It was the collaboration that almost didn’t happen but now Peter Hammill and Swedish chamber rock ensemble Isildurs Bane have released their second full-length recording. Prog catches up with Van der Graaf Generator’s main man to discuss In Disequilibrium, the future of the arts and finding inner harmony during a period of uncertainty.

Words: Julian Marszalek

Strung together: Hammill and Isildurs Bane have explored the state of the world on their new album.

Images: Patrik Leonardsson

Speaking with Peter Hammill is almost like taking a step back in time. Though his clipped, well-spoken and precise tones suggest a man who could confidently command a squadron of Spitfires against an attack from marauding Messerschmitt Bf 109s in between charming the ladies over cocktails, they also belie a fury that beats at the heart of his latest venture, In Disequilibrium, a collaboration with those veterans of Sweden’s progressive rock scene, Isildurs Bane. Indeed, this is very much an album that captures and distils the present global torment that began in March 2020.

Not that this should come as much of a surprise. As even the most casual observer of both Van der Graaf Generator and Hammill’s solo material will attest, a shadow of darkness has always fallen across his work, but what genuinely raises interest as much as eyebrows here is the sheer sonic and lyrical intensity with which this project is delivered.

In Disequilibrium is far from a passive experience. Consisting of two epic suites – In Disequilibrium, Parts 1-3 and Gently (Step By Step), Parts 1-4 – that clock in at around 25 and 20 minutes respectively, this is music that demands nothing less than the full attention and participation of the listener. Intricately composed and expertly played by Isildurs Bane, the complex musical delivery is bolstered by lyrics written and sung by Hammill and, inspired by the events that brought the world to an effective standstill, In Disequilibrium is an immersive journey that alternately terrifies, soothes, provokes, confounds and beguiles. And any doubts about where this pairing of international talent is coming from are swiftly dispelled by Hammill’s angry opening gambit of, ‘Well, it’s all topsy turvy/And everything’s been turned upside down!’