Scott's Spotlight #39- Wobbler
Originally posted to Facebook on July 15, 2025
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Welcome to Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight) issue #39. For more information about this series, please click here:
What is it about Norway and Sweden that enables so many great prog bands to come from these northern climes? Time to feature yet another great Norwegian prog band: Wobbler. (I know, silly name, but great music!)
Wobbler was formed in 1999 by keyboardist extraordinaire Lars Fredrik Frøislie , who also plays in White Willow (with Jacob Holm-Lupo , with whom he now co-owns Termo Records), In Lingua Mortua, and Tusmørke. They were inspired by the classic 70s prog bands like Yes, ELP, PFM, Gentle Giant and King Crimson, and others. Frøislie is known for his collection of vintage keyboards. The original line up was as follows:
Kristian Karl Hultgren - bass, bass clarinet, bass recorder (1999–present)
Lars Fredrik Frøislie – keyboards, backing vocals (1999–present)
Martin Nordrum Kneppen - drums, percussion, recorder (1999–present)
Morten Andreas Eriksen - lead guitar, mandolin, tambourine, kazoo (1999-2011)
Tony Johannessen - lead vocals (1999-2009)
After working on material for their first album for a few years (off and on), the band recorded their first demo in 2003, with 2 tracks that range between 13 and 15 minutes: “Imperial Winter White Dwarf” (14:49) and “Leprechaun Behind the Door” (13:19). The songs were recorded in Lars’ home studio, and released on the internet. I have not heard this demo, but it was apparently successful enough to get Wobbler signed to American label, “The Laser’s Edge”. The band began recording their first full length album in 2004.
That album, called “Hinterland” was released in 2005, and they premiered it at the notable annual prog festival in Pennsylvania called NEARfest, at which they made a rare live performance. Wobbler was on the prog radar! The album has only 4 tracks, but the opening cut is only 42 seconds long. The others, however, range between 12 and 28 minutes, with the title track being the longest, and it is a fantastic piece of prog. I have also enjoyed “Rubato Industry”.
It would take 4 years before they would release a follow-up, titled “Afterglow”. This would be the last album with the original line-up. This album consisted of 5 tracks with 3 shorter tracks alternating with 2 longer ones. By this time, the aforementioned Termo Records had begun, and the album was released on that label. I am most familiar with the track “In Taberna”.
It would only be a two year wait for album number 3 to appear, 2011’s “Rites at Dawn”. This album marked their first line-up change, with Andreas Wettergreen Strømman Prestmo taking over as lead vocalist, and added percussion to the band. This one has 7 tracks ranging from under 2 minutes up to 12:30, with only two of them over 10 minutes. The album is still full of terrific prog and I have enjoyed “A Faerie’s Play” and “The River”.
It would be a six year wait before the 4th Wobbler album dropped, but it was worth it as 2017’s “From Silence to Somewhere” is their most celebrated. At least as recently as 2021, the album has the highest average rating of 4.35 out of 5 on ProgArchives.com of any prog album of the 21st century. It received rave reviews on numerous prog oriented websites. The album marks the band’s only other line-up change as Geir Marius Bergom Halleland took over on lead guitar. The band returned to having only 4 tracks, with one short and 3 longer tracks, with the longest being the 21 minute title epic. I have also enjoyed the rest of the album as well.
They would cut the interval between albums to 3 years before 2020’s “Dwellers of the Deep” was released, and nearly equaled its predecessor’s acclaim. This is, as of this writing, the 5th and most recent Wobbler album. They stayed with the 4 song format that seems to work best for them. I have particularly enjoyed the 2 longest tracks – the nearly 14 minute “By the Banks” and the 19 minute “Merry Macabre.”
We are now 5 years since the most recent Wobbler album, but it isn’t the longest interval between albums, so we may see a new one soon. In the meantime, three members of Wobbler, Prestmo, Kneppen, and Frøislie have been involved with a project called The Chronicles of Father Robin, which also involves other Norwegian proggers and have released a 3 album series called “The Songs & Tales of Airoea” between 2023 and 24.
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Be sure to check out the “LINKS FOR LISTENING” below.
Prog On!
Scott
LINKS FOR LISTENING
From Hinterland:
“Hinterland”
“Rubato Industry”
From Afterglow:
“Imperial Winter White”
“In Tabertna”
From Rites at Dawn:
“A Faerie’s Play”
“The River”
From: From Silence to Somewhere:
“From Silence to Somewhere”
“Foxlight”
From “Dwellers of the Deep”
“By the Banks”
“Merry Macabre”
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