Prog Recommendations/Featured albums - All Traps Earth

4.48 | 1893 ratings

QWR = 4.4625

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1419" rel="nofollow - Godbluff
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=343" rel="nofollow - Van Der Graaf Generator

Eclectic Prog
Studio, 1975

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1419#buymusic" rel="nofollow - 11

4.44 | 3311 ratings

QWR = 4.4307

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1825" rel="nofollow - Fragile
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=105" rel="nofollow - Yes

Symphonic Prog
Studio, 1971

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1825#buymusic" rel="nofollow - 12

4.71 | 132 ratings

QWR = 4.4197

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=60628" rel="nofollow - A Drop Of Light
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=10657" rel="nofollow - All Traps On Earth

Symphonic Prog
Studio, 2018

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=60628#buymusic" rel="nofollow -
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Replies:

Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: December 27 2018 at 19:24

Swedish going by the names. Oddlly, I've not heard of them. I go to see a lot of retro bands over here. Do they actually do gigs though?

Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: December 27 2018 at 19:54

I don't like Anglagard, but I like the Zeuhl-ish touches on All Traps. Some of the symph-ier moments I'm not as fond of, and I would like if they went even further "out," but I enjoyed it overall.

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 27 2018 at 20:41

LAM-SGC wrote:

Swedish going by the names. Oddlly, I've not heard of them. I go to see a lot of retro bands over here. Do they actually do gigs though?

Norwegian actually so close cousins. I don't know if they play gigs but if they ever make it to California you'd better believe i'd go see them! Judging by the response of this debut album, they'll probably be doing world tours in no time Clap

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 27 2018 at 20:42

Polymorphia wrote:

I don't like Anglagard, but I like the Zeuhl-ish touches on All Traps. Some of the symph-ier moments I'm not as fond of, and I would like if they went even further "out," but I enjoyed it overall.

It's contained for sure but that's ok with me. There are enough bands that REALLY go out there :)

I enjoy some good traditional prog that plays by the established rules and this one really scratches that itch much like Wobbler did last year.

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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 01:23

Not sure why this is in General Music Discussions but anyway I purchased the Mp3 recently ( it's very cheap on Amazon) and was instantly blown away. I love every second of it. Not a wasted moment. Just a gorgeous slice of symph prog. Does it deserve the hype? Yes certainly and as good as Hybris if not better.

Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 04:21

siLLy puPPy wrote:

Norwegian actually so close cousins.

Thanks, but neighbours will suffice ;) I'm only a 2 hour drive from Oslo ;)

Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 04:50

LAM-SGC wrote:

siLLy puPPy wrote:

Norwegian actually so close cousins.

Thanks, but neighbours will suffice ;) I'm only a 2 hour drive from Oslo ;)

I'm pretty sure the band is actually Swedish.

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Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 05:18

this is basically 1/3 of Anglagard, hence the similarities. Could've made my top-2018 if not for annoying vocals

Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 05:25

^^They are Swedish.

Epignosis wrote in his review of Änglagård's Viljans Öga (PA's Album of the Year 2012): "Instrumentally, Anglagard should be a symphonic lover's dream, but compositionally, they are rot.". This is a good characterization. But this is a case of ädelröta: the album is actually excellent, according to my first impression after one single listen. This is Symphonic Prog in Opposition; much of the album tends towards RIO/Avant with a Zeuhlish touch now and then, thanks to the daughter of's vocals. The album may be somewhat hyped, mainly due to its Änglagård connection, but at least it has some qualities. Not on top of my list, probably somewhere near the bottom of the top 10. It deserves some more listens anyway.

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Posted By: javajeff
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 05:48

I am going through the Änglagård studio albums at the same time, and it is of equal quality and fits nicely into the same playlist. The high quality musicianship is evident from the start. Although, it may be higher on the all time list than it should be. We may have more accurate lists with a 10 point rating system.

Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 06:01

IT'S TERRIBLE...!

...that more new releases are not this good.

Absolutely fantastic and much more enjoyable than the Anglagard albums.

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Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 06:15

Yes, thanks. I thought so. The Nordic names in the group are certainly Swedish. I just checked out some webpages and their facebook page. They are Swedish and live in Stockholm.

