III TRI-LOGY

This album was my first introduction to this band as a teenager, so I certainly have some nostalgic feelings for the disc. But on this record I really appreciate how the individual tracks form solid and logical musical entities, so I believe the band had evolved much, especially when compared to the "Mushroom" tests on their first album.

The first ten tracks create an over forty minutes long batch of continuous music. "Another Piece of Cake" opens the album with aggressive sabre dance on an oriental scale. "Welcome to The Mirrorland" works as a calm aural transitional space, being also a background for Petri's tales, then switching as an intro for "I'm The King, I'm The Sun". Petri drives the song furiously with his guitar and fabulous rhythm section friends supporting him. "The Key: Will" is again a short soundscape followed by reggae influenced "Take You to Sweet Harmony". The next ambience "Get Rid of Your Fears" starts to morph the reggae riff towards more oppressing and psychedelic direction. "When Something Old Dies" and "Alt - Land - Is" are musically practically a same song, the titles referring more to the lyrical contents. These lyrics are on my knowledge based on the religious cult which Petri was following, a factor which creates a slight feeling of unease for myself, with all the respects for all beliefs. "Party Goes On" returns to the more common rock feelings, and some verse parts give hints of the following nearly nine minutes long track "Stüldt Håjt", which breaks interestingly some genre barriers by using elements of techno music. I think this is quite good solution, as some parts of the underground techno movement are surely influenced by psychedelic music happenings. The phrase "Stüldt Håjt" is pronounced "Stay High", which maybe reveals the other important aspect of the band's lyrical output, and along with other cult descriptions, I must admit that I don't value these statements personally very much.

After the first silent moment in the record, "For All Mankind" creeps in with didgeridoo sounds, upon which the main song slowly fades in. As a composition, this is a very basic Kingston Wall song having only few Near-East sounding rock themes, from which a pleasant jam oriented music waving from strong to calm movements is built. Then the track "Time" sounds quite much like Red Hot Chili Peppers to my ears, being a laidback number with awesome solo parts growing its length to seven minutes. The album closer is the longest of all of the tracks reaching eighteen minutes. "The Real Thing" opens very slowly with a neat aural landscape. The composition has a really powerful chord progression, which is slowly revealed by the guitar creeping in. The middle section returns to the calm long space having a solo for a saxophone. The rock sequence returns for serious jamming, and after that the album ends in sorrowful ambient notes closing the books of both Petri and the band.

I had the chance to hear the Bonus CD coming along the 1998 remastered version. It had three songs "Skies Are Open", "Third Stone From The Sun" and "Have You Seen The Pygmi-Mies" which are recorded from a live concert. Sounds are not very pleasant, but the band worked better on stage in my opinion, and it's nice to listen good real, interactive co-playing of talented musician, which these guys surely were. Overall I consider this third album as the best from the three studio albums, possibly due my own personal experiences with it from my youth hood. Still the more essential of their recordings is in my opinion their 3CD live box. But if you like fast hard rock with psychedelic influences, you won't waste your money on this one.

This is truly an amazing album of great guitar playing and fantastic synths from a guest keyboard player.The songs blend one into the other beautifully.

The first song "Another Piece Of Cake" is spectacular with incredible guitar playing, what a song ! And I have to mention the drummer who's playing throughout this record is unbelievable. "I'm The King, I'm The Sun" is an uptempo song with again amazing guitar, crisp drumming and great synth runs. "Take You To Sweet Harmony" has this reggae rhythm to it with more standout guitar and drumming.

"Get Rid Of Your Fears" is all about the guitar. I know i'm sounding like a broken record but the "Party Goes On" again features terrific guitar and drums. Walli sounds like Hendrix on "Time" another guitar highlight. "The Real Thing" is over 18 minutes long and starts off slowly picking up steam at about 4 minutes in. Check out the extended sax solo and the guitar melodies too. This comes very highly recommended, just to hear one of the great guitarists of our time and there is a psychedelic feel to this release as well.

I just love the music and if it wasn't for "Stuldt Hajt" a 9 minute song that isn't up to the standards of the rest of the album this might be a masterpiece. These Finnish psychedelic rockers did it again !

