Oak stream progged up version of traditional Christmas Carol Silent Night

Norwegian progressive rock quartet Oak have streamed their version of the popular Christmas Carol Silent Night, which you can listen to below. In a typical prog move, the band swap the harmonies and the melody of the song to bring a fresh adaptation of the seasonal favourite.

"I had just performed an Xmas concert when the idea struck me to change the harmonies and melody of Silent Night," explains vocalist and keyboardist Simen Valldal Johannessen. "The lyrics can be read as joyful and they go well with the traditional arrangement, but it was tempting to explore the fragility and melancholy that also shines through. We made a piano sketch immediately after that show and then went into the studio to make it sound like Oak. We are also working on similar material, as there is a huge treasure chest of hymns and folk music out there that we would love to interpret Oak-style.”

The quartet self-released a debut album entitled Lighthouse in 2013 that was mixed by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia). Reissued on Apollon Records three years later, it was followed in 2018 by breakthrough set False Memory Archive.

Now signed to the Karisma label (home to the likes of Wobbler, Airbag, Arabs In Aspic and more, Oak are currently completing their third album for release in 2022,

Get Silent Nght.

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.