Retro prog
Latest release: Commissioned Works Pt II : Six Drops Of Poison (2023)
Looks like the band has decided to call it day. That's too bad.
The 3rd Majesty (2020)
Snuck one more new album in before the New Year. Ring van Mobius burst onto the scene a couple of years ago with their own brand of retro prog. To be honest I don't remember much about that debut (I have a scratch off note in here somewhere), but I have an excellent rating for it. And perhaps no surprise since Past the Evening Sun was modeled to some extent on Van der Graaf Generator - a band I recently told you all I struggle to recollect regardless. The 3rd Majesty seems to draw from a different well of UK progressive rock. There are some VDGGisms left, but gone is the saxophone, and its place is a barrage of keyboards and fuzz bass. Whereas fellow countrymen Wobbler dabbles with both classic Scandinavian dark prog and all-time favorites Yes, Ring van Mobius borrows from that same Yes, as well as ELP, King Crimson - and the American variant of such. Scoff all you want, but one can even hear Starcastle within these grooves. As is often the case with music like this, the blend is original even if the ingredients are not. Given that I'm an unreconstructed early 70s progger at heart, I find albums like this to be highly satisfying. But not one for those who would like to get past 1974. For my tastes this album challenged Wobbler's latest to the finish line. Superb offering.
---1/1/21
Past the Evening Sun (2018)
It doesn't take too long to figure out that Ring van Möbius (Ring van Mobius if searching) have Van der Graaf Generator on the mind while listening to Past the Evening Sun. The dense compositions, the broad stroke saxophone, heavy bass, and the psychotic Peter Hammill style vocals all point to Pawn Hearts. The vocals might be a bit more soft affected than Hammill's - perhaps a bit of Gabriel even, and some of the mellotron work recalls early King Crimson, so it's not all intense - all the time. Ring van Möbius were to switch gears for their second effort The 3rd Majesty (for arguably the better) which I managed to get some words down on this blog. For another Norwegian retro prog band reference, Past the Evening Sun reminds me of Gargamel. Easy rec for fans of complex early 70s prog rock.
---1/24/22
1/15/19 (new entry)
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