VILJANS ÖGA

I always considered Anglagard one of the best (if not the very best) examples of what a progband sounds like. This is not strange if you realize mellotron and flute are two very prominent prog instruments and are very significant in Anglagards music. On top of that the complexity and sometimes inaccessibility is right there as well and are of course features of progressive music. Anglagard has always intrigued me because of all this and maybe it's even more interesting this Swedish band is a contemporary band and is maybe the best example of a progressive band playing retroprog in an own style and sound. Also their obscurity with the general public is a proof we're dealing with true 100% prog and not by accident one of the most popular bands amongst the prog devotees.

This latest album has a lot in common with both predecessor Epilog as with the bands famous debut Hybris. Obviously Anglagard prefers songs between 10 and 15 minutes and somehow they fit the band like a glove. At least they are excellent in composing them; these songs are all great and are Anglagards trademark ultimately. And so they are on their latest Viljans 'ga. It surely amazed me checking out the tracks and finding out they are all winners once again. Like I said, the compositions are complex and somewhat inaccessible. They are also darkish but the real reason I like this album is that the songs are also pleasant for the ears. Not easy to digest but not too weird or experimental to like (or even love) either for a harmonic music lover like me.

It went through my mind that this album should actually be protected from the usual bashers. People that want to be different from the rest and simply therefore give this album one or two stars. Or give these ratings out of some sort of sick jealousy because this album rises higher than their own favorites. I think we all know what I'm talking about. And I'm saying this because this masterpiece deserves no bashing from anyone. It deserves the same respect as Close to the Edge or Thick as a Brick, albums that are also pinnacles of our genre. Of course I realize life isn't like that and neither it isn't on our site. But I would really love to see this album gets the respect from everyone that it deserves. And that it will keep the high rating it has right now (some 4,65) so that it will end up in our top 10 or 20 where it belongs. And in the end I hope the band will keep up the great job they are doing for two decades now. A deep bow for Viljans 'ga. And 5 stars of course.