds overblown or soppy at any moment.

As a conclusion I can only say that I like this debut very much being aware that it's nothing more (and less) than a solid work in a strong retro vein without showing anything new but still it makes me looking forward to Wobbler's next album to hear whether they'll manage to free themselves from the retro trap. For sure any Retro-Prog fan will love this one and to those ones preferring their Retro-Prog to sound heavier and darker than this I'd like to recommend "The Grimalkin" by Noekk which could fascinate me even more than "Hinterland" which I consider nonetheless a remarkable debut and worth 3,5 stars.

I'VE SEEN THE FUTURE OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK AND ITS NAME IS WOBBLER.

Well, maybe yes, maybe no. But I did enjoy Wobbler's debut album. Although they're yet another Scandinavian band consciously trying to emulate the classic prog bands of the early 1970s, they seem to succeed better than most.

As with The Flower Kings or Spock's Beard, you'll be hearing lots of echoes. The ominous sounds of early Crimson are definitely here, as well as Keith Emerson's percussive Hammond organ, the pastoral mood of early Genesis and lots of tiny bits of Steve Howe-style guitar... Wobbler's music may be a hodgepodge, but they nearly convince me; they're having so much fun that very little sounds forced. And best of all, as far as I'm concerned, their lead singer is not as domineering as Neal Morse or Roine Stolt. (Many reviewers thought Wobbler's vocals were wobbly, but in spite of Tony Johannessen's technical limitations, I think he does an excellent job at catching this album's autumnal mood.)

So although Wobbler may not (yet) have turned one particular style of classical prog into something new and original (as Anekdoten did with 1970s Crimson), I'm convinced their music will be enjoyed by proggers who secretly wish Yes, Genesis et al were still making records the way they did in 1971.

One interesting point: if you look at this site's reviews of Wobbler's first album, many regular collaborators seem doubtful about the band; they've heard it all done better. Maybe they've listened to too much prog. Among the guest reviewers, on the other hand, a remarkable number of people have awarded five stars. Surely that's a good sign; it indicates Wobbler have touched many listeners' hearts.

I agree with all those more sceptical collaborators on one thing: the title track is far too long. It starts out powerfully and meanders nicely for the first 12 minutes or so. Then a new theme appears, played on recorders, classical guitar and harpsichord. At first you think: 'Aha, neo-baroque, typically prog!' But the same theme is continually repeated by the entire band for about ten minutes, until you're screaming: 'Enough already!'

Oh well, it's not too hard to forgive the sins of youth, especially when the final album track then opens with a mellotron theme so striking and majestic I can't get it out of my head. This theme undergoes all kinds of permutations and when it reappears towards the end, it sounds stronger still. For this tune alone, I warmly recommend this album!

Here's hoping there'll be much more Wobbler to come.

Hinterland is the debut album from Norwegian band Wobbler, one of those bands that are unashamedly retro with quite clear references to the iconic bands of progs past, most notably classic era Yes.

Hinterland is made form essentially three epic songs, the first of which is a rather ambitious 27 minutes for a bands first song. The album starts off, though, with a short prelude, Serenade For 1652, which gives a soft entry to the album. The big difference in the music on Hinterland and that of many other Symphonic bands is that they do not focus on solos so much. Its not that there aren't any, its just that the focus of the band seems to be more on building up a complex and flowing structure to their compositions, whilst still having space for a few solos, primarily on Lars Fredrick Froislie's keyboards.

The only real downsides to this album is that I feel they get a bit carried away on the title track, Hinterland. I feel that this would have been a truly stunning epic if it was shortened to about 20 minutes with some of the instrumental sections getting cut down, they do tend to go on a bit before a change comes but since each section is rather well done it manages to hold a good deal of interest before you want that change. Of more importance is that the songs don't have that final bite, that last something that really grabs people and that singles out a masterpiece from the very good. The main reason for this is that it feels like the band has more to come, or has more to give to create that masterpiece.

Of the instrumentation you get four very strong musicians. In my White Willow reviews I raved about how Lars Fredrick Froislie's addition really raised the bar with the quality of the keyboard playing. He maintains that level of playing here and even expresses himself in a more extrovert manner musically at times than he would normally do in WW, i.e. more extravagant soloing. One thing that did stand out to me was that it seems that it's the keyboards and bass that hold together the melody here, with Kristian Karl Hultgren showing a melodic side to the bass whilst still holding down the rhythm section with subtle, yet very noticeable drumming of Martin Nordrum Kneppen. The guitars of Morten Andreas Eriksen seem to take up the more traditional role of the keyboards by playing more to enhance the effect and atmosphere of the music whilst occasionally taking centre stage. Lastly, the singer Tony Johannessen has a very husky voice that's almost raspy at times and very much unique. I rather like his vocals as they fit the music perfectly but they do have the draw back of a limited range which may prove to be a problem in later releases.

I know I'm going to be alone in this but this is the kind of album I always wanted Yes to make, were everything always works together, every note, every run and the tone of each instrument as well. As a result I highly recommend this to fans of classic Symphonic Prog, particularly Yes or Genesis, but don't want that slightly clichéd feel that you can sometimes get from The Flower Kings and Neal Morse era Spock's Beard. it's a very good album but at no time does it ever feel like a masterpiece, still I suspect that that is yet to come. A well deserved 4 stars.

As if they had fallen out of time in the Prog space continuum, somehow in contact with the eternal Prog spirits and unabashedly retro, this Norwegian quintet is doing something remarkable; making classic Progressive Rock with authority and authenticity. These boys summon the ghosts of Gentle Giant, ELP, Rick Wakeman and Jethro Tull with healthy shots of Bo Hansson, King Crimson and even Black Sabbath in a sacred ceremony of mellotron, baroque guitar, Arp synths, heavy riffs and Renaissance rounds that feverishly invoke the Anglo/European progressive scene at its zenith. They also carry on a fine Norse tradition as they conquer the great music of the past, and should be a part of every serious listener's collection.

