Erik Wøllo — Gateway( 2025 2CD resiisue)

First released in 2010, Gateway was the 14th studio album from Norway’s Erik Wøllo. It’s a release which wonderfully shifts between the tuneful and moody, with its effortlessly blending of ambience, electronica, instrumental rock, light prog rock, and soundtrack. Here from Projekt is a fifteen-year anniversary/ double disc release of the album, taking in the original album, plus a bonus disc of eight never-released tracks.

Erik Wøllo has been releasing work since the early 1980s, and looking at his discography, he has around sixty-three releases to his name. I’ve been aware of Mr Wøllo for some years now, though I’ve only heard and reviewed the 2011 collaboration, The Eternal Road he did with US ambient legend Steve Roach. So this is the first solo album from him, and I must say I’m extremely impressed- as he has a great ear for melody and mood, with the album being most rewardingly varied throughout

So the first disc in the set takes in the original twelve-track Gateway album, which has received a 2025 remastering. In the first half of the album, we move from gentle chugging AOR guitars, ethic beats, and soothing harmonics of “The First Arrival”. Onto the softly chiming keys, warming ambient hover, and general relaxing drift of “A Sublime Pace”. Though to the ambient guitar soloing & soothing synth tone relaxation of “Blue Universe”.

In the second half, we move from “There Will Be Snow” with its gentle cascading layers of clean guitar tones, rising synth tone glow, and subtly building light prog moodiness. Onto the steadily circling ambience, soothing tone bob, and warming harmonies of “Full  Circle”.  As an album, Gateway certainly deserves all the praise it’s been given since its release, as it truly is a wonderfully laid-out and conceived album.

The second disc takes in eight unreleased tracks, with a disc runtime of just over fifty minutes. The material here dates from around the recording of Gateway, though on the whole it leans more towards the electro beat-bound side of things. We move from “Time Fracture” with its knocking, at points almost watery percussion, and blend of pulsing/ urgent synth keys & more drifting ambience.  Onto the mellowly tolling meets lushly swooning ambient of “Blue Tapestry”. Finishing off with the track “Sunburst” which blends clean plucked/ strumed guitar with a warming tone glow.  As reissue bonus discs go, it’s quite impressive, maybe not quite up to the standard of the material on the original album, and perfectly sequenced-but it’s still pretty consistent/affecting.

Hands down, Gateway is one of the great ambient fusion albums of the 2010s, and it’s wonderful to see this reissue, with its lush remastering &  worthy bonus disc. I’ll most certainly be checking out more of Mr Wøllo's back catalogue,