Panta Rei - Panta Rei

Review by Lorelei Hancock

Panta Rei’s “Panta Rei” – A Wild Ride Through Rock’s Forgotten Corners Alright, buckle up. Panta Rei’s self-titled album Panta Rei is one of those records that punches you in the face and then hands you a drink while you’re still reeling. Released back in 2000, this beast straddles genres like Hard Rock, Symphonic Rock, Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock, and even dips its toes into Soundtracks—yeah, it’s all over the damn place. But somehow, it works. This ain’t your polished, radio-friendly crap; this is raw, unfiltered creativity from Sweden, Portugal, the US, and Greece. It’s like they took everything cool about rock and threw it into a blender set to “obliterate.” Let’s talk tracks. First off, there’s “Five O’Clock Freak.” Holy hell, this song doesn’t just grab your attention—it drags you kicking and screaming through three parts of sheer chaos. Part 1 kicks things off with a riff so heavy it could knock down walls, courtesy of Leif Östman on electric guitar. Then Part 2 hits with some symphonic weirdness, like someone shoved an orchestra into a mosh pit. By the time Part 3 rolls around, you’re either headbanging or questioning your life choices. Tomo Wihma’s drumming? Insane. The dude switches between timbales, temple blocks, and actual drums like he’s got eight arms. And Georg Trolin’s vocals? Raw as hell, but dripping with personality. You remember this track because it refuses to let go. It’s messy, unpredictable, and absolutely unforgettable. Then there’s “The Majan Suite.” If “Five O’Clock Freak” is the wild party, this one’s the existential hangover. Thomas Arnesen lays down layers of organ and piano that feel straight out of a ‘70s prog epic, while Cary Wihma’s basslines slither underneath like snakes. At times, it feels cinematic—like you’re scoring some imaginary movie where knights fight turks or something equally bizarre (side note: check out the track “The Knight” if you dig medieval vibes). What sticks with me here is how ambitious it is. Most bands wouldn’t dare try pulling off something this sprawling, but Panta Rei does it with zero fucks given. It’s not perfect, but who cares? Perfection’s boring anyway. The production deserves a shoutout too. Gunnar Lindqvist produced this thing, and Gunnar Lööf handled engineering duties. Together, they managed to capture the grit and grime of a live performance without losing clarity. Mastering by A.L.F.? Tight as hell. And props to Georg Trolin for designing the cover art—it’s trippy enough to match the music inside. Now, here’s the kicker: despite being released on labels like Harvest and Golden Pavilion Records, this album flew under most people’s radar. Maybe it was too weird for mainstream audiences, or maybe it just didn’t have the marketing push it deserved. Either way, it’s a shame more folks haven’t heard it. Because beneath the surface-level madness lies a band that clearly gave zero shits about trends and just wanted to make music that mattered to them. So yeah, Panta Rei isn’t for everyone. If you’re into slick pop hooks or cookie-cutter rock anthems, steer clear. But if you want an album that challenges you, pisses you off, and leaves you breathless—all at once—this is it. Honestly, listening to this feels like finding a hidden treasure chest buried deep in the woods. You gotta dig for it, but damn if it ain’t worth the effort. Oh, and before I forget: did anyone else notice how many instruments Tomo Wihma plays? Dude’s basically a one-man percussion army. Hats off to him—and to Panta Rei for making an album that still feels fresh two decades later. Now excuse me while I spin “Five O’Clock Freak” again…

Artist: Panta Rei
Album: Panta Rei

1973

Rating: 4.42

Review
About Album
Download
Tracks
Video
Images
Catalog Numbers
Labels
Listen online
Formats
Companies
Credits
Notes
Barcodes
About Artist
Interesting fact
Comments
Related albums

Download

Filename: panta-rei-panta-rei.zip

MP3 size: 98 mb
FLAC size: 491.4 mb

Download

Tracks

Track	Duration	Preview
The Knight	13:45
The Turk	4:10
Five O'Clock Freak	9:55
The Majan Suite
Five O'Clock Freak	09:50
Five Steps	3:10
3rd Part
Five O’Clock Freak	9:55
La Fiesta
Kummelnäs
White Bells	6:55
2nd Part
1st Part
Five O'clock Freak	9:55

Video

Panta Rei - The Turk

Panta Rei - Five Steps

Panta Rei - The Knight (1973)

PANTA REI Five o clock freak SWEDEN Prog

Images

Album herunterladen Panta Rei - Panta Rei

télécharger l'album Panta Rei - Panta Rei

Catalog Numbers

Labels

Harvest
Golden Pavilion Records
Flawed Gems
Acid Symposium
Not On Label
Timothy's Brain