The journey ends for a psych-rock luminary.

On 28 June, 1995, Petri Walli climbed to the top of a church tower in Helsinki and jumped to his death. The uber talented guitarist and leader of Kingston Wall was 26 years old.

Bassist Jukka Jylli: "I think that was almost like Petri's solo album, this third one.it was really funny... because we didn't really have any idea what it will be... the result... Petri knew... we just tried to do our best. It was a very different album.Petri thought that the band was going to change somehow after this third album. Well, it changed because we split. I don't know what he actually wanted to do. He did not want to go on like before. So we released the album in autumn 1994 and I met Petri the last time on Christmas Eve, the same year... and then he went to India and after that I never saw him again. He tried to call me but I was not home. I was in the states. Shit happens..." [KW's Jukka Jylli, a brief excerpt from an interview by Scott Heller from Aural Innovations 4/99]

Kingston Wall came together in 1987 when Petri Walli convinced Jukka Jylli (over drinks) to call him back about starting a band. Jukka seemed less than thrilled about the talkative young man at the time but he made that call. Eventually the stars aligned and they picked up one of the most incredible drummer around, Sami Kuoppamaki. After playing live for some time they released their first spirited album in 1992, followed by their personal masterpiece KW2 a year later, and their mystifying swan-song KW3 (aka Trilogy) in 1994. They played their last gig on 6 December, 1994, and split up the next day. It was not clear that it was a permanent split though, perhaps more of a hiatus. Petri traveled to India after that as he was very interested in spiritual things. He is buried in Helsinki's Hietaniemi Cemetery, very close to the church where he took his life. Lyrics from all three albums, written by Walli, contain not-so-veiled messages about the state of his mind and speak openly of death. Some contend that the lyrics for "For All Mankind" from the final album are a suicide note in the form of a song lyric. (see below)

The first KW album is a rather rough and tumble affair. As mentioned, it is a spirited and occasionally fun musical equivalent of a car chase but it is not even in the same universe as the phenomenal second album. KW2 badly pummels the first album in every category you wish to compare: songwriting, playing, overall vision, overall wow-factor. The final album KW3 is somewhere in between from one perspective. But it is so different and bizarre that it's almost impossible to compare. While still retaining some of the psych-jam band glory of the first two album, the 3rd gets downright experimental at times via adventurous songwriting, way-out concepts, electronica, keyboards and sax, and a more studio album approach. The first two albums were essentially recorded live in the studio, often from material already road-tested, whereas the final album was the only true "studio" album according to Jylli. KW3 is an album that will irritate many fans of the second album's approachable, accessible sound. It will rock the boat and was likely intended to push buttons and challenge fans like groups often do when ready for a change. But for those who go in ready and willing for Walli's weirdest moments the album will still reward you.

The band charges furiously out of the gate with "Another Piece of Cake." Petri's very first solo sounds as aggressive and climactic as most album's showcase solo. Sami and Jukka are again as tight and brutal as Chad Smith and Flea. But as the track seques into "Welcome to the Mirrorland it becomes obvious this album is not a repeat of the last one. Strange, spacey loops of odd noises and synth gurgles fill out the landscape with Petri's voice taking on an otherworldy effect. "Take You to Sweet Harmony" embraces a little reggae with groovy echoed guitar wahs and a nice solo. "Get Rid of Your Fears" is a nice spacey guitar experiment with a heavy wall of bass. "Party Goes On" sounds like it indeed, a total psych-out with bizarre voices and instrumental cacophony. "Time" is the only track that sounds a bit serious, a bit sober as it laments the human condition over some laid back mode Hendrix guitar. And then there is "The Real Thing," another epic like "Mushrooms" from the first album, this one a tad leaner at 18 minutes. It's a better track as well, spanning a wide variety of moods and energies from quiet and spacey to balls out rock and roll. Mostly rock and roll with the power trio going for broke on every jam. With the best playing and even a killer long sax solo it is easily the stand-out track and a respectable, fitting farewell track for this amazing little band. The booklet is very cool with lots of cymbals and imagery that Petri was fond of. This is a good album but I still cannot call it essential. Once again I recommend the second album for anyone new to this band and if you like that, then perhaps move on and check out the other two.

