TORNAOD

Even on their 2002 debut, TORNAOD's succinctly imparted that they were not content to make folk or celtic music that could be calibrated on anyone's traditional or contemporary scale. Three years later, they returned with "Orin", and their ontogeny is ever more in evidence. This is a far more varied disk, indeed the most eclectic of the three releases to date, with a stirring organic blend of prog and Breton folk, generally intermingled rather than juxtaposed serially.

The title cut saunters out the gate with a methodical PINK FLOYD Influence which gives way to a fiddle valiantly attempting to avoid strangulation at the hands of a demented lead guitar. I think it survived and emerged the better for the struggle, as evidenced by its performance in "Fulor Ar Roc'h". Here it trades off with acoustic guitar before the group's trademark rhythm guitar, bombard and voice clasp the reins. Vocals on this album trade off between Breton and English.

Two of the highlights follow. First, the raucous "Keltia", one of several suavely arranged tracks that remind me of fellow Bretons MOTIS the others being the toe-tapping, finger snapping instrumental "Downtown Plouie" and the playful "Armou.. Amour". Then, the irresistible RUNRIG styled ballad "Kanavo" with its deliberate verse and sultry instrumental chorus on a much more plaintive violin than previously heard. It leads right into the much heavier "Arsenik, which kicks off with much promise but becomes mired in a morass of its own choosing around the halfway point of its 7 minutes. The same wordless theme is repeated way too often and it wasn't exactly a cracker to begin with.

Apart from the more creative arrangements and syntheses at play here, TORNAOD also handles the epic much more convincingly this time around. "Gwenva" clocks in at 19 minutes and its components segue more capably into one another than was previously the case. Each taken on its own is a pleasant trad-inspired and acquitted piece but they are intermingled with progressive panache. I cannot conclude this review without referring to the sweet ballad "Two of Cups", which serves up vocal harmonies for which the band is not normally known, backed principally by acoustic guitar and some tasteful keys.

I could do without the reels and mouth music in the middle, which might have worked on the debut but seem anachronistic here, and luckily the subsequent album largely dispenses with these aspects. Still, "Orin" is highly recommended as an entry point to the group's discography which has yielded three winners in as many tries to date.

— First review of this album —

While not a big P progressive album, TORNAOD's debut is a jarringly mature Celtic rock offering with enough hints of the transformations to come to effectively explode any illusions of convention. The simple transposition of two letters in their name cogently conjures their off- kilter turbulence.

The opening notes of "Al Labous Marv" recall hypnotic sequences by STEVE HACKETT era GENESIS, and vocalist Boucherifi Kadiou can play atmospheric as here or oh so earthly in the bi-polar effervescence of PlinnTamm Kriez and its successor. One lesson TORNAOD has learned, judging from the latter, and imparts is that repetition and insistence are more entrancing and less irritating in a vocal rock context than in a strictly folk setting. This is especially so when accompanied by flourishing pipes and flutes, and "Son 'vit Ur Bed Nevez" is another such highlight. ALAN STIVELL's early rockers on "Chemins de Terre" and his live albums are appropriate signposts. "Paddy's Lamentation" is one of the less doctored trad styled pieces, reminding me of the great SILLY WIZARD, right down to the ANDY M STEWART influenced vocals. "Desert of Soul" sounds like it could have been from a DAN AR BRAZ studio session in the 1980s, mysterious and sinister, with the strummed acoustic guitars and tin whistles shrouding the message while simultaneously trumping its significance.

TORNAOD insists on an "epic" even at this early date in the form of "Tir Na Nog" but it really just strings together a few shorter pieces that are ironically among the weakest on the disk. Still, this is an appealing first step that straddles the resplendently open borders of Celtic, folk, rock and progressive music.

I was extremely anxious at getting this recording subsequent to the previous review, as I was expecting some more Celtic/Breton folk-rock in the vein of the glorious French band Seven Reizh, whose 2 albums "Strinkadenn Ys" and "Samsara" are massive personal favorites. Well, I must state for the record that Tornaod is not about to usurp the Brittany crown any time soon, if one bases any judgment on this underwhelming 2 CD affair. Seven Reizh has a more profound palette of sound, where the softer segments are sheer genius and the harder edged ones are honed to a razor-sharp perfection, plus the dual vocalists are way better individually or collectively than Tornaod's leader Tomaz Boucherifi-Kadiou and crew. The production here is thin and murky, no comparison to the crisp SR sound.

YS 2013's opening heavy tracks are strangely sloppy, power-chord driven by 2 guitarists and an anthemic background that just doesn't seem to convince such as on "Brezelou Limestra", "Kaligan" and the equally plodding and repetitive "Land of the Free". Not a very promising beginning. Contrary to SR , there is no separation between soft and hard within the same song , therefore providing no contrast whatsoever and preferring a bulldozer approach that seems trite and predictable. After a short acoustic guitar breather, things get no better on "Morgor On", marred by a dull sound on a wild vocal and this rushed rock style that fails to impress, even the 2 axemen fall short to provide any goose bumps, a relatively easy thing to do with an electric guitar!