The band is led by Lars Fredrik Froislie and his barrage of keys and warcraft including a Wurlitzer, Hammond C3, clavinet, reed organ, Minimoog, Grand Piano, harpsichord, Stylophone, and something called a Solina string ensemble. Martin Kneppen (drums) and Kristian Hultgren (bass) support on rhythm, Morten Andreas Eriksen handles a range of acoustic and electric guitars, and Tony Johannessen croons. The album has a few weak moments, the singing leaves much to be desired, the mix could be much better and at times the work is derivative. However, music like this isn't made anymore and these flaws are easily forgiven. Like an opening act that ends up blowing away the headliner, Wobbler may wobble but they don't fall down. Get yours before they wobble right out of your life.

There is nothing really unique to be found on this album, but they do have a nice sound, due largely to the use of vintage instruments. You can really tell the difference, as these songs have a texture that is lacking from bands that rely on synthesizer (Neal Morse comes to mind). Unlike others, I find the album art and the wicker-haired cover picture to be very tasteful and intriguing. To each his own, I suppose.

Hinterland. There's plenty of good music here, but at 27 minutes, with little variation (or even repetition) of themes, it may as well be multiple songs stitched together. If you like dynamics changes, you'll find them in spades here--I think it sounds a bit gimmicky at times, because it presents difficulties in building momentum. The diversity of melodies and instruments also keeps things from being repetitive. I particularly enjoy the up-tempo parts in the beginning and end, as well as the heavy mellotron sections, though the soft sections drag on too long.

Rubato Industry. After the uneven behemoth opener, you might think that Wobbler has already thrown its best at you. You'd be wrong, because the quality and cohesiveness picks up with the other two tracks. Rubato Industry is much heavier, builds up nicely throughout, and keeps things together with a very catchy melody. Great keyboard/mellotron interplay, as well as some itchily effective percussion.

Clair Obscur. As high in quality as the previous track, this piece has a much more ominous and menacing presence. A haunting, mellow, spooky intro is revisited for an amazing, majestic mellotron finale. In between I hear bits that remind me of Anglagard, King Crimson (Red period), and even some Genesis, but nothing to the point of imitation.

Three epics, and two that are definite keepers. Given the pleasantness of Clair Obscur, I hope this might be a structure for future Wobbler albums: focus on the music, and forget about the vocals. I'm glad to have this in my collection, but don't expect revolutionary stuff--just musicians who know their prog and are working on developing their own signature.

Wobbler was talked about quite a bit for a few months back when they released this debut album. I was curious, but only recently I decided to check out Hinterland. Using only vintage instruments, Wobbler give us a hint as to what classic progressive rock records would have sounded like if they had some of the technology we have today (if only, if only...). With said instruments, they perform an amalgamation of basically every classic prog style. I'll make it clear: I never frown on retro-prog type bands for being derivative of 70's bands (whether you admit it or not, The Flower Kings and Neal Morse have developed their own sound) and frankly, I even prefer some of them. Wobbler, unfortunately, may be a bit too derivative though. Where as in Roine Stolt's music, I can hear influences, in this music I can hear replications. The instrument choices must be the reason, but surely there are other ways to use them. Let's look at this album a little deeper:

The album opens with a short instrumental that is apparently recalling some event from 1652 - Battle of Plymouth? death of John Cotton, founder of Boston? You decide - and it's OK I suppose. It doesn't serve much of a purpose. Then we move into the near-28-minute epic title track. The musician's strut their stuff and that stuff is solid. The sound's atmosphere is very rich and saturated with nostalgia. Nostalgia, however, must be anhydrous, because the vocals turn out to sound very dry. They kind of put themselves in a Catch-22 with the vocals here because while it was a good idea to keep the amount of vocals low, epics that contain some vocal parts here and there often make the song feel disjointed and/or incomplete. This is definitely the case here. To make matters worse, the epic seems to have been written as an epic for the sole purpose of the length. Epics either need to be connected by narrative lyrics and/or by recurring musical themes. Regardless of whether or not the lyrics are telling a story (I apologize for not being able to locate the lyrics), there aren't enough of them to make it seem unified, and the music doesn't present any images to me to help out either. It has all the ebb and flow required for an epic, but, besides becoming intolerably boring, it feels like a bunch of random ideas that the band meticulously fit together. Flow is useless without direction.

Fortunately, the next two songs don't suffer as much from the faults of the first half. The next track is probably what the first one should have been. It is less than of the length and just as dynamic. I still don't feel like I'm getting anything special out of them, but I'm content with listening to it. Then, the closer is a 15-minute instrumental that has all of the same strengths and weaknesses as before, but it does benefit from being instrumental.

This music is good, there is no doubt about that. I don't mind that they sound very much like other bands, but that gives me one more reason not to listen to them. When your sound doesn't stand out, you have to compare compositional value. While the riffs are good - each one is well thought out and executed - the album just feels like a collection of individual pieces that feel like a collection of individual riffs. The pieces sound like they belong together, and the riffs sound like they go together in the small picture, but in the big picture it turns out to be quite incoherent.

