Retro prog hard rock
Latest album: The Hallas Saga - Live at Cirkus (2023).
Isle of Wisdom (2022)
Hällas (Hallas if searching) are one of many Scandinavian bands playing in the retro progressive rock / hard rock space, doing their part to bring back the mid 1970s. Reminds me some of the debut by Australia's Tarot, but perhaps more progressive oriented. This is their 3rd full length release (4th if counting the EP), and apparently this album represents an improvement in production. Isle of Wisdom is my first exposure to the band, though I'll be sure to check out the others if afforded the chance.
---3/12/22
Excerpts from a Future Past (2017)
The debut from Hallas clearly draws from the North American proggy hard rock school of the mid 70s. Analog instrumentation rules the day, in particular the Hammond organ and vintage synthesizers. What I like most is the melodic songwriting within this structure, including during the solos. It's interesting to note just how many of these type of bands have emerged from Scandinavia over the last 30 years or so. One wonders the impetus of this phenomena. It's much more acute than here in North America itself. While we certainly have many enlightened folks reimagining the past, they're still a very small part of the overall global prog community. No complaints from me, I think the genre has plenty of room for more mining. It's a type of music that can go in any direction at any time. And those warm analog tones make it just that much more enjoyable to listen to.
---5/28/24
10/14/23 (new entry)
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