The Quill – Wheel Of Illusion
On March 29th, 2024, Sweden’s The Quill have released a new record entitled Wheel Of Illusion. The band formed in the early 1990’s and has been one of Sweden’s longest standing stoner rock/metal artists. Since the return of original vocalist Magnus Ekwall in 2017, the band has been back in true form. Releasing Born From Fire that same year, Earthrise in 2021, and a compilation of sorts in 2022, called Live, New, Borrowed, Blue, The Quill has solidified their classic sound of 70’s influenced hard rock with flourishes of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Rounding out their lineup is: guitarist Christian Carlson, bassist Roger Nilsson, and drummer George ‘Jolle’ Atlagic. I have been a fan since their early releases, discovering them around 2002 with the classic Voodoo Caravan. I really enjoyed their Self Titled record, Silver Haze, and was stoked when Hooray! It’s A Deathtrip came out in 2003. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really feeling their album In Triumph that much and lost interest in the band when vocalist Magnus Ekwall left. Once I became aware that he had returned and heard Born From Fire, I was sold! He’s got an incredible voice and range that is unmistakable.
Anyways, once I listened to Wheel Of Illusion, I was very excited! The Quill have created another top notch record.! The lead off title track has a heavy Black Sabbath vibe to it. The addition of some cool keyboards that lead into the heavy main riff and the captivating voice of Magnus are where it’s at. The guitar melodies and memorable chorus really gets this record going. “We Burn” has a nice traditional heavy metal feel to it and more great singing. It’s a more straightforward type of song that has a catchy power metal style chorus too. The third song “Rainmaker” is nearly six minutes long and is more mellow and melodic. There’s a nice layer of keyboards over the music and Ekwall’s singing flourishes with his dynamic range. “Elephant Head” is next and really rocks! There are nice lead guitar fills mixed in throughout and more keyboard punctuation towards the end which is really cool. The next track “Hawks And Hounds” starts with guitars and slowly evolves. The mood is psychedelic with some spacey and atmospheric sounds blending together. The Quill does a great job of mixing in melodic harmony songs with the hard rocking numbers.
The second half of the record starts with the bass from Roger Nilsson with some tribal drums added, and then kicks into a nice heavy groove. “Liber” is a full rocking, head bopping number. The band are really tight on this record and all the years of playing together is evident in the execution of these songs. Another standout track, “Sweet Mass Confusion” is next and the band revisits the Sabbath groove and rhythm. Just before the two minute mark, the music shifts with guitar and a siren in the background and cranks into a mid tempo riff. They effortlessly blend back into the main section afterwards. “The Last Thing” starts with swirling and spacy soundscapes with some distorted bass. It then kicks into the riff and continues the classic metal journey throughout. The added keyboards on this record are blended in perfectly, adding substance and subtlety to each of the songs. The guitar playing of Christian Carlson is stellar on every song as well.
Finally we arrive at the ninth and final song on the record called, “Wild Mustang.” The nearly eight minute closure is another solid mixture of heavy riff rock and psychedelic nuances. The song captivates the listener with its prodding rhythms and dynamic melodies with such finesse. The excellent guitar leads and orchestration at end of the song fades out the record in such an eloquent way. I find myself listening to Wheel Of Illusion often since it was released. With eleven albums into their career, The Quill have created another masterful and powerful recording.