Wobbler is the offshoot project from some members of White Willow (in the before last incarnation of this now defunct group) and has certainly received some high praise from many PA members, as well as the global prog fan base. Michael Bennett's stunning artwork is noteworthy and actually quite representative of the mystifying music found within the plastic. This debut album "Hinterland" possesses numerous classic prog characteristics as well as reinforcing that typical "icy" melancholic Scandinavian style that many of us love dearly and especially the highly original Norwegian slant that is even more coolly mystical than the Swedish variety (The afore mentioned White Willow, Shine Dion, Kerrs Pink, Fruitcake, the spacey Bjorn Lynne, Retroheads, the brilliant Kvazar and the new thrill, Gazpacho). Former WW keyboardist Lars Froislie is the main instigator here, displaying a vast array of keyboards (Hammond organ, piano, the glorious mellotron, synthesizers (Moogs and ARPs), Solina String ensemble, harpsichord, Wurlitzer, and Hohner clavinet) which are placed front and center, with inspired guitarist Morten Eriksen actively adding some oblique guitar lines that are wholly original. The rhythm section keeps the arrangements both propulsive and relaxed, constantly brewing new atmospheres. One big whopping epic followed by two shorter tracks are on the wobbling menu. The half minute "Serenade for 1652" introduces a semi-classical mellotron overture, with the massive "Hinterland" clocking in at almost 28 minutes, lustily dishing out everything from swirling Hammond organ swells, gentle vocal passages that swerve into nearly Gentle Giant territory, insistent background 'trons causing all kinds of commotion, flute flights butterflying delicately over the glacial musical fjords, subtly growing in power. This is certainly Scandinavian prog at its finest, with a huge orchestral swirl straight out of the Crimson Court, flinging the story even further into various alternating landscapes (more of those Giant counterpoint harmonies), with guitarist Eriksen stepping on a few pedals to switch from Martin Barre-like growls to more arpeggio riffs that slash the canvas with utmost effect. Some Baroque guitar (with a sound likened to a luth) add an almost Akkerman-like drama, until the arrangement explodes into grandiose bombast, the Great White keyboard churning brightly, a sudden syrupy synthesizer surges from nowhere, sawing away at the heavy theme. The imperial Hammond seizes the throne, blazing dictatorially while the bass keeps some semblance of mood and direction. The ELP, early King Crimson, Focus, Landberk and Gentle Giant lessons were obviously well digested. Long melancholic passages add to the magic, always keeping the listener unaware and on the edge until the collision occurs with wilder, almost dissonant savagery. Totally unpredictable stuff indeed, an amazing modern Norse version of Yes' "Gates of Delerium". This is not pop music by any stretch. Play this at a typical metro sexual party and the nerd and nerdettes will hightail it FAST. What I call "bouncer music". The sterling "Rubato Industry" does not stray far from the established philosophy, with more frenzied playing in an almost free improv style, room to stretch out the technical capabilities of the instrumentalists with lead singer Tony Johannessen getting to expand on the main melody, a classy flute providing brief calm and serenity. Again the mighty mellotron elevates the passion to some lofty heights (what a brilliant instrument, in the proper hands!) that can only force a willing smile. Some serious Crimsonesque percussive folly only adds to the progressive pleasure, showcasing drummer Martin Kneppen's colossal Ludwig kit. The totally instrumental and my favorite track here, "Clair Obscur" reiterates the hegemony of the 'tron , proving again that it can introduce a piece like no other instrument can and its not just a filler toy. The entrance of romantic piano adds a welcome serenity to a piece that, as its title implies, will create extreme landscapes, with furious Hammond, jangling guitar lines, booming bass and precise drumming. Imagine Lark's Tongues in Aspic- era KC with Keith Emerson on organ and you get a pretty good notion of what kind of wobbling is going on here. A charismatic finale on the mellotron takes this piece into the very upper reaches of Prog Heaven. While not quite a masterpiece, it certainly can qualify as an adventurous opening salvo from this Norwegian crew, with surely a bright (or will it be dark?) future ahead, now that White Willow is no more. 4 quivers

Finally it's there: the moment of the reviewing of Hinterland by Wobbler. I was reluctant to this one for quite a while because this album never gave me much pleasure. After a few spins shortly after the purchase I put it away for a long time, disappointed as I was in the result. Because I expected a lot of wonderful music after the high praise it got from several sources. It also had a high average rating on our site and then this as a result. All I heard was some dark gloomy music with a lot of dissonants and hardly any melody throughout the album.

So every time I thought it was time for the review I hesitated and kept thinking: could I be wrong ? I was sure for a long time that in the end I was going to give it 2 stars. But I also noticed I would be just about the only one ! What is going on here ? Am I not judging or leastening right, am I not giving them a fair chance ? This morning I did the final listening for the whole album and I have to say, a small miracle was happening because it didn't seem that bad after all. Maybe this time because of my low expectations. Anyway, it started with the long epical title track and I have to admit, this is not a bad effort at all. It's quite a good epic at least where the composition is concerned and that is always an important element in my judgement. I did actually hear (some) melody and after the careful listening for almost half an hour I come to the conclusion that this track deserves just about 3,75 stars. The trouble is the other two tracks. I think I heard them most times of the three long ones because they had been on my mp3 for a while and Hinterland never had been because of the length. But both Rubato Industry and Clair Obscur put me off for a long time, the first one due to the first minutes full of dissonant tones and no meldoy at all. Later on this track gets a bit better but never becomes a great one to me. Clair Obscur is more or less in between Hinterland and Rubato Industry where the style is concerned.

All in all Rubato Industry will get 2,25 stars and Clair Obscur 3 so in the end it appears a 3 star effort after all. But Wobbler will never be my band because of their approach of music. Lucky for them they have quite a lot of fans anyway so their music is appreciated by many and they don't depend on me for that. Recommended for lovers of dark symphonic prog that is somewhat in the vein of Anglagard and Sinkadus.

ACTUAL BAND PLAYING GOOD OLD MUSIC

This is another Norwegian band playing good but derivative music (but they are not the first ones, right?). It is exactly the type of works that could either attract you or make you run away because of these sounds which have already been listened to many times.

But I have a certain tendency to like these sort of bands; except when they really sound as a cover band like ''Starcastle'' and alike.

It is not the case here, because ''Wobbler'' emulates the whole range of prog giants we love. From ELP like the introduction of the first epic of this album: ''Hinterland'' to Yes etc. You can name them all.

The great mellotron draws you back to ITCOTCK of course. The good point is that the singer doesn't try to sound as Gabriel. But this would have been too much I suppose. Although that some ''Gentle Giant '' vocals can still be heard; but it is OK to a certain extent, I agree.

''Hinterland'' is a long piece of music (almost twenty-eight minutes), a beautiful journey in the gardens of the most eminent bands without which this site wouldn't have all its fame: the synth at half time sounds as if it was Tony who would be playing. But I could at least name about twenty passages and refer to the limited circle of five bands which I already have mentioned.

One just need to switch from the one to the other. Even so, it is an enjoyable track because it is a formidable and condensed way to get into the bands we all praise. In less than half an hour. Even mighty Tull is featured for about twenty seconds!

The only one missing is Floyd actually. Maybe for a later track?

