The Windmill
Formed in 2001 on the outskirts of Oslo, The Windmill is a Norwegian progressive rock band founded by Jean R. Viita (vocals, keys), Morten Clason (vocals, keys, guitar, sax, flute), Arnfinn Isaksen (bass). In the ensuing years, Bent Jensen (guitar), Vidar Kleivane (drums, and Erk Borgen (vocals, guitar) would round out the lineup. Their music is symphonic neo prog influenced by several bands from the golden years of the seventies, such as Genesis, Pink Floyd, Camel and others.
In 2005, the band began work on what would be their debut album, To Be Continued. It took a few years and some lineup changes, but the album was finally released in 2010. The band began playing live in 2011 and become well known in Scandinavia.
2013 would see the band releasing their sophomore album, The Continuation. They would spend the next three years touring in both in Norway and abroad before beginning to write their next alum in 2016.
Tragedy would befall the band in 2018. Sammi Noland (drums) would succumb to cancer after the band’s acclaimed 3rd album, Tribus, had been completed, but before it’s November 2018 release. Kristoffer Utby would take over the kit as the band hit the road across Europe in 2019.
As it did with everyone in the music industry, the pandemic put a stop to The Windmill’s activities for a couple of years. But, they began working on their 4th album in 2022.
2024 began with the retirement of Kristoffer Utby and replacement by Nils Harsem. July 2024 will see the release of Mindscapes.