As for the controversy about whether the lyrics of "For All Mankind" are Petri's farewell note to humanity, here's a couple lines, judge for yourself: "Look out world it's time to die.no more crying with my mind.when we'll sing no lullabies.and all of us have real eyes.the shaman seeds for all mankind.one day we will say goodbye.to all of them who live the time.no more need to compromise.balanced heart needs no disguise" [P. Walli]

Kingston Wall goes electronic

As its cover art suggests, "Tri-Logy" is less middle-eastern and more electronic oriented compared to KINGSTON WALL's previous albums. We can sense the band's will to modernize their sound and to be more on par with the mid-90's standards to reach a larger audience. The Finnishs incorporates new sound effects, techno beats, ambient passages and didgeridoo to reinforce the jungle spacey side of their music. As a result, the atmosphere has some OZRIC TENTACLES touches.

"Another Piece Of Cake" is a powerful space metal opener, and the only track to feature a slight Arabic ambiance. The ambient didgeridoo of "Welcome to the Mirrorland" introduces the pleasant pulsating "I'm the King, I'm the Sun". Again, "The Key: Will" is a short ambient didgeridoo track for the nice soft reggae of "Take You to Sweet Harmony". "Get Rid of Your Fears", "When Something Old Dies" and "Alt - land - is" form an unique song alternating electronic, ambient and rock passages. This composition can occasionally reminds the OZRICs. "Party Goes On" reuses some of previously developed musical themes and contains a very nice solo from Petri Walli.

"Stüldt Håjt" is clearly the weakest song of the record. Its techno beat typical of the mid-90's and lack of variations make this track a bit useless and out of place. On the contrary, "For All Mankind" is one of the best compositions from KINGSTON WALL. A catchy space rock tune and with an efficient sharp riff. The lyrics are sometimes interpreted as Petri Walli's testament, as he committed suicide one year later. The rock song "Time" has an average melody and fails to really lift off. A bit too conventional given the band's standards. The disc finishes with the 18 minutes epic "The Real Thing", the Finnishs' longest track. A hypnotic journey, containing synthesizers, excellent guitar play and saxophone solos.

"Tri-Logy" is an interesting mixture of ethic, ambient, electronics and rock, with top-notch guitar solos. Despite a few weaker moments and compositions maybe less remarkable than on the previous opus, this third and last studio album offers very good passages with a large panel of musical types, while preserving a proper identity. This time, the content is entirely coherent with the cover art: a strange trip into a mystical jungle.

Recommended if you're into psychedelic / space rock and OZRIC TENTACLES.

On 28 June, 1995, Finnish singer-songwriter Petri Walli climbed to the top of a church tower in Helsinki and jumped to his death. The incredibly talented leader of psychedelic progressive rock band Kingston Wall was 26 years old. To hear Petri's catalogue of songs is truly a religious experience. His little known three piece band sounds as if it was the reincarnation of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, twenty years after Jimi's death. The first Kingston Trio album is a bit raw and show the band (and Petri)'s lack of maturity in all categories--songwriting, playing, and studio recording techniques. The second album, II, came out just a year later but shows extraordinary growth in all areas. This is one jaw-dropping album. The third album, yet another year down the road, was much more studio processed, as opposed to the "plug-in and push record" approach to the previous two albums. Tri-logy thus has a much more experimental sound to its psychedelia--but is no less brilliant. Fellow band members say that they could feel as if Petri was on a mission--that his suicide shortly after made perfect sense with the way he approached the recording of Tri-logy. The lyrics of several of the album's songs even give portend to his choice to leave the planet early, of his own accord. What an amazing talent was lost. Thankfully, we have these three albums as testament to his gifts.