The same comments are valid for the short ''Rubato Industry'' (not even thirteen minutes). And I still like it very much. Just like the third track from this album which features more mellotron and is closer to the Swedish new scene.

As I have already said, I like this album very much even if it sounds too familiar. I have just seen on their myspace page, that the band has finalized their second album. I'm looking forward to hear it. Four stars for this one.

Here is a band that is completely derivative and therefore not derivative at all! Each section of each song really reminds me of a different symphonic progressive rock act, but the pieces flow together so naturally, the band really has a life of its own. The Mellotron is a constant companion throughout the album, and the organ is almost as steadfast. The vocals are admittedly weak throughout, with the singer in "hush mode" throughout. There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but the dish is nothing less than delicious.

"Serenade for 1652" A swirling and beautiful Mellotron begins the album.

"Hinterland" The first thing that came to mind the first time I played this was "Tarkus" from ELP, but I wasn't thinking that for long, as the music completely shape-shifted into something else. After a time, a King Crimson wave of Mellotron blasts by, bringing in gentle acoustic guitar and more substandard vocals. Then there"s the lead guitar, which sounds very much like Gary Green from Gentle Giant, and the complex vocal sections- can I really be sure I'm not actually hearing Derek Shulman and Kerry Minnear? There's also a heavier section with a synthesizer solo that is quite reminiscent of Yes. It is an outstanding piece of music (and outstandingly long) that will take most quite some time to digest because there's an awful lot of variety here and very lengthy instrumental passages; but it is no way boring!

"Rubato Industry" The introduction to this song has a Gentle Giant-like beginning, but it soon becomes heavier, leaning on the electric guitar, organ, bass, drums, and Mellotron. It's a frantic bit of music that just stays exciting. Things eventually calm down, though. The vocal section reminds me a bit of The Flower Kings (with Roine Stolt on lead vocals), the flute segment thereafter is closer to Genesis (the interlude of "Cinema Show" comes to mind), and the instrumental section after that is very similar to Spock's Beard ("The Light" is a good comparison).

"Clair Obscure" Mellotrons in both string and flute mode begin this initially somber closer. A lone piano takes over, painting a frosty yet adventurous mood. Gradually, the music becomes heavier and more menacing. The guitar throughout is closer to the electric work of Steve Howe of Yes, which weaves its way in and around (not the lake!) the organ and other instruments. It's easy to get lost in this spiraling instrumental, but the return to piano at the end is like waking up from a slightly disturbing dream.

WOBBLER are one of a host of bands helping to introduce a new generation to the sound of 70s prog. You may or may not think this is a good thing - if not, then stay away. Otherwise, you might wish to venture here for a listen - if you like your songs to have an insipid and meandering sound.

Let's begin with the insipid: the vocals are sub-Camelesque. The voice should be an instrument, but WOBBLER use it as a stultifying blanket. Their attempt to sound like GENTLE GIANT (at around the nine-minute mark in the title track) is embarrassing. Likewise, the keyboards buzz and swirl like bees in a dustbin. There is a reason why the sound of 70s synths has largely been abandoned, and you will be reminded of this should you try this album out. There is some nice mellotron, but mellotron always sounds nice.

On to meandering. The title track runs for 27 minutes. Oh dear. It seems far longer. Requisite in the composition of an 'epic' is a strong motif or two: in the absence of such, a song putters on from minute to minute. This putters like a gaggle of octogenarian golfers. There isn't anything resembling compositional strength here.

The best I can say for this record is that it is pleasant in parts.

Wobbler's web site says that their mission is "to create or perhaps recreate some of the musical expressions of the early seventies,-specially in the use of the instruments of that time and the somewhat "strange" compostions of the progressive rock scene from 1969 - 1974". In that, they absolutely succeed.

When I first heard this fantastic album, my first feeling was that I was home. What I mean is that as soon as the music began, I felt that warm feeling that I used to get more than thirty years ago when I brought home that new Gentle Giant, King Crimson or any of the many obscure records I would pick up each week, put the record on the turntable, and bliss out on the music.

The music here has many elements of the above mentioned bands, as well as hints of ELP, Genesis and even some of the folkier prog bands of the seventies. It helps quite a bit that keyboardist Lars Fredrik Froislie has amassed a large number of vintage keyboards, including mellotrons. His playing, to me. is the most important part of giving this music an authentic seventies feel.

Compositionally, this music rivals much of the best of the classic prog period, with a focus on interesting time signatures, chord progressions, melodies and changes.

I recommend this highly to any child of the seventies, and can't wait to get this band's other album.

Wake me up when it's over, I should say!!

Ok, such retro-prog (old King Crimson and a bit Gentle Giant-like), in the manner of the dark progressive bands from Scandinavia (do you remember White Willow, Anglagard or bands like these ones?), is good from the point of view their skill, but this kind of symphonic mood is not able to be truly desirable in our times!! The title track is too much long (27 minutes long!) and it's not equal to "Supper's Ready" from Genesis for instance...that is I'm bored when I listen to a typical Mellotron or a synthesizer according to such a Keith Emerson's standard mood, in a sort of never-ending emulation, especially all along their main suite; instead I'm satisfied when a find a great versatility (here lacking so much), for example within the well produced and arranged albums belonging to a more versatile ensemble like After Crying (also paying a tribute to the old "dinosaurs" of the seventies, but keeping their unique style anyway)..don't get me wrong, I don't hate the retro-prog style, cause it all depends on the cleverness of the members! The intelligent emulation or the personal music skill are not enough- in my opinion- to guarantee the final result; in fact such features should be enriched by means of a "secure" creativity, while "Wobbler" lack here, in comparison to my personal exigencies as a musician. But if you think of the retro-style by the melodic "Renaissance" or Anglagard (these latter-along with Sinkadus- closer to Wobbler, you can understand what I mean...) and- moreover- regarding Frank Zappa and Gerswhin like immortal examples of the symphonic music without a time, can you find this important characteristic inside the album "Hinterland"? I don't think so, but make your own choice as usual- once again!!

You could also add an half star, if you're completely into the retro-style without creativity!

