The Quill – Master Of The Skies

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published June 1, 2026 · Updated June 1, 2026

The Quill is a stoner/ hard rock/ heavy metal band from Sweden that has been active since the early 1990’s. The current and classic lineup consists of Magnus Ekwall on vocals, Christian Carlsson on guitar, Jolle Atlagic on drums, and Roger Nilsson on bass. They have released eleven full length albums including: 1995’s Self Titled, 1999’s Silver Haze, 2002’s Voodoo Caravan, 2003’s Hooray! It’s A Deathtrip, 2006’s In Triumph, 2011’s Full Circle, 2013’s Tiger Blood, 2017’s Born From Fire, 2021’s Earthrise, 2024’s Wheel of Illusion (review here), and their latest, 2026’s Master Of The Skies. They also released 2022’s Live, New, Borrowed, Blue, a compilation of sorts, and last year reissued their fifth album, 2006’s In Triumph (review here). Master Of The Skies was released on May 8th 2026 on Metalville Records and contains ten tracks at forty five minutes long.

I consider The Quill one of the “legendary” bands in the heavy underground music scene. They have been active for over three decades now and have always delivered high quality music with every album released. Master Of The Skies is no different, it’s another exceptional record from one of Sweden’s finest hard rock bands. I was so fortunate to have met, hung around with, and watch The Quill perform live in Las Vegas earlier this year at the Planet Desert Rock Weekend Festival (review here). It was an amazing experience and solidified my love for the band and their amazing music.

The title track “Master Of The Skies” opens up the record with a bomb! Heavy and riff-centric hard rock, with tightly executed rhythms, and performed with boundless energy. The Quill score big with the amazing vocals of Magnus Ekwall and it’s hard not to get sucked in by the hook driven chorus from this one. The Sabbath inspired riffs with the infectious melodies are as outstanding as ever. The second track “Dark City” further cements this point. One of the early singles from Master Of The Skies, “Dark City” is a heavy and catchy song that captures everything great about the band. The Quill delivers the dense riffs, soaring melodies, and unforgettable tones. “Dark City” is an instant ear worm with its catchy hooks embedded into the song.

The third track called “You Can Not Kill My Soul” begins with beautiful clean guitars and the amazing voice of Eckwall leading the charge. The song begins mellow but soon kicks in the fuzz as it starts to pick up. Excellent guitar leads are delivered by Christian Carlsson along with a clean Santana-esc arrangement of classical style picking towards the end. The song transitions back and forth between light and heavy tones and brightens up with the vocal harmonies in full display. The Quill has a strong melodious component to their huge sound. “It’s Over” begins with a softer score that expands into a hard rocking surge. There’s some excellent octave walking bass lines from Roger Nilsson that adds a psychedelic texture to the doom foundation that captivates the song with both variations. There’s an eeriness and immediacy about this song that is quite interesting and engaging.

The next track, “Son Of Light” is a short, acoustically orchestrated number that really showcases Ekwall’s exquisite vocal prowess. The track has a divine Zeppelin style strumming locked in with the vocal extravaganza. I love the placement of this song with it’s softer resonance leading into the more riffier next track. “If Tomorrow Never Comes” is a mid paced rocker scoring seventies inspired hard rock with a modern vibrancy. The Quill executes their heavy metal mastery with some airy cosmic tones enhancing the crunchy rhythms of the song. “Now You Are Gone” is another shorter and more mellow composition, akin to “Son Of Light”. The song is a soothing and satisfying accompaniment of divine singing and clean style guitar playing. The less than two minute piece is a great transfer from the more amplified songs and levels out the recording just right.

“Lights Turn Low” is another fantastic single from Master Of The Skies! The esoteric guitar riff gels nicely with the swinging drum beat from Jolle Atlagic. It adds a nice little touch of groove to an already killer track. The riffs are crushing and Ekwall’s vocals are powerful. Midway through, the song brandishes some scorching rhythms and tempos that coalesce perfectly together. It has a rocking groove and a dark melody circling around one another. It’s another stand out track from the album. “Mastodon” is the final masterpiece clocking in at nine and a half minutes long. This massive song begins soft and builds into a colossal cascade of sonic retribution. I especially love the layers of sound that The Quill explore with on this opus. They are completely locked in and there’s a dark tranquility about this track that finally sheds its skin just over half way through. It sounds like redemption for a band that’s been grinding for over thirty years. The tenth and officially last song on the album is called “Master Of The Skies (Reprise)”, a two minute recreation of the opener fading in and out for the outro.

Master Of The Skies is another top notch album that will be one of my favorites of the year. The Quill are still creating some of the finest stoner/ hard rock music today. The band show no signs of slowing down and deliver another magnificent album that gets better with every listen. Master Of The Skies doesn’t only signify a band that is not finished creating exceptional music but it also proves that they are still a viable band in Sweden’s heavy underground hard rock scene. They are a pioneering band that I feel doesn’t get enough credit or recognition for all that they have contributed and achieved throughout these past thirty plus years.