"All Traps on Earth is a Swedish quartet led by https://www.facebook.com/anglagardrecords/?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARA8-ewJDVkHaJOnUc-kWf0HrV_cXU4NQ3_6Tb6LJf5fghd1qzJdHA0_ktsVHBrzx84hCJDk2jLYB-q7&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCqJKllUOKABW2Qtudku9rQKgCaZAGz3bk1RI1VerURYjMELVH6iYgt64UrJ7sd28aOm6NahWeT8CeWtTmOQIMdfIEYs7FYXGF4RH8q51pfr7gmTNZchxH8O9Jyvm0bF2NNO-d-dDkR25CNfuQeV63aTszbuyEJhUIry3dGMsTX5M3CPwRz2BFklszmv4Cx48AODNtQP3GUysSxnRSRE_Ry" rel="nofollow - Änglagård ‘s https://www.facebook.com/johan.brand.9210?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARCa_ofXVblk5gxVrMGKyGHM2v30LS8QofEGAMGIW-KeFhpFbzcjweH5KTVqHemHsZVfhAKF-YP8Spev&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCqJKllUOKABW2Qtudku9rQKgCaZAGz3bk1RI1VerURYjMELVH6iYgt64UrJ7sd28aOm6NahWeT8CeWtTmOQIMdfIEYs7FYXGF4RH8q51pfr7gmTNZchxH8O9Jyvm0bF2NNO-d-dDkR25CNfuQeV63aTszbuyEJhUIry3dGMsTX5M3CPwRz2BFklszmv4Cx48AODNtQP3GUysSxnRSRE_Ry" rel="nofollow - Johan Brand , including two other members of the same band, Thomas Johnson and https://www.facebook.com/erik.hammarstrom.963?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARBXKTyKVbxc1oqjlx2xGag0stJkfQMzvP4oXXKrsEchwGOkTO_hZ4p3EM2-O3rND-kQIf3x0XqY8AO-&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCqJKllUOKABW2Qtudku9rQKgCaZAGz3bk1RI1VerURYjMELVH6iYgt64UrJ7sd28aOm6NahWeT8CeWtTmOQIMdfIEYs7FYXGF4RH8q51pfr7gmTNZchxH8O9Jyvm0bF2NNO-d-dDkR25CNfuQeV63aTszbuyEJhUIry3dGMsTX5M3CPwRz2BFklszmv4Cx48AODNtQP3GUysSxnRSRE_Ry" rel="nofollow - Erik Hammarström , and Johan’s daughter Miranda."

Source: https://www.progradar.org/index.php/tag/all-traps-on-earth/

Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 06:20

javajeff wrote:

Although, it may be higher on the all time list than it should be. We may have more accurate lists with a 10 point rating system.

To me it suggests that greater weight should be given to total number of reviews as a proxy for durability. It does seem odd that a small cluster of 100% 5 star reviews can push a new release so high.

Though I guess things will even out over time as more reviewers weigh in. It's a safe bet not everyone will give this five stars.

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 07:07

Mascodagama wrote:

LAM-SGC wrote:

siLLy puPPy wrote:

Norwegian actually so close cousins.

Thanks, but neighbours will suffice ;) I'm only a 2 hour drive from Oslo ;)

I'm pretty sure the band is actually Swedish.

DOH! Sorry. You're all right. I mixed them up with the other band i just reviewed Ring Van Möbius.

Of course they're Swedish. They're 3/5 Anglagard!

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 07:09

someone_else wrote:

^^They are Swedish.

Yes, great analysis. Symphonic Prog In Opposition nails it. It does seem to me like Anglagard meets Dün.

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 28 2018 at 20:22

Does anyone know if they are touring?

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Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 04:49

Great album. Definitely deserving 5 stars. I think it is musically richer than either Viljans Öga or Hybris though it definitely sounds like Änglagård.

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Posted By: Jeffro
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 13:32

I've only heard the first song thus far but I like it a lot. Off to check out the rest of the album

Posted By: Squonk19
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 14:47

Strangely haunting.... I understand why RIO followers like it so much. On the edge of my comfort zone, but enjoyable all the same - very classical in style, with an improvisational structure. Worth persisting with....

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Posted By: ForestFriend
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 15:13

After listening to it on Spotify, here are my impressions:

-Definitely a challenging album - very long complex pieces. One of those albums that feels like it will require repeated listenings to get a good feel for.