Side One (A continuous suite of songs)" 1. "Another Piece Of Cake" (3:48) amazing guitar and great drumming over a kind of standard song. (9/10) 2. "Welcome to the Mirrorland" (3:46) really an intro to "I'm the King, I'm the Sun", the song opens with a cymbal crash before didgeridoo, jews harp, bagpipes, hand percussion, and far background guitar soloing establish the HENDRIX-like before Petri's voice conspiratorially whispers his lyric to us. By the second half drums, synths, and strumming acoustic guitars have moved forward, forcing Petri to speak more openly, insistently. The song then bleeds directly in the next song. (8.75/10) 3. "I'm the King, I'm the Sun" (4:56) feels very PINK FAIRIES-like with vocals and synths. (8.667/10) 4. "The Key: Will" (1:07) coming out of the "King/Sun", the music reverts to digderidoo and jew's harp as Petri sings his final message in a low monotone. More of an interlude. 5. "Take You to Sweet Harmony" (3:24) opens with spacious spaceyness (coming from the didgeridoo and jew's harp of the previous three songs) like a PINK FLOYD song, but then with the mystical almost-spoken vocal it turns kind of Reggae ? except the guitar. Wow! Can Petri wail! I don't really like the song, but the guitar pyrotechnics are undeniable and so worth listening to! (8.75/10) 6. "Get Rid of Your Fears" (2:56) another song that bleeds over from its predecessor, the blues space wah-guitar solos Hendrix-style over a relatively slow, deep, semi-Reggae rhythm foundation. A bit CAN-like, the odd deep vocal that is spoken ominously over the second minute turns whispery-singing over the final guitar chord strums. I really like the drum/percussion work on this one. (8.667/10) 7. "When Something Old Dies" (1:21) the breakout rocker from the previous song. (4.25/5) 8. "Alt - land - is" (5:12) becomes a vehicle for a fast drive on a country road while Petri autodidacts a continuous story as if he's stream-of-consciousness talking. The drumming, bass playing, and synth work is quite active, quite propelling. In the fourth minute Petri finally breaks out of his conspiratorial whisper and sings Robert Plant-like as his guitar work becomes more filling and active. (8.75/10)

9. "Party Goes On" (4:25) another song that reminds me of PINK FAIRIES. Nice shift at 0:45. Petri's support crew is truly top notch--and so tight! (8.667/10)

10. "Stüldjt Håjt" (8:59) very cool psych rock. I hear nods to The Who, Led Zep, AC/DC, even some jazz fusion (in the bass). Petri's vocal performance is very entertaining--as is his searing lead guitar work and the crazed free-jazz bass and drum work. At the four minute mark we fall into another five-chord PINK FAIRIES motif while Petri "narrates" a newscast before falling back into his Hitler-esque repetition of the "Stüldjt håjt" march mantra. The message must be quite powerful as the music and performances all seem to be set to 11. The song's decay over the final 70 seconds is quite entertaining and ingenious--almost as if the world is exploding. (18/20)

11. "For All Mankind" (6:17) drone and didgeridoo open this one as amazing lead guitar riffing and Animal-like drumming slowly fade in as if coming from the Underworld or somewhere equally nefarious. (How else could a guitarist be this good, this dynamic, this confident?) Add to this a great vocal with amazing lyrics and you get my favorite song on the album and my favorite Kingston Wall song of all-time (this despite it being rumored to have been Petri's suicide note to the world). (10/10)

12. "Time" (7:07) slow Petri down and he could definitely be the reincarnation of one Jimi Hendrix. Jaw-dropping guitar play on this bluesy Band of Gypsies-like song. (13.25/15)

13. "The Real Thing" (18:02) (34/35) = 9.71

Total Time: 71:38

The Kingston Wall experience is all about hearing, trying to make sense of, the astonishing and mesmerizing guitar play of Petri Walli. Though he committed suicide shortly after the release of this album and the Petri-ordained breakup of the band, Petri is among the greatest guitarists I've ever had the privilege of hearing. Another reason that I am so grateful for the Internet/WorldWideWeb and the music database of ProgArchives: otherwise, I would have never heard of this band or this extraordinary artist.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of powerful, dextrous, well-composed and well-executed psych rock. What a finale to this short-lived, high-powered band! What a tragic loss!