THE SECRET OF OUR TIME

Since more than 15 years now SIENA ROOT from Sweden are standing for a blend of heavy rock and psychedelic with a strong prog affinity, this presented in a rather retrospective outfit. Bassist Sam Riffer und Love Forsberg (drums) are building the band's driving force during recent years. Well, I can say this album does not differ from the common orientation again. On this occasion they have added two female vocalists Zubaida Solid and Lisa Lystam to the fold. Soundwise rather resemblant both are serving a gentle atmosphere really. I solely have problems to distinguish between them. Also there is some indo/raga flair to state here and there, due to Stian Grimstad, who is guesting on the sitar.

And so the groovy Have No Fear appears to be my favourite song at the moment, very prog-ish, a lively bass, excellent organ and guitar interaction contributed by Erik Petersson and Matte Gustaffson. Well done! Nice vocals and playful instruments all around. Again the bluesy In Your Head shows some fine organ work later. A couple of compositions can convince me, some others like the opener Final Stand for example are serving a more mediocre impression. 'The Secret Of Our Time' does not reach for a sucker punch finally, nevertheless this is a proper retro rock album in any case.

You've heard the story before: a group of continental Europeans, overly nostalgic for that Anglo-American psychedelic and hard rock sound of the late 60's through early 70's, form a band and relentlessly pursue that highest form of flattery that is imitation. And boy do Siena Root excel at such flattery. On The Secret of Our Time, Siena have crafted an album nearly indifferentiable from Deep Purple's In Rock save for having swapped the rock god shrills of Ian Gillian for a female lead.

The artistic and entertainment value of successfully replicating something so nostalgic is not lost on me. I'm certain that fans of Siena of Root who have had the privilege of seeing their live shows or various equipment and production afficionados can afford themselves more affection towards this record. But for the rest of us who, despite holding no small amount of affection for that time period in music, would like to see music introduce novelty and progression, this record has little to offer.

Superb heavy prog album with female vocals uncommonly heard in the sub-genre. For an already very good band with six previous studio albums, this change for the first time to lead female vocalists turned what was already good into excellent. With nine tracks ranging from 3.5 min to just over 6 min and totalling 43 min, from blues rock to hard rock with prog tinges, the musicians' performance throughout the album is great. And the musicians and/or vocalists are not good just in the studio, as can be confirmed by the most recent videos (youtube) of live performances by the current lineup. I hopefully wait they can make at least some two or more new albums with the current vocalists and the general vibe of the present work. Very good heavy prog ****1/2.