One of the secret ingredients to compose a credible symphonic prog album in the decades following the 70's seems to be to go "retro all the way", meaning not only by doing Prog compositions, but also by using vintage equipment, real instruments, flutes, old dusty organs and a vintage production, creating that exact warm early 70's sound. At least, that seems to be what turns me on.

Wobbler shares this dedicated "full retro" approach with the likes of Anglagard, Sinkadus and, more recently, Diagonal and Astra. Hinterland sounds like a lost Genesis album, recorded inbetween Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot. The tracks are long and adventurous, and while instantly accessible, they will ripen with age, when they reveal their intricate qualities layer by layer. The third track is a good one to sample, it's somewhat more aggressive and tighter, and better recognisable due to the main theme that keeps returning throughout the song.

Despite all my references to Genesis, the music of Wobbler can not be traced back to just one band. At times they also sound like Camel, Gentle Giant or VDGG. With their own Scandinavian melancholic touch added on top, they created an album that never sounds like a clone or copy of anyone else. It's one of the reasons why it works really.

One negative point is the vocals. Just like Anglagard, Wobbler do no excel at that. Luckily, the album is mainly instrumental and the sparse vocals are surely never off-putting. Still, more dynamic vocals could have made the difference between 4 and 5 stars here.

Hinterland sounds every bit as good as Hybris to me. I'd say it suits my taste even better because it has a more organic and spontaneous flow then the meticulously structured approach of Anglagard. Highly recommended, at least if you have no qualms with vintage sounding Prog anno 2005. Some people may have no need for it, but if it creates a tasteful album such as this one, I'm perfectly happy with it.

I had a hard time reviewing this CD. I can´t really make up my mind if I really like it or not. I´ve been listening to it over and over again for weeks. And I can´t still seem to enjoy it as much as thought I would. This band from Norway has all the right influences and the fact that those musicians are highly skilled is beyond any question. Think of bands like King Crimson, Van Der Graaf Generator, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Yes and the like: it is all there. So what´s the problem? After carfeul listening one comes up with the conclusion that the songwriting here is the main issue.

Not that the songs are bad per se. The issue is that those guys didn´t quite produce a sound of their own. Hearing this CD the impression I had was that of a great cover band, doing impersonations of each of their heroes, one at the time. The songs are like long medleys with lots of ELP-sounding organs, early KC mellotron waves, Chris Squire-ish bass runs, Gentle Giant vocal harmonies and so on. It wouldn´t bother me so much if at least the songs were good, but clearly they lack stronger hooks, continuity and wholeness. Nice bits most the time, ok, but no real cohesion. Unlike some other retro bands (Flower Kings is maybe the major exemple), Wobbler hasn´t found a distinticve musical personality yet.

Conclusion: outstanding musicians still in need to find their face and sound, and mature their songwriting skills. We have all the reasons to expect great things from Wobbler in the future. And I´m loking forward to hear their next works. Rating: 2,5 stars that I will round up to 3 because of their tremendous musicanship and good taste.

Norwegian Neo-prog artists Wobbler have put together an album of three instrumental symphonic epics, none of which are less than 12 minutes long, all of it in the vein of Swedish prog revivalist legends, Änglagård.

1. "Serenade for 1652" (0:41)

2. "Hinterland" (27:47) Over the the rhythm tracks often feel like something from a 1960s DOORS song. Then, at 8:25, the band tries to move into GENTLE GIANT territory for a bit. In the eleventh minute, then, they move into one of the GENESIS "Supper's Ready" motifs before segueing into a mediæval lute-like piece which then gets joined by recorder and harpsichord. Very cool! (And very GRYPHON-like). At the begining of the fourteenth minute the band slowly transitions back into 20th century instruments (thick Chris-Squire-like bass and tons of Mellotron) before hitting some VDGG and ELP themes. (Sounds so much like 2020s DAAL!) Unfortunately, the second half of the song's motifs don't always find their mark--get a little dull and tedious (even repetitive with the acoustic guitar break/interlude in the 23rd minute). I guess we're exploring some of the territory traversed by the past RPI masters (not always my favorites). A little too plodding and Hammond centered. (49/55)

3. "Rubato Industry" (12:45) The Änglagård School of Modern Prog definitely comes through with this one, though there are flashes of Future Wobbler in a couple richly harmonized vocal passages and quite some URIAH HEEP present in the second half. Decent! (21.667/25)

4. "Clair Obscur" (15:37) long Mellotron solo opens and lasts two minutes. Then piano and flute introduce an entirely new passage. Int he fourth minute we switch to gently plucked 12-string guitar and Mellotron flute notes as Rickenbacker bass and Hammond creep up from the background. For the next three minutes Hammond and 'trons are backed by YES-like rhythm section with a Steve Howe clone playing C&W guitar in a very YES-familiar passage. Great imitation/replication. I'm just looking for a little more originality--if not sonically or dynamically, at least compositionally. Ominous ninth minute bass play evolves into a NIL-like passage which slowly morphs into a VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR motif before switching suddenly into GENTLE GIANT before going BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO. There's even a little TONY BANKS/MIKE OLDFIELD homage in the final 90 seconds. Beautiful! (26.75/30)

Total Time 56:50

Nice work if, also like Änglagård, lacking the hooks and pulls that draw the listener in and holds them there. The 28-minute title song is probably my favorite due to its varied styles, themes, and broad dynamics. I really appreciate the band's avoidance of gated drum effects for the drums (makes the drummer seem much more alive and noticeable). Both the instrumental and compositional skills of the entire band are top notch--and this is only their first album!

B/four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection. If you love hearing and trying to spot all of the reverent homage moments of a retro-focused band's music, this is one album for you!

A wonderful symphonic debut!

Some years ago I saw the name of Wobbler, whose debut album 'Hinterland' was having very positive reviews amongst prog rock fans, so I got interested on it and fortunately found a place here in Mexico where I could buy it. Since then I've been following them, because I really loved (and love) what they do. Now at last I am reviewing this debut album, released in 2005, which contains four compositions (one brief, two longs, and one giant) that make a total time of 57 minutes.

