Track Listing

1. Hemulic Voluntary Band
2. In The Wild
3. Late In November
4. Groke
5. Waiting By The Bridge
6. Dangerous Journey

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11593 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

Sweden does it again!!!
Another Swedish progressive rock band make another great album. This has been a great year for progressive rock from Sweden with excellent albums by Anekdoten, Kaipa, Beardfish and Carptree. Added to that is this fourth studio album by Ritual. The unusual thing about this band is that the instrumentation is mostly acoustic. Apart from electric guitar, clavinet and Rhodes piano, everything else is acoustic and some of the instrumentation may be unusual for a rock band. Like harmonium, bouzouki and keyed fiddle. But that doesn't mean that the music is light and pastoral. Far from it. The mix of sounds does make for a very full, energised sound.

The main reference point for me might be Gentle Giant. Especially on the highly infectious opening title track where the staccato clavinet sound is very Kerry Minear! The album title and song lyrics are based on the Moomin stories by the late Finnish writer Tove Jansson. So the whole album has a very folky, otherwordly feel to it and I am reminded of the fantasy based songs by Genesis like "Squonk" and "A Trick of the Tail". Vocalist, Patrik Lundstrom, who is also a member of Kaipa, is very convincing in imparting these stories. The compositions and arrangements are very strong, especially the epic 26 minutes of "A Dangerous Journey". This is a very impressive track. The whole piece has a beautiful, natural flow from the acoustic introduction through to the build up to the electric middle section.

This is an unusual, but highly enjoyable album which features some beautiful instrumental playing by all concerned. The whole thing is given an added attraction by the gorgeous sleeve design and 24 page booklet which is laid out like a book, containing lyrics and sketches about each song. Another superb piece of Swedish prog.

The Ghost of Gentle Giant? Nope just great music influenced by great music
I agree with all that the previous reviewer has said. This a tremendous album and one that fans of the wonderfull Gentle Giant may well appreciate. But these guys are not in any way derivative, they have a unique sound that pays hommage to several threads from the past but which sounds very modern. I think even fans of the more proggresive side of indie ie Radiohead and Muse would find plenty to like on this disc. Great playing fantastic tunes and oblique ideas combine to make this a real treat. Get your credit card out!

Best Prog of 2007
Agree with the other reviewers - a 5-star album and for me the best and freshest prog album of 2007 - by some way. Sometimes a little Genesis can be heard and some Gentle Giant but dare I say a little more melodic?

The centrepiece is the 26 minute epic A dangerous journey - but it never outstays its welcome. Furthermore, the different themes hang together so well - unlike some prog epics where the length of the piece seems to matter more than the actual content - or that unconnected parts are just thrown together. I particularly like the acoustic beginning and the section that kicks in after 16mins 30 secs "Cold descending and they frooze" - hauntimg music and great vocals - vocals are superb throughout. Even the kids love this one! But all the themes offer something enjoyable.

It would be easy to overlook the other tracks but they are so well put together to make this highly recommended. It is good to know that while we may never return to the golden age of prog (Yes, Genesis, Tull, Floyd etc) bands such as Ritual, Presto Ballet, Unitopia, Riverside and many others are still producing fresh, complex and exciting albums such as this.