Lars Fredrik Frøislie is known for being the keyboardist of Wobbler, a Norwegian band at the top of the Prog scene of the last 20 years. In addition, he has played with other Norwegian bands such as White Willow, Tusmørke and many other collaborations. During the pandemic he found time to work on his debut solo album, titled “Fire Fortellinger” released on June 02, 2023 via Karisma Records. The album contains four full-length tracks, including two 16-minute-plus epics, offering a keyboard-driven Prog Rock in which Lars plays all the instruments and sings, except for the bass, which is played by Nikolai Hængsle. The opener “Rytter av dommedag” immediately immerses us in the atmospheres of the album, characterised by elaborate keyboard twists, continuous tempo changes and a warm, expressive vocal. Deep bass lines complete the rhythm section, while the long instrumental parts enhance Lars’ compositional and performing technique. A wide range of keyboards intermingle, played with a highly refined technique, with solo inserts of absolute value alternating with symphonic openings and vocal parts. The artist skilfully brings classic Prog sounds into a modern and personal context, exploiting the entire duration of the track to develop an epic track that will surely go down in the history of modern Prog and beyond. The two central tracks of the disc are shorter in duration, still exceeding six minutes. Another lesson in Symphonic Prog, “Et sted under himmelhvelvet,” where dreamy atmospheres permeate the sound, with a fine use of orchestrations. The vocals are intense and interpret the lyrics with passion, alternating perfectly with the instrumental openings offered by the artist. As the song progresses, the intensity increases, with the rhythm section becoming more energetic with a killer bassline and interweaving of keyboards in both the melodic lines and in fine, sophisticated solo textures that made me jump out of my chair. “Jærtegn” opens with a solid, elaborate rhythm section and retro organ work, making for an engaging track. The choral vocal parts fit perfectly into the musical context of the song, which is rich in tempo changes, with forays into the Baroque in the middle section. The artist continues in this track to explore the various facets of Prog Rock, maintaining the intensity and quality of the compositions at absolute levels. The fourth and final taccia of the disc, “Naturens katedral,” is another epic track over 16:30 minutes long. In the first part of the track, the sounds have a darker atmosphere, also accentuated by the vocal performance and the melodic lines of the keyboards, with the organ in evidence. As the minutes go by and the track develops, the sound is more airy and dreamy, with the usual Prog structure between tempo changes and the numerous keyboards dialoguing over an exciting mellotron background. In the middle section, the sound becomes more energetic, the rhythm section accelerates and in the long instrumental sections, the artist brings out his technique in the different instruments with passages and ideas composed and executed with an exquisite technique. Being a lover of Scandinavian Prog sounds both modern and past and a great lover of the bands in which Lars plays and has played I expected a lot from this record. I must say that all expectations were not only fulfilled, but this work in my opinion is a real gem, a masterpiece of Prog, making me experience those emotions that only masterpieces make you feel. The length of the tracks is exploited to the full to express all the technical skills both in the compositional and executive phases of the artist, who has the collaboration of a bass player who adds quality to the sound. Those who love Progressive Rock sounds will find by listening to this album everything they are looking for when purchasing an album. Albums such as these show how the Prog sounds still have a lot to convey even today, and artists such as Lars still hold high the spirit of our beloved genre. Congratulations also to Karisma records, one of the labels that always offers refined and highly sought-after work such as this.
Tracklist
01. Rytter av dommedag (16:56)
02. Et sted under himmelhvelvet (06:53)
03. Jærtegn (06:27)
04. Naturens katedral (16:36)
Lineup
Lars Fredrik Frøislie / Keyboards, Drums, Vocals
Nikolai Hængsle / Bass
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