The first one is entitled 'Serenade for 1652', and it is just a one-minute mellotron introductory track which will lead to the first true composition, which also happens to be the longest of the album with more than 27 minutes (half the album passes here). This new track has the title of 'Hinterland', and oh man, what an ambitious, intelligent and well- crafted composition they dare to create in their debut album, it is something that we should highlight. Well, in this song we will find a feast of keyboards, creating wonderful atmospheres and a variety of sensations. The symphonic sound is evident in the most of the track, though there are moments where they seem to be more in the eclectic side.

The music is mellow, charming and inspirational. Besides keyboards, there are moments where a beautiful flute sound is included, perfectly complementing the previously gentle sound. I love that the music is flowing deliciously, making some calmer moments whose intensity eventually increases. In a passage, the music slows down, an acoustic guitar plays delicately while the mellotron is in the background; later the voice joins along with drums and a very cool bass sound. Since this first long track we can notice that Wobbler may have taken some elements of their influential bands (who doesn't), such as King Crimson, Gentle Giant or Anglagard; of course, the band just take a little bit of them, but they create their original music. Lots of changes in time and mood are here, including a couple of short stops, but as I previously said, it just flows and creates a strong and wonderful song.

'Rubato Industry' lasts almost thirteen minutes. This piece shows the quality of all the musicians, because here we can appreciate the great combined work of the guitar player, along with the always superb keyboard work, with an omniscient mellotron. The bass is also splendid, better when it stands out while drums and vocals appear. The voice is not the most gifted one, however its colour fits with the music. Just before the fifth minute, a flute appears and creates a beautiful calm passage where one can feel a bit relaxed after the strong opening. But a minute later the mellotron returns and the structure follows the same path as in the first five minutes. Later it makes another change, it stops for some seconds and later little by little progresses, the intensity is higher and higher, creating a vertiginous ending.

The last track is entitled 'Clair Obscur', whose 15 minutes are purely instrumental. Starts with mellotron for a minute, then it vanishes and a delicate almost quiet piano plays some notes which seconds later will be joined by flute, creating a pastoral sound. The song has several mini-stops, passages that are being built and suddenly disappear in order to give entrance to new ones. After four minutes and a half I could say the song is already consistent, with a great communion between mellotron and bass, guitars and drums. Here the symphonic sound is evident, giving us a wonderful example of its particular tune. This is a very cool and complex way to end this excellent debut.

So if you like symphonic prog with intelligent compositions, and with that particular Scandinavian touch, you will surely like this album, and Wobbler, of course. My final grade will be four solid stars.

Enjoy it!

This Norwegian Retro-Progressive Rock act was formed in 1999 in Honefoss, led by White Willow's Lars Fredrik Froislie on keyboards with also Martin Nordrum Kneppen on drums, Kristian Karl Hultgren on bass/sax, Morten Andreas Eriksen on guitars and former Guardian's Office vocalist Tony Johannessen.Most of the members are also involved in the Black Metal band In lingua mortua.After a 2-track digital demo in 2003 Wobbler debuted in 2005 with ''Hinterland'', an album released on US prog label The Laser's Edge.

After the short intro come three long compositions by the band clocking overall at 56 minutes!The sound obviously reveals strong vintage influences and comes like a cross between the dark progressive approach of KING CRIMSON, ANEKDOTEN and LANDBERK and the stylish Symphonic Rock of GENESIS, 70's KAIPA and GENTLE GIANT along with some Scandinavian Psych/Folk touches.The arrangements are interesting for the most of their part, mixing decently the Classical inspirations, complex Progressive Rock, a haunting psychedelic mood and a bit of folkier parts and the result is not far from ANGLAGARD or even Froislie's WHITE WILLOW, but with an even more evident retro atmosphere.There is a constant change between electric and acoustic passages, the electric having a clear KING CRIMSON influence, the acoustic though being more in a typical Scandinavian melancholic mood.In general though the musicianship is strongly based on Froislie's work on keyboards: a massive attack of analog keys with extreme doses of mellotron throughout along with organ passages, minimoog solos and fine grand piano.All of his parts is either presented under a supporting role for the rest of the band or in a dominant phase with switches between his keyboard equipment.Singer Tony Johannessen is known for his work with The Guardian's Office, a sensitive and expressive vocalist but with a limited vocal range.The flaws of the album lie on the rather unoriginal sound, the evident lack of trully memorable melodies and the sometimes untightly connecting packs of music throughout the epics.But still the album is a pleasant experience for the most of its length.

The result depends heavily on what you expect from a prog album.If you are a die-hard fan of the 70's, this album is definitely highly recommended.Well-crafted and professional Retro-Prog without though adding anything new to the scene.If you are tired of bands trying to re-produce the Classic Progressive Rock sound you should rather pass by, especially if I consider the lack of some really memorable material on ''Hinterland''.And as usual with these cases, the rating truth always lies somewhere in the middle.

Wobbler's impressive debut album Hinterland is a great example of what can be achieved by a band who is able both to suss out the compositional and recording approaches of the classic 1970s symphonic prog bands on the one hand, whilst on the other hand showing the good sense not to turn their nose up at the textures and sounds offered by modern advances in genres such as post-rock. Not that there's a great deal of post-rock to be heard on the album, mind - there's not much room for it between the nods to Yes, King Crimson, pastoral-era Genesis and Gentle Giant - but at least a few of the extended instrumental passages seem to benefit from the sort of fragile recording processes some post-rock albums enjoy. A good example of symphonic prog brought into the modern era without going the typical retro-prog route.

Something seems to have gone wrong somewhere in my life. Or at least, that's what I find myself saying for the past 3 years ever since I decided to be a contemporary percussionist majoring in Music Management. But I'm certain there's a bit of truth in it, especially after listening (and playing) music of many different genres, only after coming back to the world of symphonic prog and the world of the "epics", the gigantic 30+ minute goliaths that get all the praise in reviews such as this, I had come to a very startling conclusion; the credibility of these mega-songs, the very reason I was attracted to prog in the first place, has left me in doubt.

I'm just not a fan of them anymore.

