MISTY MOUNTAIN FOUNDATION

A small Finnish town of Kouvola has something special to give into the prog scene, but I'm afraid there won't be many reviews to come here, as the band is not very good at promoting themselves. It probably doesn't make things much easier that this debut, recorded already during 2011, came out as a vinyl (plus mp3 download) instead of a CD. But that traditional format suits them well, as their style is very retro, and the cover art by Esa Mark is a perfect companion to the music!

Right from the first seconds it becomes very clear that they rock hard and use a lot of Hammond organ (compare early URIAH HEEP). Also the Mellotron sound - created by synths instead of the real thing - is present on the album (the group started in the late 90's as a King Crimson tribute band, and my guess is that they concentrated on KC's early phase). The first three tracks are roughly five minutes long and the least proggy portion of the album.

To me personally the negative side in their powerful sound are the vocals that operate very firmly in the hard rock attitude and taste sort of pushed and cruel. One reference could be the late Petri Walli of KINGSTON WALL. However the A side improves enormously with 'Cosmic Echoes (from the Modern Stone Age)' in which the deeply psychedelic, at times almost Krautrockish, keyboard-oriented playing leaves the vocals behind, though I also like the beginning featuring vocals and the Hammond-heavy march beat.

The B side has three tracks, the first one being in the same rocky field with the opening songs, and the two 8-9 minute tracks offering the gorgeous highlights alongside with 'Cosmic Echoes'. 'Garmish Park' gets also very spacey and dreamy as the tempo slows down. Wow! Equally strong and progressive 'Sleeping Prophet' finishes the album in high mark, leaving a good overall taste and lots of promises for their forthcoming second album. Even though I'm not too fond of their hardest-rocking songs and the vocals, I think their personal take on vintage psychedelic/hard rock deserves a good rating. Also the production by the band themselves is fine.