Set the controls for the heart of the sun! The adventures continue as the retro-progtastic Swedes in Hällas are back with yet another helping of classic fantasy tales and space opera, set to intricate and multi-layered music. Isle of Wisdom is their third full-length album and fourth overall release.
Describing the band to those who might be new to them isn’t straightforward, but an introduction has been attempted before on these pages right here.
In short, their music is an imaginative blend of nostalgic 1970s progressive hard rock with a dash of psychedelia. The band have branded themselves as Adventure Rock, and while that term may not be self-explanatory in itself it is still rather fitting.
Their albums have all been conceptual, similar to some of the great progressive works of the 1970s, with plenty of fantasy/space opera elements found in their lyrics. The adventure element is indeed important.
Isle of Wisdom was recorded at Riksmixningsverket Studio in Stockholm and produced in collaboration with Linn Fijal and Vilma Colling. The studio is home to some unique vintage synthesizers, which were also used by the well-known Swedish pop behemoths ABBA back in the day. Hällas have used them in the past, and as they are a perfect sonic fit they leapt at the opportunity to use them again.
The music of Hällas was exciting from the beginning, and they have kept improving with every release. Their previous album Conundrum was outstanding, doing well in most end-of-year rankings (including a #1 rating on these very pages). They have actually set a very high bar for themselves.
Released on 8 April 2022 via Napalm Records, Isle of Wisdom more than meets that bar. It is without question amongst my favourite albums of 2022. I needed to give it a few spins just to get a grasp of the incredible scope, during which the fantastic world and events it describes really came to life.
Their previous releases made up a trilogy about the old knight templar Hällas who set out on a journey to renew his faith. This took him to several locations, from the middle ages of an alternative universe (where he met the Soothsayer and the robot/metal man Star Rider) all the way into the cosmos and space – all in search of ultimate truths. The scope across those releases is immense, and none more so than on the final part and previous album Conundrum.
With the previous story being so vast, it was almost expected that their next album would bring things a bit more down to earth. In a sense, Isle of Wisdom does just that, but continues on in the other direction, allowing for exploration of one’s inner self.
Don’t get me wrong – there is still a huge story taking centre stage. Earth is being visited by elements unknown. A malignant lord arises. Multiple dimensions are involved. Epic quests unfold. There’s an outer and an inner story to be told here.
At the core of it all, the overall tone is that of a story soaked in mystery and rich in retro atmosphere. In other words, the stories that Hällas tell do not have a lot in common with a modern, fast-paced fantasy/sci-fi movie laden with special effects. It is much more the spiritual cousin of a classic 1970s space opera pulp novel. Which is glorious. Remember that the original 1977 Star Wars movie has more in common with those pulp stories than what the movie series eventually became, for example.
The band has opted to be a bit mysterious about the exact lyrical themes this time around, and simply described it like this in their press release: “An escape from unwanted happenings doesn’t always lead you towards the better as danger can be found in any universe or time. Welcome to the Isle of Wisdom.”
The album starts with the synth-driven Birth/Into Darkness. As the dual title indicates, Birth is the intro, starting up with a synth-driven ambience which gives associations to space flight and exploration. Into Darkness gets going with a full band arrangement and a title which gives associations to striding forth into the unknown. It’s the start of the journey.
The song is forward-leaning and imaginative, the early part of it taking the shape of an overture with several instrumental parts, melodies, rhythms, and melodies. A keyboard theme plays a fanfare, and suddenly the band settles into a percussive, comfortable groove. Tommy Alexandersson starts singing, and we’re off.
After going through several movements, the song settles back into the enjoyable groove towards the end. Filled with a sense of urgency as well as uneasy dramatics, Alexandersson finds a very satisfying and infectious vocal line as the phrase “into darkness” is repeated to great effect.
The song is melodic and dramatic, warning us about mysterious object simply referred to as ‘universe’s own creation’ which comes crashing into Earth, bringing with it something unexpected. “Beware of strange happenings,” Alexandersson ominously warns at the end.
One very satisfying element of this album is that it plays very well from start to finish. It feels like a long, coherent piece of music where they all combine to create a complete work. It becomes a musical relay race, where one song finishes, taps the next on the shoulder, and it takes over. While the songs are independent and can stand on their own, they also bleed satisfyingly into each other when you listen to the album as a whole.
