Lars Fredrik Frøislie: “Fire Fortellinger” (2023) – Album Review

Summary

Fire Foretellinger, the debut solo album from Wobbler keyboardist Lars Fredrik Frøislie, is a captivating and deeply impressive release, imbuing Norse/Norwegian folk tales with a thrilling display of symphonic prog virtuosity. The end result is easily accessible (and enjoyable) for fans of Wobbler, retro prog, or classic 70s prog.

Album Info

Hot-Take Review

Approximately two and a half months ago, Lars Fredrik Frøislie released “Et sted under himmelhvelvet”, the advance single to his 2023 debut solo album Fire Fortellinger. If you remember I briefly chatted about it here, and the tune assuredly excited me.

Frøislie is, of course, best known as the keyboardist and a founding member of retro prog stalwarts Wobbler. He also wears many other hats: as a member of other bands, music producer, film composer, guest musician, collector of vintage keyboards, and whatever else the man does. Clearly, his multitasking ethos carried over to the release of Fire Fortellinger. Recorded mostly over the course of the Pandemic, Frøislie pretty much did nearly everything… well, not everything. Nikolai Hængsle did perform bass duties on all four of the album tracks.

What responsibilities did that leave to Frøislie? I mean, I guess he wrote all the music and lyrics. Oh, and produced and engineered the record. Drums too. Drums! Plus Frøislie provided vocals for the entire album. He even painted the album cover, gosh darn!

Did I forget to mention keyboards? Oh yeah, Frøislie tasked himself with keyboard duties. We’re talking Hammond organs, Mellotrons, Moogs, pianos, electric pianos, harpsichords, synths, and a freakin’ Hawaiian fretless zither, among who knows what else.

Even a recorder…

Frøislie has clearly aimed to produce an album of distinct individual expression, and the results are quite exceptional. Fire Foretellinger is a captivating and deeply impressive release, imbuing Norse/Norwegian folk tales with a thrilling display of symphonic prog virtuosity. The end result is easily accessible for fans of Wobbler, retro prog, or classic 70s prog.

Honestly, I could rattle off a list of the usual influences: Crimson, Yes, ELP, Genesis, Gentle Giant, etc. We are all familiar with the menu. What gives Fire Foretellinger such quality is Frøislie’s ability to cull these influences and his own musical talents into something simultaneously fresh and familiar.

The album opens and closes with two epic length tracks. The first, “Rytter av dommedag”, is a quintessential slice of 70s prog, establishing its motivic presences early and developing in and around them over a 17 minute runtime. This song is huge and captivating throughout, a musical expression of Ragnarok and of the mischief caused by a resurrected Norse sea-king and the rest of the old gods. “Rytter av dommedag” is a thrilling number and a barnstormer of an opening track. Don’t be fooled by the sudden fade-out midway though…

At the other end of the record, we have a wonderful album closer with “Naturens katedral”. Nearly as long as the opening track, “Naturens katedral” opens slower, more introspectively, almost with a Black Sabbath like cadence (if not tonality, to be sure). Dealing with subject matter that equates the frigid cold Norwegian mountains in winter with a yearning for a simpler past in the wilderness, the song feels like a wistful plea for something transient and intangible. The instrumental midsection teeters between the thundering footfalls of a wooly mammoth and graceful flight of a snowbird. This leads into a harpsichord interlude which crashes into a percussive assault, leading us into an up-tempo vocal return. Swirling synths evoke blizzard-like conditions, edging into a jazzy, almost pastoral movement, and ending with a thundering organ march and cathedral-esque finish.

Nestled between these two lengthy pieces are two shorter, but equally enjoyable tunes. The second track, “Et sted under himmelhvelvet”, the song is an overtly pleasing slice of classic 70s prog overtly enhanced by folk and medieval melodies. Frøislie’s vocals carry a unique, dark, folk-like, somewhat foreboding element, but they excel in escalating the song straight up the sonic evolutionary ladder.

