Rites At Dawn by Wobbler

Rites At Dawn, by Wobbler from 2021

Rites At Dawn is an excellent album and is part of a continuous growth path that led to two magnificent albums, 2017's From Silence to Somewhere and 2020's Dwellers of the Deep. These are also beautiful, even superior, and I consider them essential for progressive rock.

Great representatives of Northern Prog, symphonic rock of an absolutely excellent level, reviving emotions already felt when listening to albums from several decades ago, more mature than their previous albums.

A high-quality progressive rock album, probably the best of its kind released in 2021, which manages to hit the mark despite high expectations.

Beautiful vintage sounds, spectacular vocals, perfect keyboards, powerful drums when needed and always intense, lots of mellotron, more so than on previous albums. Lots of horns that enrich the sound with nuance.

Also on the lineup is  Lars Fredrik Frøislie, whom we've spoken about extensively regarding his beautiful solo work, including the masterpiece released in 2025,  Gamle Mester, as well as the trilogy The Songs & Tales Of Airoea by The Chronicles of Father Robin, which features members of that band.

Yet another Wobbler album that gets better with every listen. Impressive and highly recommended!

Tracklist

1. Lucid (1:40)

2. La Bealtaine (7:52)

3. In Orbit (12:30)

4. This Past Presence (6:14)

5. A Faerie's Play (5:19)

6. The River (10:04)

7. Lucid Dreams (2:19)

Duration 45:58

Line-Up

- Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo - vocals

- Morten Andreas Eriksen - electric and acoustic guitars

- Lars Fredrik Frøislie - Mellotron, Chamberlin, Hammond C3, piano, synthesizers (Minimoog, ARP Pro Soloist & Axxe, Korg CX-3, Solina String Ensemble), Rhodes MKII, Hohner clavinet, Wurlitzer, harpsichord, Marxophone, backing vocals

- Kristian Karl Hultgren - bass, saxophone, music box

- Martin Nordrum Kneppen - drums

With:

- Ketil Vestrum Einarsen - flute

- Hanne Rekdal - bassoon