One example of this is that as Birth/Into Darkness ends, there is a musical bridge going into Advent of Dawn which makes it the next part of a bigger musical piece rather than its own entity. Perhaps the truth is that it is both. This time the link is clear and evident, elsewhere it is more hinted at.
Advent of Dawn builds on the previous track by taking the intensity up a notch as it tells the story of worlds about to collide. Musically it really is quite ferocious at times, with shades of 1970s Rush at their most intense and progressive mixed with vintage Uriah Heep. It truly is magnificent to behold, and the musicianship that is on display is nothing short of incredible.
Earl’s Theme was the first single release from the album. The track is catchy and stands independently on its own legs, with a solid rhythm pattern and intriguing melody lines. The song has several mystical qualities, not the least because of the choral voices which add a lot to the song. Retro synths add a lot of fanfare and add further dynamics as we are introduced to the villain of the story.
Not a lot is known about the Earl, but when the single was announced the band shared this comment about the song’s theme: ”When you finally take the step and say to yourself: This is the way I want to live. Then he turns up – the Earl – and this is his song.”
When the night turns to dawn
They march towards the sun
In resplendent golden armor
One man to wield all the power
They are faithful to his name
For he rose the great empire
Yet the people are in pain
Governed by the hand of iron
The story continues with The Inner Chamber, which starts out like a slow, melodic dirge as it describes what feels like a death march into hostile and barren environments on strange planets. It feels as majestic as it is solemnly melancholic. As with most Hällas songs, it does change its colours a few times, and a few minutes in It builds some intensity as the travellers start seeing signs that they are on the right track and approach the source of the evil they seek to learn more about. The song keeps building, and the song as it ends after nearly seven minutes is very different to how it started. The song is a journey both musically and lyrically.
The adventure proceeds with Elusion’s Gate, which is a comfortable mid-tempo rocker with many nice guitar flourishes, including several dual lines. The song repeats several musical themes and key melody lines at certain points, taking the time to let them establish themselves and become part of the story. At this point, our heroes have arrived at a key destination. Alexandersson sings “There in halls of oaken grandeur / Seek the Ancient Tree.” See the album cover? Say no more.
Gallivants (of Space) contains shades of Wishbone Ash, being a solid 1970s-style hard rocker with a solid riff, nice keyboard padding, and yet again those lovely dual guitars providing lovely flourishes. The song has a lovely solo section where the keyboard delivers a fanfare fit for a king, courtesy of Nicklas Malmqvist. He has always been a key part of the Hällas sound and does a tremendous job on this album.
Stygian Depths sees the band settle into a very comfortable groove with (does it need repeating?) even more lovely dual guitars, and yet again keyboards adding tons of ambience. The track mixes elements from classic Blue Öyster Cult and Uriah Heep very comfortably, sewing them together into a grand anthem. This really is a quality track, filled with infectious riffs and themes that adds tons to what on the surface seems like a much more straightforward song than it ends up being. I don’t know if the band are planning further singles, but if so, this is surely a prime candidate. The song is about dealing with intense feelings of self-doubt and whether certain sacrifices are worth it in the end.
The grand finale arrives in the shape of The Wind Carries the Word. It is as all-encompassing of everything that has happened earlier on the album, both lyrically and musically. The song is a superfluous horn of creativity. Forget verses, choruses and solo sections – this is the song where anything and everything can and will happen in great succession. There are blistering fast sections, slow and emotional sections, intricate musical passages – replacing each other as needed as the story is brought to its glorious conclusion.
The entire album is full of wonderful guitar lines courtesy of Alexander Moraitis and Marcus Petersson, and a special appreciation goes out to their double lead guitar harmonies in the outro which is as glorious as anything you’ll hear on an album this year. Sadly, the song fades out far too quickly after the start of those harmonies instead of allowing them to soar further towards the skies as they should have. At seven and a half minutes the case can be made that the song has already had a good run, but the fade still seems far too abrupt. It is still a great – if somewhat incomplete – note to end the album on. Extended version, guys?
Isle of Wisdom sees the band deliver one of their best efforts. Is it clearly better than the previous album? Very hard to say, but it certainly matches it. They are similar, yet with clear differences. For all their retro approaches and other musical references one could make, they have truly established their sound as their own at this point.
Just like Excerpts from a Future Past and Conundrum before it, Isle of Wisdom builds on the band’s previous achievements and looks to bring the music and stories of Hällas ever onward. In every sense, their albums always provide an incredible journey, leaving us to wonder where they will take us next.
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