Thanks to the magic of Google Translate, I can confirm that the title translates to “Somewhere Under The Firmament”. Frøislie endeavored to make this song (and the entire album) an exercise in storytelling, both in prose and music. His aim is to transport the listener to a different time and place in history.

Or as Frøislie himself put it vis-a-vis this particular tune:

“The second song “Et sted under himmelhvelvet” is dreamy, possibly set in a Renaissance garden near Florence or Arcadia. But in principle it can be anywhere where it feels good to be. It is partly about travelling to a place and feeling that you have been there before – only to find out that you had ancestors who lived there long ago.”

Tarjavirmakari. “WOBBLER’s Lars Fredrik Frøislie to Release Debut Solo Album “Fire Fortellinger” Metal Shock Finland, 9 March 2023, metalshockfinland.com/2023/03/09/wobblers-lars-fredrik-froislie-to-release-debut-solo-album-fire-fortellinger/. Accessed 29 March 2023

This leaves us with “Jærtegn”, the penultimate track on the album. Or, as I like to call it, ‘Frøislie Goes Fresh & Funky’… because this number opens up like a symphonic prog take on Innervisions-era Stevie Wonder. Bouncy, funky, and frenzied, “Jærtegn” veers close to Soul Train territory. Well, not that close. Close enough for prog, anyhow. The tune then veers into slower, harpsichord driven territory, mirroring the narrative on display: that of a horse-driven wagon out of control in the forest, suddenly overturning and killing its passengers, leaving them stranded as lost spirits in the wild. These spirits appear only now and then to us mortal types. We can watch them as they desperately plead with the sun to help them find their way home.

I really enjoy both aspects of the song: the ferocity and the feels. While I don’t think they blend quite as seamlessly as they should, they definitely add up to a winning tune. Even if the whole is not quite the sum of its parts. But what cool parts!

But that’s perhaps my only real criticism of this record. And that I was left wishing the ride hadn’t ended when it did. And if that’s the worst we can say, we’re in Elysium territory. Fire Fortellinger marks an exciting and engaging debut for Lars Fredrik Frøislie, scratching any retro prog itch you might have. Naturally, I’ll continue to eagerly await any new Wobbler offerings. But I’ll also be keeping an equal eye open for any Frøislie’s future solo works.”

What similar albums does ChatGPT recommend?

While it behooves me to remind my readers that everything you just read is 100% Mills, let’s ask our friendly neighborhood AI for some similar album recommendations

If you’re a fan of “Fire Fortellinger” by Lars Fredrik Frøislie, you might also enjoy the following five albums, each of which showcases various aspects of progressive rock and shares similarities with Frøislie’s work:

1. “From Silence to Somewhere” by Wobbler (2017): Given that Frøislie is a key member of Wobbler, their sound will likely resonate with fans of “Fire Fortellinger”. This album offers a captivating blend of modern and classic progressive rock.

2. “Folklore” by Big Big Train (2016): This English band is known for incorporating folk elements into their progressive rock sound, much like Frøislie does on “Fire Fortellinger”. “Folklore” is one of their standout albums from the past two decades.

3. “The Snow Goose” (2013 re-recording) by Camel: This re-recording of their classic 1975 instrumental concept album still holds up well and showcases Camel’s blend of progressive rock and symphonic elements, which should appeal to fans of “Fire Fortellinger”.

4. “Bilateral” by Leprous (2011): As another Norwegian progressive band, Leprous offers a more modern, metal-influenced take on the genre. However, their dedication to melodic complexity and storytelling in “Bilateral” could be appealing to fans of Frøislie’s work.

5. “In Contact” by Caligula’s Horse (2017): This Australian band’s blend of progressive metal and rock, along with their emphasis on storytelling and conceptual continuity, make “In Contact” a compelling listen for those who enjoyed the narrative depth and musical complexity of “Fire Fortellinger”.

Output from ChatGPT, OpenAI to Mills, 14 June 2023.