Loading cart
Song Of The Wildlands (2LP Vinyl)
"“Song of the Wildlands” is an album with a grand and epic sound.
The final recording was made with the contribution of a vast number of musicians, including 4 soloists: Ryan Morgan (baritone), Christina Booth (Alto), Natalie Barnett (alto) and Gemma Ashley (soprano); rock musicians playing guitars, bass, keyboard, drums; traditional instrumentalists on violin, horn, oboe, key harp, psalmodikon, lyre, and many others.
Finally, a 200-voice choir singing in Anglo-Saxon (Old English), recorded all over the world during the lockdown in spring 2020. The initial idea was to see if such an experiment was even possible, but it soon turned into a huge international project and resulted in a powerful choral sound forming the backbone of the whole album.
The lyrics sung by the choir were translated into Old English by a historical consultant specializing in the culture of medieval England, Christopher Monk.
The album will be released in spring 2021 by the Norwegian label Crime Records with the collaboration of We Låve Rock Music.
Line up:
Clive Nolan Orchestration, keyboards, and programming
Vicki Swan Nyckelharpa
Mark Westwood Electric Guitar
Stig Andre Clason Acoustic Guitar
Arnfinn Isaksen Bass Guitar
Scott Higham Drums
Geir Johansen Extra Percussion
Birgitte Njå Lur
Morten Clason Flute
Ross Andrews Narrator
Ryan Morgan Vocals – Beowulf
Christina Booth Vocals – Tyra
Gemma Ashley Vocals – Solveig
Natalie Barnett Vocals – Freja
Ensemble Anonym Plainchant
The "Wildland Warriors Choir" Choir
"Here's the thing; I love Rock Operas when they are well made and tasteful. And so far, most of Clive Nolan's Rock operas are simply wonderful! Yes, maybe sometimes they have their ups and downs, but the overall outcome is usually superb! (To me at least).
I was introduced into his Rock Operas with the release of Alchemy, which is still one of my most beloved albums of the last decades. Then, when I heard about King's Ransom, I was counting the days for my pre-order to arrive. King's Ransom toped my expectations, and made me want to listen to Alchemy again. So, I begun listening them both, one after the other.
The years passed and I was wondering which was going to be his next step. A third chapter in the Alchemy Universe, or he would try something totally different? The answer to this came a few months ago, when I learned about Song of the Wildlands. To be honest I had no idea what to expect this time, because the main theme was something totally different and it had to be kind of epic. But the information that they were "leaking" were very promising.
So, now that have the album, and I have listened to it over 10 times, I can say that it is once more excellent! It is kind of epic - Clive Nolan epic, not Manowar epic - and once more it includes a huge number of musicians and singers; not to mention the 200-people choir which is stunning!
Once more, I am not going to get into details for each song, because as I wrote in some of my previous reviews,, these kind of albums are like a musical journey. Each song offers something new and takes the story further.
The best way to find out more about Song of the Wildlands is to listen to it a few times and then form your own opinion. It is a great - highly enjoyable - Rock Opera, which I definitely recommend, assuming that you like these kind of albums of course. As for my rating, I think I will give 4.5 stars, but since I cannot give that number, I will give 5.0 (Because although it's not exactly Progressive Rock, it's a really, really wonderful album). Give it a try folks! You won't regret it..." - ProgArchives