The Quill – Wheel Of Illusion

Written by on 01-06-2024 at 17:49.

Thanks to Zware Metalen I got to know Swedish quartet The Quill three years ago, even though the history of the band goes back some 30 years. A particularly pleasant introduction it was, by the way, just read my review of their 2021 album Earthrise. A more than tasty mixture of 70s influences, Black Sabbath-tinged riffs, snatches of stoner, good melody lines and strong vocals. Now The Quill is back in an unchanged line-up with Wheel Of Illusion, a new full album containing nine songs.

The main question here is: will The Quill continue the same solid momentum, or will they take different paths? Well, you can answer “yes” to both sub-questions. That same solid momentum can be found, for instance, in opener and title track Wheel Of Illusion. Immediately after the slow intro, you are drawn back into that tasty mix of Iommi-like riffs, backed by heavy drums and Magnus Ekwall’s somewhat thin and howling voice. It’s nothing new, apart from the somewhat forlorn synth, but this is The Quill at its best. Very promising!

Well, unlike Earthrise, that Black Sabbath sound is a bit less present on several songs. We Burn certainly dabbles with 70s influences in the second part, but I hear more Kiss than Black Sabbath. Rainmaker has a fuzzy guitar sound, seems a bit stoner-like but still refers to the 70s again through its build-up. The synthesiser (Hammond?) in the background certainly contributes to this. And also notable: more than on Earthrise, Ekwall does sound like Bruce Dickinson at times with those long drawn-out out vocals. Does that shift The Quill a bit more towards the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal? I wouldn’t dare say so but it is clear that the musical boundaries have become broader and a little less harsh. On Elephant Head, it even gets really quite lighthearted. With a bit of good will, a reference to Van Halen is quite feasible. But it has a chorus that will stay in your head for quite a while.

Where are those stoner influences, I hear you ask? Well, they are definitely present. Or should I tone them down to southern rock influences? Hawks & Sounds answers that, and you can hear a subdued, floating Monster Magnet. The Last Thing You Remember also sounds a bit floaty and spacy.

Aren’t there any other typically heavy The Quill songs on here besides the opening track? Sure there are! L.I.B.E.R. is one of them. However, it starts with the same bass line as the intro of Running With The Devil by Van Halen. So again Van Halen. But after a few seconds you get a totally different song that really breathes The Quill sound again. All credits for that, by the way, go to guitarist Christian Carlsson’s riff skills. As often with bands that make do with one guitarist, I wonder whether the sound – especially live – could not be even fuller with a second guitarist. In L.I.B.E.R. you hear a giant of a solo while the riff keeps on crunching. That won’t work live, of course.

Sweet Mass Confusion (All Rise Now) is another heavy, slow riff song that completely changes tempo after two minutes and an alarm siren. Delicious! As usual The Quill closes off with a long drawn-out slower song full of references to the pop and rock of the past sixty years. Wild Mustang is no exception this time.

Eventually, Wheel Of Illusion is once more a very smooth and very listenable album by The Quill for fans of “older” rock. The 70s influences, the Black Sabbath-like sound, they are a bit capped and the album sounds a bit less heavy than Earthrise. For me, that’s a shame. But if you don’t mind, this deserves a place in your record cabinet/Spotify list.

The Quill - band

Score:

80/100

Label:

Metalville, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. Wheel Of Illusion
  2. We Burn
  3. Rainmaker
  4. Elephant Head
  5. Hawks & Hounds
  6. L.I.B.E.R.
  7. Sweet Mass Confusion (All Rise Now)
  8. The Last Thing You Remember
  9. Wild Mustang

Line-up:

  • Magnus Ekwall – Vocals
  • Christian Carlsson – Guitar
  • Roger Nilsson – Bass
  • Jolle Atlagic – Drums

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