-These guys (and girl) have a really enjoyable and interesting sound. I don't really like the term "retro-prog" since it has a bit of a negative connotation - although there are a lot of vintage keyboards on this, on the whole they have their own sound. Sure, every once in a while I get reminded of King Crimson or something, but it's clear to me that this isn't a "clone" band (well, except for obvious similarities to Anglagard due to shared members). The heavy use of Mellotron probably contributes to its "retro" label, although I really enjoyed how they used it in a way that sounds very "metal", as if a typical prog-metal band would do those parts on guitar. Didn't mind the vocals at all - I felt like she could have been more prominent, compositionally.

-That being said, I didn't really get the impression that each piece had its own identity. Obviously there's the little 2 minute piece vs the 10+ minute pieces, and the one song with lyrics vs the instrumentals, but it felt like each piece was more of the same. To me, this is one factor which would prevent me from giving it 5 stars - although as mentioned above, perhaps repeated listenings will help me understand the album a bit more. But I think each piece on its own (God forbid... enjoying music out of the context of a full album!) has enjoyable and redeeming qualities.

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Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 15:48

Wonderful album, truly a modern progressive rock effort. Will be in my top 2 for 2018.

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Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 17:13

Listened to a few songs, not my cup of tea at all, however the vocals are bloody awful.

Posted By: DamoXt7942
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 17:55

What an amazing one really. Shocked

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 18:24

LAM-SGC wrote:

Listened to a few songs, not my cup of tea at all, however the vocals are bloody awful.

I think you'll find yourself in the minority with this one, my friend Wink

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 18:47

DamoXt7942 wrote:

What an amazing one really. Shocked

You just bumped it up to #11 on the Top 250.

It does make me wonder how in the world that could be possible.

A Drop Of Light only has 144 ratings and sits at #11.

Fragile by Yes has 3312 ratings and sits at #12.

I understand collabs and admins have stronger stars but WOW!!!!

This is unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: December 29 2018 at 19:16

It'll probably make my top 10 on the year

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Posted By: Lewian
Date Posted: December 30 2018 at 04:53

On first impression I like what I'm hearing. I'm not a big fan of Anglagard, but there's much more here in terms of atmosphere and emotion that resonates with me (whatever that tells about me Cool

). One major association for me is the Symphonic Pictures album of SFF. The vocals are OK and well used in my opinion, and I'm normally easily annoyed by bad vocals.

That said, although this is a very well done appealing album, it is too retro and not innovative enough for my taste to be counted among the very best, I'd probably give it a solid four stars.

Thinking about it a bit more, I'm actually rather curious about whether...

a) with more time this will grow into something really great, in 10 years or so like an old friend I am always happy to go back to, or

b) in the long run pleasure will be affected by the impression that there's still too much showing off, complexity for complexity's sake and "we do it because we can" on this album.

I agree that the album needs far more airtime for finding this out, but will I grant it that? I can tell you in 10 years. Tongue

Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: December 30 2018 at 05:13

siLLy puPPy wrote:

LAM-SGC wrote:

Listened to a few songs, not my cup of tea at all, however the vocals are bloody awful.

I think you'll find yourself in the minority with this one, my friend Wink

Maybe. But that is irrelevant and won't change my opinion of the vocals, which completely put me off listening to any more anyway.

Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: December 30 2018 at 07:00

Lewian wrote:

On first impression I like what I'm hearing. I'm not a big fan of Anglagard, but there's much more here in terms of atmosphere and emotion that resonates with me (whatever that tells about me Cool

). One major association for me is the Symphonic Pictures album of SFF. The vocals are OK and well used in my opinion, and I'm normally easily annoyed by bad vocals.

That said, although this is a very well done appealing album, it is too retro and not innovative enough for my taste to be counted among the very best, I'd probably give it a solid four stars.

Thinking about it a bit more, I'm actually rather curious about whether...

a) with more time this will grow into something really great, in 10 years or so like an old friend I am always happy to go back to, or

b) in the long run pleasure will be affected by the impression that there's still too much showing off, complexity for complexity's sake and "we do it because we can" on this album.

I agree that the album needs far more airtime for finding this out, but will I grant it that? I can tell you in 10 years. Tongue

Think I'm landing in the same spot.

