RITUAL
THE HEMULIC VOLUNTARY BAND
Ritual have
been showered with accolades. Since the arrival of their debut
album in 1995, fans and media alike agree that this act from
Sweden is one of the most unusual and innovative phenomena on
the international rock music scene.
The four
band members, Patrik Lundström (vocals, guitars), Jon Gamble
(keyboards, harmonium, harmonica & vocals), Fredrik Lindqvist
(bass, bouzouki, mandolin, flutes, etc.) and Johan Nordgren
(drums, percussion) mix elements of rock, folk and world music,
sprinkle in jazz elements and take their songs to the verge of
avant-garde. Are there renowned role models in the history of
rock music? Certainly acts such as Gentle Giant, King Crimson,
Camel, Genesis and indeed early Jethro Tull. Yet: with their new
album, The Hemulic Voluntary Band, the foursome from Scandinavia
prove again that they elude all classifications and have
delivered an album that’s independent in every respect, with a
creative range that is almost impossible to describe. Or, as
vocalist Patrik Lundström, who is also a member of Swedish prog
legend Kaipa, puts it so aptly: ”Labeling music is always risky,
but I think progressive rock is probably the most suitable
description of this album. Commonly, progressive rock stands for
music where the compositions are more elaborate than in standard
rock – or pop song structures and arrangements that incorporate
influences from other musical styles; both these characteristics
apply to the new Ritual album.”
At the same time, compared to its predecessors, Ritual (1995),
Superb Birth (1999), and Think Like A Mountain (2003), The
Hemulic Voluntary Band goes one step further in terms of its
myriad of different facets. Ritual dispatch their audience to
the various corners of the genre and don’t ask a lot in return –
only their undivided attention! This is anything but shallow
background music, Ritual in general and their latest album in
particular are not for fans of musical fast food. Lundström: ”In
a sense, this is our most progressive album ever, with its long
epic track, varying moods, unusual instruments and all. The folk
influence comes to us very naturally, since both Fredrik and
Johan also play folk-instruments such as bouzouki, whistles,
keyed fiddle, etc. From early on in our career, Fredrik has
introduced us to different folk bands and ethnic music, and it
is something we all enjoy and appreciate. So, the folky
influence has always been a vital part of Ritual’s sound, and it
is one of our main characteristics.”
Naturally,
you can’t describe the new album without explaining its unusual
title. So who or what is the ‘Hemulic Voluntary Band’, and where
does the name originate? ”Hemulic Voluntary Band is taken from
Tove Jansson’s books about the Moomin family. An orchestra named
‘The Hemulic Voluntary Brass Band’ is mentioned in a few
stories. Hemulens are creatures living in the Moomin world. This
band of hemulens is actually a marching band – a brass band –,
and apparently they sometimes perform on festive occasions.
Otherwise, Tove Jansson doesn’t say very much about this
fictional band. But we liked the name very much and really felt
we could identify with it. We feel like a hemulic voluntary
band!”
What he means becomes clear, at the latest, once you reach the
26-minute finale, ´A Dangerous Journey`. An epic, a statement,
an event! ”It’s quite an adventurous track, passing through
several moods and instrumentations,” Lundström explains. ”The
first nine minutes are actually acoustic, with guitar, bouzouki,
nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) and harmonium (an acoustic air-driven
keyboard). Then it becomes electric. The tricky thing with a
long piece of music is to keep a natural flow. We didn’t want to
make an expansive song just for the sake of it – it’s got to
have a natural purpose. ‘A Dangerous Journey’ is rather like a
string of songs connected to each other by the evolving epic
story and by some recurring musical themes.” A description that
more or less applies to the whole album!
: :
DISCOGRAPHY : :
|
Ritual
- 1995 |
Superb
Birth - 1999 |
Did I
Go Wrong (Ep) - 1999 |
|
Think
Like A Mountain - 2003 |
Live -
2006 |
The Hemulic Voluntary Band
Sep 3rd - 2007 |
