Hard to believe, but it’s the end of an era for a trio that had unleashed three studio albums and to make the circle in full, makes it worth the adventure worth waiting for, and worth saying goodbye to. Ring Van Möbius are saying goodbye and closing out their shops with their fourth and final album simply entitled, Firebrand on the Apollon label.
It is definitely their most progressive, most intense, most powerful, and most eruptive sounds that captures the Italian sounds, unexpected time changes, and story-telling complex’s the Norwegian trio have brought out the massive big guns and going out in a blaze of glory. For Dag Olav Husås, Håvard Rasmussen, and Thor Erik Helgesen who have been around for eight years, they were a band of brothers, and as I’ve mentioned earlier, bringing it full circle, they never let me down.
Three tracks; clocking in at 9, 14, and 25-minutes, how proggy can you get? All the way to its delicious apple tree that’s waiting for us to endure. From the moment the title-track kicks into overdrive with its rumbling drum intro, they know they have all the fire they need to make the jump to light-speed. With its Italian fancy feast thanks to Helgesen’s keyboard and Rasmussen’s electric bass, it feels like an overture setting up the meditated guidance and in this hallucinogenic journey unfolding in front of our very eyes. Powder-keg organ work, synthesisers setting up Banco’s Darwin-era, Latte E Miele, and Olav’s conducting work on his percussion exercise, they ain’t backing down without a fight.
And then all of a sudden, mellotrons galore! I always love when I say that when those flying Mellotrons coming soaring out of the sky for ‘The Fever’ to begin. Thor lays into those keyboards to go from one section to another. It’s like he has full-length electricity inside his blood and veins, almost becoming a mad scientist to burst out of the cannons that sounds like a battle happening in front of the moviegoers as they eat and drink their popcorn and Coca-Cola to see what happens next.
The closing track ‘False Dawn’ is very much their tip of the hat to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer’s ‘Abaddon’s Bolero’ off of the Trilogy album. The spirit of Keith Emerson flows into the Moebius illustration that the trio has endured its listeners to delve into. And then, the madness begins! Thor has transformed himself into the incredible Hulk! Not the marvel comic Hulk, a different type of hulk who becomes a menacing figure on the keyboards and goes into a full-scale assault as the bass and drums lead the way by making it across the finish line. There’s wonder, symphonic, sadness, but a way to end the album with a big bang.
Firebrand is a perfect finale for Ring Van Möbius. They have finally accomplished their mission. While it is sad to see them go, we will always remember the wonder, the excitement, and the beauty that this band have endured with the music. Their legacy will live on. To Thor, Dag, and Håvard, thank you for everything, and thank you for all of the music you’ve brought to us.
