Lars Fredrik Fröislie - 2025 - Gamle Mester

(47:16; Karisma Records)






















Here we have the follow-up to 2023’s ‘Fire Fortellinger’, and again Frøislie has been joined by Nikolai Hængsle (bass guitars) while  Ketil Einarsen (flute, recorder) has also been involved. Frøislie provides vocals, drums and a wonderful array of keyboards,  Hammond C3 with Leslie 147, Mellotron M400, Minimoog Model D, Chamberlin M-1, Hohner Clavinet D6, Yamaha CP70B, William de Blaise spinet, Arp Pro Soloist, Arp Axxe, Solina String Ensemble, Tremoloa, Rhodes mkII, Wurlitzer 200, recorder. Anyone using a Hammond C3, Mellotrons, Moogs and Hohner are going to be producing sounds evocative of a certain period and yet again we are in a time machine, heading back to the Seventies.

I find it fascinating that some bands get huge amounts of reviews and a real groundswell of opinion while others struggle, and there is no doubt that this album falls into the former. The title itself is derived from the ancient oak tree Den Gamle Mester, which can be found at Krødsherad Prestegård, which also inspired a poem of the same name by Jørgen Moe. This symbolic tree serves as a unifying theme throughout the album, representing wisdom, endurance, and the passage of time. To me this is a pleasant trip through time, but it feels like a very safe release, and although I have seen it compared to Wakeman’s ‘The Six Wives of Henry VIII’ in terms of importance, to me it is not close to being in the same league as that masterpiece. This is enjoyable, no doubt, but is it really essential? I think not, and to find it currently sat on ProgArchives at #4 in the top albums list of 2025 has much more to do with the number of people who have really enjoyed this and have been prepared to write about it as opposed to its true artistic worth.

It is quite a solid album, with not much in the way of space within the layers, and I would have liked far more contrast within. As it is, it is a pleasant jaunt, and if you like symphonic progressive rock then there is much here to enjoy even if in my own opinion it is not quite as essential as many others think.  

Kev Rowland, December 2025

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie
https://www.karismarecords.no/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tonnen von Hall - 2025 - Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen

Image
(61:45; Iapetus [Unsung Records] ) Track list: 1. Erdmantel 4:05 2. Vorhalle 0:40 3. Antlitz 4:12 4. Stahlhalle 1:01 5. Kraken 5:02 6. Mitralsaal 0:55 7. Kanister 5:56 8. Sockelwald 0:49 9. Kaiserlicht 5:46 10. Schacht 0:43 11. Zivilisationsfolie 4:27 12. Nebelgarten 0:58 13. Donnermesser 6:41 14. Blutrille 1:01 15. Rauschmitte 5:22 16. Klingensaal 0:50 17. Endgegner 3:39 18. Ätzung 0:41 19. Thronfolge 3:09 20. Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen 4:55 21. Herzkammer 0:53 Line-up: Markus Reuter - guitars, loops, sounds Alexander Paul Dowerk - guitars Asaf Sirkis - drums, percussion, vocals Prolusion. Germany based band Tonnen Von Hall was established back in 2022 or thereabouts, and the threesome consisting of Marks Reuter, Alexander Paul Dowerk and Asaf Sirkis has been developing the style and sound of this new formation ever since. The results of that process first came to light on an EP released towards the end of 2024. A few months later the band have now released their debut album ...
Read more

Thirteen of Everything - 2023 - Time and Other Delusions

Image
(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic ...
Read more

Deaton Lemay Project - 2022 - The Fifth Element

Image
(63:04; Deaton Lemay Project) Track list: 1. The Great Awakening 5:32 2. A Different Place in Time 7:24 3. Dragonfly 3:35 4. The Nightmare 4:28 5. Exordium 6:24 - Elements of Life Suite 6. Overture 4:43 7. Fire 6:10 8. Water 6:11 9. Air 4:19 10. Earth 6:53 11. Music 7:25 Line-up: Roby Deaton - keyboards, guitars, vocals Craig LeMay - drums, percussion with: Hadi Kiani - vocals Ehsan Imani - guitars Josh Mark Raj - guitars John Haddad - bass Charles Berthoud - bass Liza Evans - violin Prolusion. US band DEATON LEMAY PROJECT started out officially back in 2018, following a 25 year long period of gestation. They released their debut album "Day After Yesterday" in 2019, and following what I suspect has been a rather busy planning and recording period during the years of the pandemic the creative twosome of Deaton and Lemay are back with their second album "The Fifth Element" at the start of 2022. Analysis. While the fifth element apparently used to be defined as aether ...
Read more