One of Sweden's most distinctive modern prog bands, Ritual formed in 1992 and were firmly ahead of the game from the start.
Inspired by the prog legends of the 60s and 70s and more modern exponents of the art, such as It Bites and XTC, they steadily evolved into a melodic and endlessly inventive powerhouse, with a curious obsession with Finnish legend Tove Jansson's Moomin stories and a fervently diverse musical palette. Their first four albums are all magnificent, and the last of them - 2007's The Hemulic Voluntary Band - was widely hailed as a triumph, at least in prog circles. But since then, Ritual have been conspicuous by their absence. They never stopped making music, but hadn't released a new album in 17 years, despite continual rumours that fresh music was on the way.
They finally completed work on the first part of a planned double concept album, The Story Of Mr. Bogd, and relaunched themselves, albeit several years later than planned, last August.
"There have been so many things that have stretched out time for us," gregarious singer/ guitarist Patrik Lundström tells Prog. "It's been a long haul. But you know, we're meticulous....with everything! But it's been a mixture of things. First of all, this has been a major task to complete and we wanted to do it properly.
We've always taken time between our albums.
We're not one of those bands that produce an album every year or every second year. Between the first and second albums it was, what, five years? Of course, this time has been a lot longer! But now we have the chance to renew ourselves and to have a comeback, even though we didn't split up. I guess life is what happens when you're busy making concept albums!" The roots of The Story Of Mr. Bogd can be found in the final track on Ritual's last album.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 157 من Prog.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 157 من Prog.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Dig The New Breed
Supergroup collaborator and solo artist Neal Morse has switched things up for his latest album, No Hill For A Climber, and brought in a new team of young talent, referred to as The Resonance. The artist discusses working in a different way, the challenges of lyric-writing, and whether this spells the end of his songwriting partnership with Mike Portnoy.
Tree, Surgin
Formed in Norway in the early 90s, White Willow were among the retro-sounding bands that were at the forefront of Scandinavia's progressive revival, along with Anekdoten and Änglagård. Although they've been inactive for the last seven or so years, their first six albums are in the process of being reissued via Karisma Records. Bandleader Jacob Holm-Lupo revisits those early releases and reveals that album eight could be on the way soon.
An Accidental Decade
Ten years ago, the whimsical stories on Tiger Moth Tales' debut album, Cocoon, captured the imagination of the prog world. Marking the decade with a 10th anniversary edition of the album, TMT's Peter Jones shares some of his personal highlights with Prog and explains why he's still coming to terms with where it all went right.
The Hiet Is On
The Finnish musical everyman Marko Hietala has been through it all: mental-health issues, leaving the mighty Nightwish and even a stint on reality TV. Fortunately his new album, Roses From The Deep, reveals that he's still as much of a force as ever. Prog caught up with him to find out more.
LIFTING SHADOWS OFF A Dream
It was the reunion that no one thought would ever happen, but after 15 years of making music without him, Dream Theater have welcomed back co-founder Mike Portnoy on their 16th studio album. The drummer discusses Parasomnia, healing old wounds and touring the classic line-up for the band's 40th anniversary.
Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space
Buckle up and prepare to be taken on the ride of a lifetime. Steven Wilson is back with The Overview, an album that even he admits is prog. Comprising two tracks, the conceptual suite includes lyrics from XTC's Andy Partridge and visuals that are out of this world. Prog visits the musician at home to get the lowdown.
RECURRING DREAMS
On his latest album, Heard Noises, Matt Berry takes a leap of faith musically and brings in a more reflective and, at times, confessional approach to lyric-writing. The actor-musician tells Prog about his mind-shift since entering his fifth decade and the very special gift he received from one of his musical heroes that's also played a role on the album package.
Hell - Ain't A Bad Place To Be
In celebration of three decades together, Mogwai have transformed a difficult period into a blazing post-rock extravaganza. The Bad Fire finds the \"prog curious\" Scots in fine form and taking unexpected inspiration from King Crimson, Jan Hammer and Pink Floyd. Bandleader Stuart Braithwaite admits it's never too late to discover The Dark Side Of The Moon.
DORIE JACKSON
Kaprekar's Constant vocalist on her solo career, her dad's influence and why she's happiest being a team player.
