THE TREE OF LIFE

Orne is a band from Finland that has been around since the last decade, and in 2011 released their second studio album entitled "Tree of Life" which was released via Black Widow Records, that great Italian label whose bands (almost all) own an inherent heavy sound in their music, Orne is not the exception. In this album they offer nine compositions that make a total time of 49 minutes in which one can listen to a blend of prog rock styles, taking symphonic, heavy and even psych in some passages, so the eclectic tag is great here.

It opens with "Angel Eyes" whose first minute has spoken word by a male voice, taking us to the past and those mediaeval times. Later a dark atmosphere is created by keyboards, while drums, bass and guitar produce a soft sound that really suits in this structure. This track leads to "The Temple of the Worm" which is the longest track, surpassing the twelve- minute mark. Delicate guitar notes open this song later the other instruments are joining and making a progression little by little, with a notable flute sound, by the way. Before the third minute the vocals appear for the first time creating a mellow tune that perfectly complements the music. The song is flowing and changing while the minutes pass, there are some heavier passages and some more delicate ones, in moments the keyboards increase the intensity, in others guitar and flute put the beauty. The last minutes are rockier, dynamic and very cool.

"The Return of the Sorcerer" opens again with a delicate passage where we can appreciate that exquisite flute. The drums works is pretty nice, playing with the rhythm, managing the time and making it own. Later the delicate voice joins and all together flow like water, telling us its story. "Don't Look Now" has some friendly guitar notes at first and later vocals enter with more intensity than in the previous tracks, however the music is not that intense, it is soft and delicate, with charming atmospheres. A couple of minutes later the drummer give us once again a great performance, I really love his work. Some nice bass notes continue for some seconds, but the music returns to its original form. After five minutes it changes, turns faster and with more energy, and offering a keyboard feast in the last moments.

"Beloved Dead" starts with acoustic guitar that creates a repetitive structure, seconds later the voice joins and together produce a smooth sound; then drums and keyboards join and take me to the 70s, more specific to the KC Lizard era. After three minutes the direction changes, the mellow sound vanishes and now a much rockier tune is offered, taking us to the heavy prog realm, with obvious 70s reminiscences, once again. "I was made upon waters" starts with the voice singing in a rock way, but they disappear and the instruments create that soft sound that Orne has offered in the first minutes of all the album's tracks. After a minute the music becomes friendly, repeating a structure and sharing an ambient of joy.

The album finishes with "Sephira" whose first minutes follow the same path of the other songs (they are a bit repetitive in this matter), but later the music becomes heavier and rockier, intercalating the passages and adding some nice elements such as a saxophone. The spoken word that opened the album returns here, now closing it.

This is a very nice album by Orne, with some nice mixtures and richness of sounds, however there were moments I felt their music and structure repetitive, with some passages of monotony, that's why I could not fall in love with it. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!