All Traps on Earth – A Drop of Light (AMS Records, 2018)
All Traps on Earth is remarkable progressive rock band led by Anglagard bassist and composer Johan Brand. He invited fellow Anglagard colleagues Thomas Johnson (keyboards) and Erik Hammarström (drums and percussion) plus various guests, including Brand’s daughter on vocals.
A Drop of Light is a highly complex album where symphonic progressive rock meets jazz-rock and contemporary classical musical forms. Imagine Anglagard jamming with French band Magma plus bits of King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator.
All Traps on Earth delivers deeply intense segments with frequent time signature changes and fabulous bass, guitar and keyboard work plus soaring trumpet, wild saxophone and operatic vocals, along with meditative passages full of exquisite mellotron, flute and synths.
For mellotron fans, this album is a precious gem. Anglagard mastered the use of the mellotron and brought it back to the top. All Traps on Earth continues this tradition, delivering some of the finest mellotron performances in recent years.
The album includes three masterful lengthy tracks with deep Anglagard influences, a fabulous tribute to Magma titled “Magmatic Warning” plus a very brief meditative keyboard piece.
The musicians A Drop of Light are all outstanding. Fans of instrumental progressive rock are in for real treat.
The lineup includes Johan Brand on Mellotron M400 and M4000D, Moog Voyager, Moog Minitaur, organs, Fender Rhodes, clavinet. Rickenbacker 4001 and 4001S basses, Fender Jazz Deluxe bass, Revelation Jazzmaster VI bass, Moog Taurus 1. Epiphone Gibson Les Paul guitar, Green Gibson Les Paul guitar, percussion and vocals; Thomas Johnson on grand pianos, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzers, pianets, clavinet, organs, Mellotron M4000D, and Moog Voyager; Erik Hammarström on drums, vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, crotales, timpani, gran cassa, wood blocks, tam-tam, and tubular bells; Miranda Brand on vocals.
Guest: Fredrik Lindborg on bass clarinet, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano sax; Karl Olandersson on trumpet, flugelhorn; Magnus Båge on concert flute; Matthias Bååth on bass and concert flute, tenor and alto recorder; Phil Mercy on organic guitars.
A Drop of Light is an extraordinary master work, undoubtedly one of the finest progressive rock releases of 2018.
Buy A Drop of Light