Then again, my opinion has been altered slightly after playing gigantic minimalist pieces such as Fredrick Rzewski's "Coming Together", "In C" by Terry Riley, and soon enough, Steve Reich's "Music for Mallet Instruments Voices And Organ" (Briefly for those who don't know, these are contemporary pieces designed around minimalism, the idea of creating modern and beautiful music while not necessarily using as few pitches as possible, but by prolonging dramatic chord changes, usually by repeating the same section many times over before moving on to the next one).

Predictably, listening and playing pieces like this over and over again has skewed my opinion of larger pieces and songs, and frankly I think I have a point. I'm going to use "Hinterland" by Wobbler here as a good example. See, in my opinion, if the sky's the limit in terms of song length, than the song should be of massive, epic proportions (see Dream Theater's "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence", BTBAM's "Colors" or even any Gustav Mahler symphony). And even if it isn't a colossal, symphonic experience, if appears to flow through a minimalist perspective (like a post-rock group), or even if the band itself tends to be sporadic with quick changes (a la Mars Volta), that's perfectly fine. I listen to all of those examples, which brings me to, what I think, is the fatal flaw not only of this album, but most songs and bands like this.

There just isn't anything in this piece that interests me.

The title track sets the tone in the first 6 minutes or so with the main theme and verses, so once that's out of the way, you'd expect the bad to develop them, explore beyond them and create wonderful pictures, textures and colors on top of them. But they don't. Instead, the song wallows around for a good 5 minutes restating the same chords and themes in a triplet meter, before removing the drums once again and returning to a baroque-style complete with acoustic guitar and occasional flute. And really, this whole process occurs over and over again till the song ends. In short, it's a song that should've been 8 minutes long, rather than 28 minutes long.

At least "Rubato Industry" salvages a bit of this album's honor. It seems more polished, more put together. There's a better sense of where the beat is, that its structured more musically than "Hinterland". Although roughly 5 minutes in, the solo verse spot almost foreshadows doom and despair like in the title song, but luckily the band returns quickly enough to re-energize the song. Except roughly 2 minutes later, it dissolves into another wallowy jam with no real purpose or desire. I mean, I know the band's called Wobbler, but I didn't expect these guys to name their band after the kind of music they're making.

It's the same story with "Clair Obscur". Brilliant opening, absolutely beautiful. Except it shouldn't really take 3 and a half minutes. And then when the band does come in, it's just a long sequence of abrupt stops and fills, just languildy flopping around like a huge fish on a Tempur-Pedic mattress. It just doesn't go anywhere, and when it does, it just doesn't flow, as if it were one singular composition changing and telling a story. It just sounds like several different songs stitched together into one lifeless, droning piece of mediocrity.

Then again, this was their first album, and after listening a bit to "Afterglow" and "Rites At Dawn", which are much better and much more compelling albums, by the way, I'm willing to give these guys more of a pass, which is why this isn't a 1 star rating.

Normally, I wouldn't have written a review of this album, but this to me is a perfect example that bigger isn't necessarily better. Telling a compelling, interesting story could warrant the need for a 30 minute song rather than just write a 30 minute song for the hell of it. When it comes to progressive music, you're targeting a small and limited, but a very intelligent audience, so in general, it's a good idea to not write bland music that puts everyone to sleep (for any genre of music).

Prog Rock Composition 101.

WOBBLER got its start in 1999 in the frosty northern lands near Hønefass, Norway in the midst of the Scandinavian black metal scene's height of popularity but somehow found itself catching the prog rock bug instead. The band not only decidedly took the route of the musical complexities delivered by the highest expressions of rock music but found the most inspiration in the classic era with particular stylistic input from the bigwigs of the era such as King Crimson, Yes, Museo Rosenbach, PFM, ELP and many more. Instead of rushing into creating an album that would come off as amateurish, the band took its sweet time to carefully craft its reverie of musical style into something that would respectfully emulate the retro prog of the golden era and opted for several years of touring before finally taking the plunge of releasing an album.

Also during this time keyboardist Lars Fredrik Frøislie amassed an impressive collection of vintage keys which included the much needed mellotron, a hammond organ, minimoog, rhodes clarinet, ARP, a real piano and of course a harpsichord. By 2005 the band had crafted enough original material and began to play certain snippets at prog festivals and local gigs with the debut album HINTERLAND following soon after. This band set out to create retro prog and didn't leave any classic stones unturned when seeking an authentic retro sound on HINTERLAND which included ONLY vintage instrumentation around in the 1969-75 timeline. The result was one of the most authentically sounding retro prog bands to have emerged since the prog revival exploded onto the scene in the 90s.

WOBBLER didn't settle for second best crossover prog with cute cuddly melodies with a few prog accouterments. This band went for the jugular by amassing an hour's worth of 70s prog pomp basically spread out into 3 lengthy tracks leaving only a short less than a minute opener providing a fourth track. HINTERLAND delivered the lengthy intricate complexities of classic Yes and Genesis symphonic prog strewn out into long meandering tracks but also along for the ride were Keith Emerson keyboard virtuosic workouts, touches of quirky playfulness in the vein of Gentle Giant and a Scandinavian infusion of prog folk courtesy of flutes, recorders and Baroque guitar. Add to that some jittery angularities and hefty guitar workouts right out of the King Crimson playbook and a bit of jazzy fusion touches and WOBBLER delivered one heckuva debut album.

The blip of an intro "Serenade For 1652" lasts only 41 seconds but provides the proper tone to set for the album's running time as it displays a diverse mix of Baroque classical, folk and Renaissance styled sounds. Next up the behemoth of a title track is the album's highlight with a near 28 minute running time. This track wends and winds through a series of disparate moods as it changes tempos and emphasis on different styles with an underpinning of a melodic development that creates a wide range of variations as the track tackles ELP styled symphonic prog, heavy rock, Baroque guitar passages and more pastoral segments. It also debuts the band's weakest link at this point and that would be vocalist Tony Johannsessen whose vox box isn't exactly detrimental to the duties at hand but also don't really have that over the top extra gusto to pull off a mind blowing performance like Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo would on future albums. Luckily most of this track and the entire album for that matter is dedicated to instrumental workouts.

