RING VAN MÖBIUS – Firebrand

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://ringvanmbius.bandcamp.com/album/firebrand

The legendary Norwegian proggers collectively known as Ring Van Möbius have consistently made remarkable albums of which no two were alike, and that turns out to be the case with Firebrand also, which came out in early October via Apollon Records Prog.  

The record differs from everything that came before yet the interplay between the three members of the ensemble, the merging of musical brilliance and unpredictable madness, and the playful nature of the song arrangements immediately make it clear and signify that we are in the company of a certain trio from Kopervik that could none other than Ring Van Möbius. Brimming with enthusiasm, crackling with intense energy, and overflowing with utterly unique ideas that set the group apart from everyone else, I simply cannot imagine a better or more fitting epitaph than this inspired opus, and it seems only fitting that such a phenomenal band should go out on such a high as Firebrand unarguably represents. The 70s-inspired flavors and nuances are all over the disc and its song material, but as with their past work, the entire piece exudes a charming confidence and harbors so many quirky and innovative traits that the LP embodies a sonic world of its own and sounds like nothing else that you will come across in the prog rock sphere.

Firebrand is a sprawling and delightfully bonkers epic for the ages, and the vocals courtesy of Thor Erik Helgesen have never been as good and memorable as they are here. Long live Ring Van Möbius!