Ring Van Möbius: Past The Evening Sun

The beauty of progressive rock is it’s such an expansive genre offering so many tangents and curves so as to keep any listener of adventurous music enraptured. The term progressive implies music should be continuously evolving towards something new. While there are many young bands exploring this avenue there are also many who are looking back in time and developing a more retro sound. Such is the case with Norway’s Ring Van Möbius. As is described on his Facebook Page, “progressive rock straight from 1971, but made today.� You will hear elements of ELP, King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator, not a bad trio to build a sound after.

The album begins with the twenty-one minute epic title track. If you like VDGG you will more than likely really appreciate what the band is doing here. While this might be considered slightly derivative this song is so good and done so well I don’t mind in the slightest. A really cool synth/keyboard intro, very retro, is interrupted with huge riffs and off kilter tempos. Very VDGG in approach. The saxophone and the Hammond organ dominate much of the soundscape and I really couldn’t ask for more. Lots of twists and turns and heavy and lighter shades , quite a complex offering and an excellent album opener. Next is “End Of Greatness� featuring dramatic stick work, Mellotron strings and lush Hammond. The vocals have a Peter Hammill-esque slant continuing the VDGG vibe. It’s a beautifully haunting tune that should appeal to fans of vintage progressive rock. The last track “Racing the Horizon� delves into intense and quiet musical passages, sometimes jarring, sometimes dreamy and always highly intensely interesting. Another excellent track.

Despite only three tracks there is still around forty minutes of impeccably played retro prog to satiate any fan of ‘70s progressive rock, especially those who find King Crimson and VDGG particularly inspiring. With that, dear reader, I leave it up to you to explore this excellent artist.

An Apollo Records release.

Track Listing:
1. Past The Evening Sun (21:39)
2. End Of Greatness (5:53)
3. Racing the Horizon (11:55)

Added: August 26th 2019
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Facebook Page
Hits: 1392
Language: english

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