Agropelter premieres debut album The Book of Hours

The Progspace is hosting an exclusive stream of “The Book Of Hours“, the incredible debut LP from Norwegian instrumental progressive rock project Agropelter, ahead of the album’s release this Friday on The Lasers Edge.

Agropelter is the creative outlet of multi-instrumentalist Kay Olsen, a new contender on the blossoming Norwegian prog scene. The music lends as much inspiration from the classic prog groups like Genesis, Camel, King Crimson, and Eloy, as it does from classic composers Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Bach, along with Vangelis and Terje Rypdal

On Agropelter’s “The Book Of Hours“, listeners will be met with a wealth of lush tones from Mellotron, Hammond organs, ARP, cembalo, Minimoogs, and Taurus bass pedals. With all guitars, bass, church organ, and keyboard leads on the album performed by Kay Olsen, the album also features contributing musicians Jonas Reingold (Steve Hackett, The Flower Kings, Kaipa, Karmakanic) on fretless bass, Andreas Sjøen (Umpfel, VÅDE, Sean Ashe) on drums, and Mattias Olsson (Änglagård, White Willow, Molesome) handling percussion, vintage synth overdubs, and atmosphere, as well as a wide array of classical musicians providing various strings and woodwinds. As the interest in Scandinavian prog rock continues to trend upward, you can count on Agropelter being a part of the action.

Says mastermind Kay Olsen about “The Book of Hours”:

“This album is a summary of what I would love to listen to myself. It features all the styles and genres I normally pull out of my shelves when I sit down and listen to records. Hopefully, I managed to compose an album that sounds original, although not completely removed from my greatest influences.”

The Book Of Hours was mixed and mastered by the great Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, Donner, Solstein) and completed with a stunning cover art by Dag E. Clausen.

Stream the complete album a few days before its official release exclusively here on The Progspace:

“The Book Of Hours” will be released on CD, LP, and digital platforms this Friday, July 25th. Preorders are live at The Lasers Edge webshop HERE and Bandcamp, the standard audio HERE and the 24 bit hi-res HERE.

Agropelter (Pic by Nils Fredrik Wilsløff-Høgestøl)

In addition to the exclusive album stream, we have a complete track rundown from mastermind Kay Olsen you can check out here for some more background information on all of the individual songs on “The Book of Hours”:

Flute of Peril

This is a nod to the adventure movies I grew up watching. There’s a movie called Mio in the land of Faraway, that has both a young Christian Bale and the great Christopher Lee in the cast. The phenomenal soundtrack was composed by the unbelievable Björn and Benny from ABBA.

This composition could very well be part of the Book of Hours suite – it introduces the theme which is played in the finale Book of Hours part IV. It is a piece that gives more of a folky vibe, and I think it works great as an opener.

Levitator

I wanted this to sound like an eighties theme. It has a great drive that picks up the pace between two pastoral and calm pieces. Very inspired by Eloy, and it features a direct rip-off from a famous TV series from when I grew up – Airwolf! Very different instrumentation from the rest of the songs, but I think it adds to the overall dynamics of the album.

Burial Mound

There’s no doubt in terms of who the star of this song is – the exceptional Jonas Reingold. I wanted a song that pulled the energy of Levitator back down, and into a cavernous sounding sanctuary. Very inspired by the great Terje Rypdal and his 1987 album “Blue” – my favorite album out of all the great stuff that came out of modern jazz in Norway at the time.

Book of Hours Part I  

The most diverse track on the album in terms of dynamics, instrumentation and themes. The demos were comprised purely of classical instruments and movements, but I think the addition of the more rockin’ elements and syncopations towards the end contributes to this being one of the stronger tracks on the album – perhaps my favorite! I adore the virtuosic piano playing from Jordi Castella during the mid-section of the track – a masterclass in attack and dynamics! The part is my homage to the sensational Sergei Rachmaninoff – the greatest cultural export from the Soviet Union, and in my opinion, the finest virtuoso pianist the world ever saw.

Book of Hours Part II

The first track I wrote for the album – the demos were all over the place in terms of styles and instrumentation. I think this turned out pretty good in the end, and it is one of the more approachable tunes on the album. Still, it has lots of different references and it dips into various moods and themes. I’m still not sure if the guitar lead towards the ending is great or just tacky – if it’s not painfully obvious by now, I’m a complete John Petrucci fanboy. I have been since the first time I heard “Images and Words” in 1995 – my greatest influence in music, and also on a personal level.

Book of Hours Part III

The track starts off with a reference to a retro wave-ish theme – all improvised on a software version of a Yamaha DX7. Pretty impressive, given the fact that I’m a horrible improviser, and an even worse keyboard player! It descends into a version of Scandinavian folk music, with the spirit of Vangelis overlooking the keyboard leads. I think the whole piece has a Scandinavian edge to it, with a cinematic and operatic ending. The pipe organ at the very end, were recorded before I ever heard “Close to the Edge” – well, not really…

Book of Hours Part IV  

This is probably the Pièce de resistance on the album – the most important track, in terms of what it should be remembered by, in my opinion. It has a renaissance piano intro, followed by a Queen style crescendo with a powerful pipe organ and a three-piece guitar harmony.

The baroque segment that follows, was shaped by the dueling acoustic guitars. The whole segment was originally played by strings – cellos and double bass – which didn’t really work out. The harpsicord added a lovely texture to the whole thing. And while I worried that the acoustic guitars and the harpsicord would be competing in the mix, Jacob Holm-Lupo managed to make the whole segment sing perfectly. The piece then moves on to a jazzy and spacey segment that gives a nod to Jon Christensen’s drumming, but also to Frank Bornemann’s legendary universe.

Mattias Olsson then brilliantly captures the vintage arsenal of his signature sounds, like he does the rest of the album, with the original Mellotron M400 and other great quirky synths to finish of the song before the grand finale. Without him, this record would’ve been a much more boring affair – he really made the whole thing a lot more interesting. And what an honor it is, to have him contribute!

The grand finale is where the opening theme is repeated, but slower, and in a waltzing format. Not extremely original, but somewhat ironic –

Since much of that sound is based on what I’ve loved from the stuff Jonas Reingold have done with the Flower Kings and Kaipa when I discovered it back in the early 2000s.

The Book Of Hours Album Lineup:

Kay Olsen – guitars, bass guitar, Hammond organ, ARP synthesizers, church organ
Mattias Olsson – percussion, overdubs, Mellotron, atmosphere
Jonas Reingold – fretless bass
Andreas Skorpe Sjøen – drums
Jordi Castella – grand piano
Eli Mine – harpsicord
Norlene M – cello
Aileen Antu – double bass
Luis Vilca – alto flute
Hannah Danets – flute
Zhivago – bassoon
Edgar Asmar – duduk