Hällas – Isle of Wisdom

It was a little over two years ago, and just a few weeks into this site’s existence, that I last thoroughly examined the music of Hällas. Their amalgamation of 70s prog, hard, and pomp rock has made them a regular fixture of my Spotify mixes, and I’ve been spinning their two near flawless full lengths, Excerpts From a Future Past (2017) and Conundrum (2020) for the better part of a few years. While the bluesy side of 70s worship has been all the rage lately (i.e. Greta Van Fleet, Dirty Honey, Rival Sons, Joyous Wolf, etc.), it’s Hällas who have the best chance of bringing conceptual suites, grandiose keyboards, and whimsical outfits back into the public eye. They seem more determined than ever to do so on their latest album, Isle of Wisdom.

While past Hällas releases relied heavily on lengthy compositions that tended to clock in at 5+ minutes, Isle of Wisdom sees the band taking a more conventional approach in that most of the songs lie around the 4 minute range. The prog tropes and tendencies remain, but are conveniently sandwiched into what I call “mini-suites”. It’s the same prog gone pop approach made famous by late 70s giants Styx and Kansas. They’d lure the listener in with an earworm single (i.e. “Come Sail Away”, “Carry on Wayward Son”), balance radio accessible hooks with hard prog adventurism, and boom.

At many points, Isle of Wisdom takes this same route. Cuts like the regal “Earl’s Theme” and dramatic “Elusion’s Gate” could’ve easily snuck their way into Top 40 countdowns 45 years ago, albeit slightly edited for mass consumption. Now this isn’t to say the rest of the album is devoid of melody and conciseness. It’s just saying that the rest of Isle focuses on the more thrilling and album oriented aspects of 70s prog. The opening one-two punch of “Birth / Into Darkness” and “Advent of Dawn” are some of the heaviest songs Hällas have recorded thus far, boasting fierce riffing and soloing reminiscent of Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash. It’s a total head trip back in time to 1972!

On the contrast are the lush, dreamlike wonderment of “The Inner Chamber” and “Stygian Depths”. These songs utilize atmospheric synths, choir like vocals, and mesmerizing guitar passages to conjure an old school prog rock spell akin to Peter Gabriel era Genesis, with perhaps a side of Yes. If you’re one to close your eyes and get lost in the music, these songs are tailor made for you, as is the multi-faceted closer, “The Wind Carries the Word”. Hällas appropriately saved the most epic for last. “Wind” balances soft and hard passages through meandering twists and turns, yet without ever losing its sense of direction. These dudes definitely passed prog songwriting 101.

They say “Third time’s the charm.” In the case of Hällas, so was the first and second. The third just happens to be as well. Isle of Wisdom is an extension of the band’s first two albums, yet without coming off as derivative or tired. With each subsequent release, Hällas finds new ways to make the old new again, and for that they should be on your radar. If prog is dead, they didn’t get the memo. Long live prog!

9 out of 10

Label: Napalm Records

Genre: Hard Rock

For fans of: Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Kansas