Listen online

lyssna på nätet
escuchar en línea
ouvir online
écouter en ligne
lytte på nettet
kuunnella verkossa
online luisteren
ascolta in linea
online anhören

Formats

Vinyl
LP
Album
Reissue
CD
Unofficial Release
Stereo

Companies

Role	Company
Printed By	SIB-Tryck AB
Record Company	EMI Svenska AB
Recorded At	EMI Studios, Stockholm
Mastered At	Final Step
Published By	Imudico
Licensed From	Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. Svenska Ab
Manufactured By	Disc Makers

Credits

Role	Credit
Design	Georg Trolin
Musician	Georg Trolin
Engineer	Gunnar Lööf
Producer	Gunnar Lindqvist
Cover	Georg Trolin
Mastered By	A.L.F.
Drums	Tomo Wihma
Timbales	Tomo Wihma
Temple Block	Tomo Wihma
Whistle	Tomo Wihma
Electric Bass	Cary Wihma
Maracas	Cary Wihma
Electric Guitar	Leif Östman
Twelve-String Guitar	Leif Östman
Organ	Thomas Arnesen
Piano	Thomas Arnesen
Accordion	Thomas Arnesen
Cowbell	Thomas Arnesen
Photography By	Catarina Wendin, Kristina Schager
Vocals	Georg Trolin
Harmonica	Georg Trolin
Tambourine	Georg Trolin

Notes

Original vinyl pressing.
Recorded March - May 1973
Originally released in 1973.
Recorded at EMI Studios, Stockholm, Sweden, March-May 1973
Panta Rei (C) 2000 Side One ST-001 A / Side Two ST-002 B
Yellow Label Heavy Vinyl 180g.
Unoffitial edition, well done, informative booklet.
unknown pressing,
label like picture of the front cover
only a black stripe on the left (front cover), no stripe on the right
© 2000 on labels (could mean that this reissue was released in 2000)
Recorded at EMI Studios, Stockholm, Sweden, March - May 1973.

Barcodes

Barcode: 7243494205121
Matrix / Runout: PANTA REI
Barcode: Panta Rei
Matrix / Runout: ST-001 A (stamped)
Matrix / Runout: ST-001 B (stamped)
Barcode: none
Matrix / Runout: [Disc Makers logo] 8749 CDS 2105 J80801-02 A
Mastering SID Code: ifpi L803
Mould SID Code: IFPI 2F59

About Panta Rei

Swedish progressive rock band from Uppsala, formed around 1970 by guitarist Thomas Arnesen.

Members

Thomas Arnesen
Leif Östman
Tomo Wihma
Cary Wihma
Georg Trolin

sv.wikipedia.org

Interesting fact about Album

Did you know that the album *Panta Rei* by Panta Rei is like a musical passport? It blends genres like Hard Rock, Symphonic Rock, and Psychedelic Rock, and was released in 2000 across Sweden, Portugal, the US, and Greece. The band didn’t just stick to one label either—they worked with Harvest, Golden Pavilion Records, and even self-released some tracks. Fun fact: Georg Trolin wasn’t just the designer and cover artist but also played multiple instruments and sang! And get this—Tomo Wihma handled drums, timbales, temple blocks, *and* whistling. Talk about multitasking!

Comments

manan1988

2025-03-15

Top 5 worst album covers ever.

dennisjoness

2025-03-15

Genius!

aaronescobal

2025-03-14

Kudos to the percussionist.

krakowliving

2025-03-13

Wait, did someone from iron maiden have this album?

serviceisllana

2025-03-13

The dude has some tastes...

lillian81

2025-03-13

Fuck Marlboro

josephstoreyhome1

2025-03-12

panta rei=παντα ρει=everything flows, is a famous ancient greek quote

tomgopro8

2025-03-11

Very Very Interesting

brazpascoal9

2025-03-11

Rareté de 1973 dans une veine Progressivo-jazzy à la The Mahavishnu Orchestra mâtiné de Brian Auger.
Ce groupe mêlait un rock bluesy à souhait avec une batterie fracassante et de fougueux soli de guitare, auxquels s'ajoutent harmonica ou autre clavecin...
Un rock progressif seventies encore balbutiant et hétéroclite, donnant à la musique cette diversité et ce mélange de styles typiques du début de l'ère progressive.
Le groupe mélange aussi bien le rock de Jimi Hendrix que des passages à la Moody Blues ou King Crimson.