How to Wobble Properly
Showcasing extraordinary maturity usually only seen from seasoned experts and having already had their name appear on the list for progressive metal festival NEARfest; Wobbler have been short listed as the next symphonic metal opus to appear from Norwegian shores. It may be true that the band may have been slightly over hyped - their show being deemed acceptable but not groundbreaking, but there is promise nonetheless.
'Hinterland' is a delightful and enjoyable debut, which will be eagerly accepted by any fans of King Crimson's earlier work. The album sounds like "In the Court of the Crimson King" mixed with a couple of Genesis albums and a light sprinkling of Symphony X instrumentals. The half-hour long epic 'Hinterland' is packed with dark sweeping keyboards and jutting proggy guitar riffs, not far from some of the lighter Finnish metal, influenced by the same bands Wobbler clearly have been.
However this album is not flawless - the final track "Clair Obscur" highlights a common problem with the album - the lack of oomph. Whilst Wobbler can make technical and dynamic music, they can't recapture the excitement injected into a King Crimson album. They certainly lack the energy that other symphonic bands like Pagan's Mind or Circus Maximus have in spades. The sound isn't deadpan, and the album's mix is strong, favouring the keyboards, but the energy that captured a generation's hearts is absent throughout this song.
But most of the time the album is strong. The band is confident throughout, and vocalist Tony Johannessen's vocals are suited perfectly to the sound the band is making. It's a shame the energy lapses in points, but don't let a few bad minutes ruin an excellent debut from a truly promising band.