TURN OF THE WHEEL

Those who claim themselves as JETHRO TULL's fan must love this album. If you enjoy this album with open mind (I mean, go to hell with the conception of "the music is derivative .. bla blab la ".uh .. I vomit if anyone still talk about not appreciating particular album / musicians due to its music is derivative. Hey, tell me which music is not derivative? I challenge you!). you will find this album is really great. If you never heard this band before, only one group that I can tell you how this band's music appears like : JETHRO TULL.

When I got a CD of this album sometime in 1998, it blew me at first listening. Wow! This is a great JETHRO TULL album! I then marked my CD jewel with a sticker of my comments:" I am totally impressed with the band. The music is like TULL and KANSAS. From 1st track right to the end track number 10, I like 'em all!!". Yeah .. there is stunning violin sound in this album or the kind like TULL meets KANSAS. Really cool. I was not even aware that KEITH EMERSON and ROBERT BERRY were involved in some tracks in this album.

Oh God .. this is the kind of music I love very much. The composition is wonderful, musicianship is excellent; all musicians contribute in their fullest potential, I think. It's hard for me to go over track by track as I LOVE EACH TRACK. All were crafted neatly with touchy and memorable melodies which sometime reminds me to traditional music. Sonic production of the CD is also perfect! All acoustic sounds (guitar and violin) were produced in balance with other electric instruments. I always listen to this album with LOUD volume. Great hi-fi sound production.

"Dunmore Lassies" is really cool instrumental work! I also like the longer track (7:34) "Bogey's Bonnie Belle" especially on the instrumental part at the end when heavy drumming plays the scene. "Winding Road" is also an excellent uplifting track with great improvisation of violin, guitar and flute. Oh boy . I'm totally "hooked" with this. The opening acapella of "Bonden Og Kråka (The Farmer And The Crow)" is unique and nice, combined with great violin sound at background. Friends, believe me, the above was just an example of songs that I discuss here. The other tracks are also excellent.

To conclude, this is a masterpiece album of TEMPEST (this is NOT pervious ALLAN HOLDSWORTH'S TEMPEST, please take note). I really enjoy listening to this album. If you like folk prog rock with a touch of traditional music (probably Scotland?) you would like this album. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - Gatot Widayanto, Indonesia.

Magna Carta was, in the middle 90's, a renouveau in the genre of progressive music. Lots and lots of bands broke the ice (Enchant and Shadow Gallery) and many broke their backs trying to be part of the revival (Cairo and World Trade and dozen more). With labels like Inside Out, with a modern sound and aggressive approach, Magna Carta product pales in comparison of today's goodies.

Tempest sure fell through the cracks and doesn't seem to attract too much people, even at the time. Well, listening to Turn of the Wheel will prove you 2 things: they can play but they're not original. When it comes to traditionnal music, Tempest is doing a great job but this is no way a progressive product, nor near it. The melodies are often repetitive, making the strange impression of hearing over and over the same tune. And frankly, they couldn't match the energy or the attitude that Jethro Tull demonstrated, even today. They can put guitar solos in every song, it stays plain trad rock.

If your heart is green like St-Patrick's day, this will please your ear without the shadow of a doubt. Fans of Jethro Tull, Ashley McIssac , Nataly McMaster and other such will find this record appealing since it's taking a concept and stretching it to longer pieces of music.

An okay record for me, a super find for fans of Celtic shennanigans.

Taking us by storm!

Tempest is an American-Norwegian-British Prog Folk band that has been around since the 1980's. They should not be confused with the all-British Heavy Prog band of the same name with Jon Hiseman and Allan Holdsworth that recorded two albums in the mid 70's. Also, I think that there is at least one further band also using the same name (not Prog bands though, I suppose?), and no wonder, it is indeed a great band name!

