There is hardly any good quality photo of Wobbler, so you guys are stuck with this forest picture found on their website.

Track list

1. Serenade For 1652
2. Hinterland
3. Rubato Industry
4. Clair Obscur

Genre

Symphonic progressive rock

Release

September 6, 2005

Label

Laser’s Edge

Background Information

Wobbler is a Norwegian band formed in 1999, inspired the prog-rock creations of the late 60s and early 70s. They were mainly influenced by symphonic progressive music bands like Premiata Forneria Marconi, and possibly the more recent group Anglagard (they recorded their stuff fairly recently but tried as much as possible to use the old days’ technology).

They only have one album out so far, it got out in 2005, and the title track is nearly 30 minutes long. It has only four tracks, all longer than 12 minutes, except the first one, which lasts a smashing 41 seconds. This review is going to get massive name-dropping due to how easy the influences are to spot on the disks, so if you’re not too well versed into progressive music, you may find it harder to follow. My apologies in advance!

My Opinion

The first track (Serenade for 1652), as stated above, is really short. It sounds like some remake of an old movie’s music. There’s nothing much to say, it’s kind of pointless on there.

Hinterland starts better. It’s got a heavier structure, it’s fun to listen to, and there are constant theme changes. They sound like about 10 bands doing a medley, some parts having Chris Squire’s bass sound, others having roughly the same flute as Anglagard, the back vocals of King Crimson (in songs like In The Court of the Crimson King), or whatever other band. It’s not too aggressive, the song changes frequently enough not to get bored.

A lot of people say that this is a pale copy of past bands and musicians, and although I see where this comes from, it’s not exactly how I’d describe it. Wobbler can and do stand well on their own, but they just don’t have that little jaw-dropping effect some people may experience with the big classics.

That’s for the first ‘movement’ of Hinterland. The second one kicks in at maybe 8:40 into the track. An audible gentle giant influence kicks in at that point, but it’s done in a many times friendlier and less eclectic way. They also have a better balance in their sound, which is all good. Third ‘movement’ (I’m not sure I can actually call it that way) enters at roughly 10:40. A slow interlude if there’s any, focusing on guitar and vocals over anything. Near 13 minutes and a half, you get a sound that’s much more closer to King Crimson, with the addition of Emerson Lake & Palmer keys. The more it goes on, the more the influences get mixed. This kind of influence-switching and mixing keeps repeating until the end of the track. I’d say it would be a pretty good introduction to progressive music to any newcomer, really.

Rubato industry is the third song, the second shortest one. It’s a shame, really, because in my opinion, that’s the best piece on the album. It has a panicking ambiance to it, and this is where Wobbler cuts the links with their influences, or at least use them to their advantage the most. It keeps the same mechanics as Hinterland, though, the constant theme change. What do you expect to be different though? Near all the progressive music is made that way!

Hinterland ends with Clair Obscur, beginning in a slow and melancholic way (although it’s got nothing on last week’s Phideaux , to be honest). At about 4 minutes played, the Wobbler picks up a sound that is a big mix between ELP’s Tarkus and Anglagard. Even though there’s a lot of influences, do not get me wrong. The musicianship is still top notch and the album is still a pleasure for the regular prog fan. It’s just nothing completely new, even though it got out a bit over 30 years after what it sounds like.

Conclusion

When recent bands try to emulate older times’ music, you can usually end up with two main groups: those who sound like a copy of the bands they admire (see Citizen Cain and Genesis), or a whole new band with a genre that we know. It may be a question of opinions, but I like the latest better, and Wobbler succeeds. I would say that if you like bands like Anglagard, you should jump right on the Wobbler train and get a copy of their album. They’re not a must-have, but if you’re in the mood for long songs and ‘new’ symphonic progressive music, they may be worth a shot. They could also be a good introduction to progressive music as a genre, rather than going directly for bands like King Crimson, Yes, or Genesis.

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