BJORN LYNDE - RETURN TO WITCHWOOD - 2003

What a fabulous recording!!! Fans of Anthony Phillips' early guitar stuff and the medieval prog gem Gian Castello's Taliesyn will flock to this brilliant pastoral segue to 1996' "Witchwood" , perhaps even kicking it up a notch. Yeah, I can hear the gnomish grumbles already, " riding the Ring phenomenon" but Tolkien has been around for a long time and after all music is just an adaptation/improvement of something else, done before. Over an hour and 10 minutes of guitar snippets, with a variety of embellishments on cello, flutes but with the added intervention of fluid electric guitar excursions. This is best expressed on the lovely "The Alchemist" featuring the incredible six string contribution of the semi-legendary JJ Boffo, worth the price of admission alone. I initially became a prog addict back in 1970 because I was fascinated by sounds (mini-Moog where are you???) , intrigued by orchestrations (the oh so mellow Mellotron) and my Supper was Ready there and then: a proggie forever. Nothing has changed since: The sheer variety still makes the experience such an adventure! This amazing album (lovely artwork, by the way) is very autumnal, emanating aromas of brisk chills , burnt leaves and cool mists, great to chill after a hard day at work. The word "Witchwood" suits the proceedings to a T. Also can be suggested as a brief respite from the Dream Theater/ Arena/ Rush aural attacks some out there enjoy or even the RIO/Zeuhl/ Satriani excursions others favor. Relax ! 4 Autumn leaves
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