Band: Gosta Berlings Saga

CD Title: “Detta Har Hant”

Band Website: www.gostaberlingssaga.se

Label: Transubstans Records

Release Date: 2009

I recently received the second CD release from Sweden’s Gosta Berlings Saga and what a pleasant surprise it was. Not having heard the band before I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my ears really perked up at the launch of the first track and stayed glued to the sounds all the way through. Formed back in the year 2000 they’ve forged a solid sound that is really coming into it’s own with the release of Detta Har Hant. It should be noted that the band has the input this time around from Mattias Olsson of Anglagard.

The disc, Detta Har Hant has eight tracks with a nice mix of both long and short tracks, but you wouldn’t really know it as some of the tracks are linked pretty close together. Musically this instrumental quartet produces a musical style that is kind of a mix of France’s Eclat with Anglagard or perhaps Anekdoten. The music is a powerful rolling machine trading off gorgeous melodies played up against startlingly dissonant passages. And it plays beautifully, each track building in intensity with guitars or keyboards filling in a lead vibe. That in many ways describes “Sortergatan” [9:49] but when the Mellotrons kick in lending full majesty to the piece I was hooked, line and sinker! This is music that draws you in unawares and then puts a powerful hypnotic spell over you! This is also music that displays a real intensity without being overbearing. Notes are played on notes with repeating musical motifs creating a vortex of sound that is spotlighted by a contrasting lead guitar or synth melody line. It is majestic and haunting at the same time. True, some of these compositions display a very angular tone, but then we’ve come to expect that, and here it’s welcomed and provides a nice contrast to the more upbeat melodies. The band is not afraid of silence however. Take for example the track “Nattskift” [5:00] which starts out for the first minute or so with just an electric piano riff. The track builds relatively quickly with all the other instruments coming into play each taking its own angular stance.

If you are a fan of Scandinavian prog Gosta Berlings Saga will find a very comfortable place in your music listening. That said the music crafted on Detta Har Hant really should find a much wider audience of prog music fans given its exceptional crossover potential. For my ears, this is wonderful stuff, upbeat and yet retaining that precious melancholy approach we’ve come to love about the Scandinavian prog bands. All in all I’d say this is a real winner.