Reptiel - Hobbitozz ... A Land That Never Was

Reptiel

Hobbitozz ... A Land That Never Was
self-released; 2015

​3.9 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

I was first exposed to Reptiel when I reviewed their 2013 Violent Sagas Of The Ancients. The band immediately struck me as something unique with their fantasy themes that fell somewhere between Heavy Metal (the movie) and Spinal Tap that was done in such a way that had some levity but wasn’t a joke. The music fell somewhere between, prog, psychedelic and classic rock most of the time but also had enough distinct qualities that the band was able to create a unique sound. 

The band's latest Hobbitozz ... A Land That Never Was continues with a similar style that refines the foundation even more. This is an album with a very distinct story that I think bears repeating. According to the band Hobbitozz ... A Land That Never Was “is a psychedelic prog rock fairy tale that takes place in a fantasy world somewhere between Middle Earth and the Land of Oz and relates the story of Forest Boy who awakens one morning to hear a bird singing to him that he must bury his father who has died in the night and begin a journey through the sylvan landscape of Hobbitozz to confront the roots of its demise and discover his destiny.”

The band wants to create a Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones type universe so I would surmise that you are going to be hearing a lot more from the band. One thing I will mention is that since they want to create this universe I thought they would have made the lyrics available but I can’t find them anywhere. In addition to that I thought more artwork to sift through would have been cool to further emerge into this universe they are creating.

From a musical standpoint I was loving what I was hearing. After a quick ominous, nightmarish intro which sounds like ghosts dwelling in purgatory entitled “Intro” the band gets to rocking with the title track. They don’t come out of the gates rocking but rather ease you in with a celestial, atmospheric glaze. The music is good but the vocal harmonies make the song. 

“Forest Boy” is a whimsical song that sounds fantasy-based with crystallized fairy sounds. It’s a unique song to say the least. After that the band pulls off “Near and Far” which is a highlight of the album and has it’s roots in ‘70s rock. “Leaves Are Falling” combines dissonant sounding elements that sound like the wind with standard rock instrumentation while “(Beware) The Woodland Witch” is a fitting name and sounds like it could be used in a play.   

The highlight at least for me was “Ecstasy in Shadow Green.” It’s the catchiest song on the album and the vocals will get stuck in your head in a good way. “The Elven Souls of the Forest Knolls” starts off sparse but eventually gains some momentum. They close strong with “The Druid of the Wood” before “Outro.”

Hobbitozz .​.​. A Land That Never Was is a great achievement and I appreciate their tenacity but to be honest I want them to go further with it. A couple of videos or artwork would be a good start. I haven’t seen them play live but if they aren’t they should be dressing up in some type of fantasy-based costumes. At the very least the vocalist should be in full body armor and the bassist should have on elf ears and his bass should look more like a battle axe.

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