This multi-national, US-based Prog Folk band plays a Celtic-influenced Rock with fiddles, mandolins and flutes in addition to the standard Rock band line up with electric guitars, drums, bass and vocals. They also feature keyboards on their albums and on the present album none other than the great Keith Emerson guests on The Barrow Man adding some great, but admittedly rather sparse, synthesiser lines. Presumably the band met Keith while recording the Jethro Tull tribute album together with other greats such as Roy Harper, John Wetton, Ian McDonald and several others. The rest of the keyboards are played by one Robert Barry (I very much doubt it is the same Robert Barry who sang lead vocals on the 3 album with Emerson and Carl Palmer in the 80's) and is mostly organ and some synthesisers. But keyboards have only a supporting role throughout, fiddle, flute and electric guitars taking the lead.

Surprisingly for a band based in the US their sound is strongly influenced by British Folk music and is, in many respects, similar to that of Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span, particularly the 80's and 90's albums by that band. Indeed, I think that Tempest has played several very important Folk festivals in the Anglo-Saxon world. But Tempest has a much harder edge compared to Fairport Convention and similar bands, Tempest's music is Folk Rock with emphasis on both the 'Folk' and the 'Rock' part; this is Folk Rock that really rocks! Speaking of Fairport Convention, the multi-instrumentalist and lead vocalist Lief Sorbye has a voice that reminds of that of Simon Nicol. The lyrics are almost all in English, but Tempest has made it some kind of trademark to include one song on each of their albums that is sung in (some old variant of?) Norwegian! On the present album it is Bonden Og Kraka (which means the farmer and the crow).

Comparing the sound of Tempest with British Folk Rock bands of the 60's and 70's like Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span, one notices immediately that Tempest is more progressive. But don't expect too much, however. Their music is still primarily electrified Folk with some progressive touches and tendencies. The band seems a little bit afraid to delve too deeply into Prog territory, perhaps in order not to alienate their Folk following? The "progressiveness" of this band is at the level of 80's/90's Jethro Tull in their best and most progressive moments. The flutes here do indeed sound a bit similar to Ian Anderson's playing. But compared to Jethro Tull, Tempest's material is more traditionally based. Some of the material on this and other Tempest albums is traditional and some is original. Still, I'm sure Tempest's music will appeal to many fans of Jethro Tull (as well as Prog fans in general).

Many seem to think that Turn Of The Wheel was Tempest's first album, but it is actually their third studio album. In addition, they also had a compilation album as well as a live album under their belts already at this time (1996). Maybe they are more well-known in Folk circles than in Prog circles? Anyway, I have been so busy telling the history of the band (as much as I know of it) that I have so far failed to mention how great they are! Combining traditional material with original, Folk Rock with Prog Rock, Kansas-like violin with Jethro Tull-like flutes, etc. have given Tempest a sound of their own that I find highly appealing. You might even say that they "took my by storm"! Other albums by the band are very good also, but this is the place to start investigating the band.

Very highly recommended!

Tempest´s third offering was the second I had since I discovered this very interesting prog folk outfit. Compared to 2006´s The Double Cross, this one is slightly more on the traditional side (meaning the electric guitars here have not so much bite). I also prefer DC´s repertoire more than this one, but that´s just a matter of taste, for the usual high quality choice of songs, the excellent musicianship and the tasteful arrangements are all here ten years before that disc. I also love lead singer and multi instrumentalist Lief Sorbye´s voice. He sounds a lot like a old time minstrel coming from a Robin Hood film!

One thing there always puzzled me was the fact that this band is based on the USA since their music is not even remotely american. They are truly heirs of european groups like Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention. Tempest did modernize their sound and again the production is much superior to those two groups ever had. And the playing here is quite joyful and energetic with some fantastic electric guitar licks and brilliant bass parts along with the more traditional elements of the flute, violin and mandolin. You can see those guys really love what they´re doing. As a curio Keith Emerson does makes an appearance on the first track, The Barrow Man, delivering the odd synth solo.

Tempest hardly brings anything new to this kind of sound in terms of structure, but, boy, are they convincing! They do make everything here sound new! And there is no fillers anywhere. There are few lows here also, and even in those cases I must point out it is just my personal taste, not the quality of the material.So if you like prog folk, go for it. It is very unlike you won´t like this band. Rating: four stars.