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Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com

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Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: December 30 2018 at 11:18

ForestFriend wrote:

Definitely a challenging album - very long complex pieces. One of those albums that feels like it will require repeated listenings to get a good feel for.

I agree with this. It took a few listens for it to go from being interesting to resonating with me. And even after many listens, I still haven't fully grokked the album.

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Posted By: Mascodagama
Date Posted: December 30 2018 at 12:12

I only got it recently and if my experience with Anglagard is any guide (love/hate relationship for many years) it may take a decade before I really know what I think of it. For now it's probably in my top ten this year but not my top five. One can't fault the impeccable musicianship and beautifully constructed compositions - and as with Anglagard, I feel the players have an almost classical propriety of approach combined with the ability to strike hard but precisely like a good metal band. Much beauty but little warmth, much arse-kicking but no “rocking” (...in the right mood I don't mind this at all). And there's a core conservatism of approach that to me feels a bit limiting - the integration of zeuhl / RIO elements does not disturb this impression - let's be honest, these stylings can be used as just another flavour of retro at this point. (Aside: I always felt that Mattias was the only one who brought an element of freedom and wildness to Anglagard. Obviously he is not involved here).

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: December 30 2018 at 17:01

LAM-SGC wrote:

siLLy puPPy wrote:

LAM-SGC wrote:

Listened to a few songs, not my cup of tea at all, however the vocals are bloody awful.

I think you'll find yourself in the minority with this one, my friend Wink

Maybe. But that is irrelevant and won't change my opinion of the vocals, which completely put me off listening to any more anyway.

Yeah, i know how that goes. Sometimes vocals prevent me from taking it in. I'm just saying, you're definately the only one i've heard say anything bad about this album!

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Posted By: LAM-SGC
Date Posted: January 02 2019 at 14:25

siLLy puPPy wrote:

Yeah, i know how that goes. Sometimes vocals prevent me from taking it in. I'm just saying, you're definately the only one i've heard say anything bad about this album!

eeeerrr....NO! Prog-Jester said this on page 1. "Could've made my top-2018 if not for annoying vocals." Smile

Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: January 02 2019 at 18:38

Definitely in my 2018 top 10. I find the combination of symphonic, RIO-Avant, and Zeuhl intriguing and addictive. I ordered physical copy.

Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: January 02 2019 at 21:10

I just gave the album a quick listen on YouTube to see what all the fuss has been about, and though indeed it's very good, it didn't really grab me nor made me love it. I guess I'll give it a few more listens to make up my mind if I'm still missing something and decide to buy it, but so far I definitley like Hybris much better.

Posted By: Kempokid
Date Posted: February 05 2019 at 04:40

While I don't think it's quite a masterpiece, it's still a great album that I've listened to quite a lot lately, and can definitely see why it's as loved as it is.

Posted By: The Jester
Date Posted: February 05 2019 at 11:42

Sorry guys, but this is not for me. No way!

I tried it a couple of times, but no...

Same thing stands for Wobbler's album as well....

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Posted By: The Jester
Date Posted: February 05 2019 at 11:43

Also, important fact is that I don't like Anglagard...

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Posted By: siLLy puPPy
Date Posted: February 05 2019 at 12:03

Kempokid wrote:

While I don't think it's quite a masterpiece, it's still a great album that I've listened to quite a lot lately, and can definitely see why it's as loved as it is.

Explain what doesn't make it a masterpiece.

I think a lot of comments and reviews tend to focus on personal tastes instead of looking at the work in its own terms. I personally think this IS a masterpiece because it a flawlessly constructed symphonic prog album. Are there other albums i'd rather listen to for my own enjoyment? You bet, however that doesn't diminish from the fact that this album tackles all the prog sensibilites and complexities and adds some new elements to bring it into the modern world. For example, there are albums i consider masterpieces like Genesis' SEBTP but i rarely listen to it because it's not my favorite album to enjoy.

Generally speaking, i go by the first definition of masterpiece and ALL TRAPS ON EARTH constructed an outstanding work on this debut. Just my take on things Wink

mas·ter·piece

(măs′tər-pēs′)

1. An outstanding work of art or craft.

2. The greatest work, as of an artist. Also called masterwork.

3. Something superlative of its kind: a masterpiece of political ingenuity.

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