The other two tracks "Rubato Industry" and "Clair Obscur" are thematically similar to the title track and simply offer new melodic developments and an infinite variety of tempo changes, time signature workouts and intricate instrumental interplay that somehow summarizes the entire classic 70s prog scene without actually sounding like any of the bigwigs that provided the inspiration behind this prog gumbo. "Rubato Industry" tends to focus more on extreme time signature rich prog workouts throughout its near 13 minute run whereas "Clair Obscur" tones things down a bit and goes for a more melancholic pastoral feel with orchestrated atmospheric backdrops that includes some of the most prevalent use of mellotrons on the album. As it heats up it also includes some of the best Steve Howe-esque guitar solos and provides some more ELP keyboard workouts.

WOBBLER may not have quite hit the home run that they did with the critically acclaimed perfection of "From Silence To Somewhere" but they did prove without a doubt on HINTERLAND that these guys clearly had done their homework in the prog university of sound and more than had the chops to pull it off. While it would take a few more albums and a more talented vocalist to achieve the distinct honor of true modern day prog deity status, HINTERLAND is nevertheless a beautifully constructed album that is faithful to the retro timeline without sounding as if the band is actually from that era. This album provides a wonderful array of distinctly classic sounds only displayed in a highly fertile and creative manner that exudes an overly enthusiastic attention paid to every detail and then taken a few notches further. In some ways, this album sounds like an otherworldly collaboration of all the greats of the past. Imagination ELP, Yes, Gentle Giant, Museo Rosenbach, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Genesis all morphing into a single cohesive unit for a mere hour and that is pretty much what you can expect. This debut is not to be missed!

I bought Hinterland in 2007 after hearing the description of the band and I look back at it and it hadn't held as well as Rites at Dawn and From Silence to Somewhere, and now Dwellers of the Deep (which might be a bit premature as it barely came out as of typing, I'm pretty certain it's their crowning achievement as it truly blew me away). Hinterland shows potential but the flaws are a bit obvious. For one thing Tony Johannessen's overwrought vocals are hard to take in. I'm glad he was replaced by Andreas Prestmo as his voice is much more pleasant and improved the band greatly. The other flaw is it's frequently overlong with the title track the most guilty culprit. Sure even that one has great ideas but it's clear the band hasn't figure out how to make their ideas more cohesive. The approach is more bombastic throughout than later releases. Änglagård was the frequent comparison. It even started off similar to Epilog with "Serenade for 1652". Lars Fredrik Frøislie piles it thick with analog keyboards of all sorts, no analog modeling or VST-plugins. Meaning a real Mellotron M400 was used and same for Hammond organ and Minimoog. Other than Änglagård I also detect some ELP and Gentle Giant moves and I almost forgot that gliding tron quote from King Crimson's "Epitaph" on the title track.

As stated, a promising album but it's clear that Rites at Dawn, From Silence to Somewhere and Dwellers of the Deep are superior in every way so go for those first before coming here.

2005 seems to have been a really good year for prog. While I wasn't born in, or even saw the year unfold in my very eyes, it was the year that gave us Ghost Reveries, Frances The Mute, Octavarium, Alaska, and today's topic of Hinterland, the debut album for the eccentric retro prog rock group of Wobbler. I have known about the existence of Wobbler since I decided to get more into modern prog, and after listening to From Silence to Somewhere, I've been enjoying their fairly short, but very consistently good discography. They are one of those bands that take pride in quality over quantity, usually taking their sweet time in creating and perfecting their albums that only have 4-5 songs on each, with the only one reaching past that being Rites At Dawn. However, I'd say their best work yet has to be their debut strangely enough, that being Hinterland.

Maybe it is the recency bias with this being the last Wobbler album I have listened to, and the fact it is the only album from them I got on vinyl, but this is such a great record in my opinion.

This feels like a huge love letter to prog rock from the 70s, more so than retro prog already is. This album is like one huge fusion between the very classical inflictions of Keith Emerson's keyboards, the pastoral folk sounds of Gryphon, the medieval charm of Gentle Giant, a very Yes-like approach to scale and ambitions, and sections that feel very in-line with Comus or Spirogyra. Whilst others may find this to be ripping off these wonderful bands and their style, to me they aren't ripping off, but doing what works, and giving it their own unique spin on flavors. Tracks like the big 27 minute epic of Hinterland, or the very profound Rubato Industry, may have moments that feel like Gentle Giant or ELP songs, but they never distract from the entire grandness of such songs.

In fact, I'd double down and say these qualities enhance these songs. Without the very ELP sounding keyboards on the beginning of Hinterland, or the almost Apocalypse in 9/8 movement from Clair Obscur, this album, and Wobbler as a whole wouldn't have been the same for me. It is kind of like an I Spy book, if you just remove all the objects from the book except for the ones you have to find, it just becomes boring. Without the clear inspirational material, Wobbler would be left in a blank state, making their music feel pointless. You need all those objects in those pages, you need the very elaborate, but very nice to look at set pieces. Wobbler is like the creator of these pages, using whatever they find; their own little toys to create this wonderful set piece.

Musically, I think this is one of the finest retro prog workings. The band really lets their work flow shine, adding on so much to these big grand suites, not holding back in the slightest. It is said that Hinterland was once a lot shorter, but the band kept adding on and on to it, making it the big epic it is now, which I think is a delightful fun fact. Obviously the two other songs on here (not counting Serenade for 1652) would probably get overshadowed by this giant epic, which is probably the only critique I can give to this record, but even then they are still really good songs that deserve much recognition. Overall, what Wobbler crafted here in these tracks, whilst quite long, are quite eventful and packed to the punch with amazing musicianship.

If there is one Norwegian prog rock record that I'd give to someone looking for some really great symphonic prog, I would look no further than here as this is a mighty fine gemstone. It is a prog rock album that does more than just the fundamentals and not only crafts a very rewarding, but very celebratory album. It is a celebration of the past, and one that I can see others looking at in fondness and inspiration later down the line.