That being said, Tornaod has some exciting aspects, namely a Japanese female drummer Emiko Ota (now that's prog, baby!) and a few stellar tracks that are thoroughly enjoyable. They finally get it back on untwisted tracks with the epic 8 minute + "Dour Tan Douar Bushi", offering up a subtle melody that begins serenely, where female vocals intercept the almost Asian feel , finally unhurried and organic in delivery with flutes galore. The mood morphs into a deeper Oriental spirit, almost like koto before evolving into a breezier pace. This is a fascinating piece of music that buries itself deep into the musical psyche. CD1 ends on "Son Uit Ur Bed Nevez", a return to the rollicking bang-bang style the band seems to favor which I personally find simplistic and absurd. But proof lies in the fact that on "Strinkadenn Ys" , the harder edged tracks are my faves! Go figure!

The second CD is altogether a slight improvement over the first salvo of tunes, as "YS 4389", again we have a sultry acoustic guitar and violin-led arrangement supplied with a gorgeous melody that conspires to reenter the brash fray of confusing sound for a while, until it fades into a near Floydian rant of massive chords, bruising beats and loads of atmosphere. It doesn't take long for things to end with the poor vocals and the rushed style. Sad! "TornaoD DMP" starts rumbling forward, technically wobbly and hard rock harsh just like on CD1. Adrien Proust and Eric Lorcey offer up unimaginative and clichéd rhythm guitar riffs that kill the pleasure, when suddenly the mood quiets down and things get interesting, with some fine e-guitar soloing, female choirs and atmosphere. When they revert to the speed- metal delivery, it plods again. Sad!

"Maru Eo Ma Mestrez" is perhaps more a traditional vocal chant and hence, has that unpredictable appeal that is missing elsewhere on this release. Haunting like only Breton/Celtic folk music can be, this is beguiling and impressive. When the violin enters the fray, one can finally bask in the comfort of some genuine aural bliss, fragile beauty and a sense of eternity.

Then through the mist of despair and growing disinterest, the totally unexpected arrives, a 21 minute colossus "An Douar Hagus An Speir", a virtual mood factory of sound and space, with heady electronics, effects and acoustic guitars determining the upcoming melodic theme, nothing hurried or rash, quite to the contrary, deliberately erecting a musical structure to build on, sonic ornaments and aural details abound, stylistic expressions of creativity strangely absent previously. Though some sections are only ok, the majority are sub sections that astound (like the anguished French language part, half way through), garnished with a superb lead guitar solo that beckons the question "Why cannot it be consistent?". After some bombast, a little acoustic outro lays this to bed, nicely! The 3 part "Karentez" succeeds in keeping things in better focus, mesmerizing effects on Part 1, the vocal effect pastiche of Part 2 and the final delirium that almost sounds like a French pop rock song. Some Celtic pipes wind this frustrating album down to the end.

As much as I am a completely gaga fan of prog-folk Breton style (Malicorne, Motis, Patrick Broguière, Ripaille, Alan Stivell , Seven Reizh and even the more electronic Dao Dezi) , these lads do not yet cut the cake for me, relying on too many heavy metal clichés that collide poorly with the traditional spirit of this complex style of progressive folk. They need a competent producer who comprehends the nature of the recording process and who knows how to elevate the arrangement beyond facile platitudes. Scope and breath are definitely missing here.

3 whirwind harps.

The Celtic lands have long been proponents of the electrification of traditional music, but that quality alone does not qualify a work as progressive, and many excellent bands, particularly from Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany, have contributed immeasurably to the advancement of their regions' musical growth by injecting new stories, instrumentation, and exuberance into their traditional inspirations. Sometimes the line between this entertaining style and "Celtic prog" is very fine indeed, but other times...well, we know it when we hear it, and TORNAOD falls into the latter category.

This current Breton band counts among its influences almost every genre to pass between their ears from the 1960s to the present, including 1980s metal and new age. On the whole, this double disk is very upbeat and insistent, much more so than most of their ilk, but a reference point might be SEVEN REIZH, which have in common the same general thematic interests, the juxtaposition of male and female vocalists singing mostly in native Breton, and clear interests in classic progressive rock. But, frankly, if you sometimes wish that your prog really rocked in a way that even extreme metal can't, you should give TORNAOD serious consideration.

All the more impressive for being a double disk that counts minimal filler, "Y. S. 2013"'s 16 tracks flow one into the other, with a few binding themes repeating, particularly in the energetic and spellbinding "Kaligan" and "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave". "Morgor On", "Son 'vit Ur Bed Nevez...Adarre", and "Tornaod OMP" (like a Celtic "Eye of the Tiger" if you will) are all boisterous with aggressive rhythm and lead guitars amidst the pipes and fiddles. Tomaz Boucherifi-Kadiou's voice is emotive without being overwrought.

"Dout Tan Douar Bushi" is far more gentle with Emiko Ota sharing vocal duties, while the 21 minute "An Douar Hagus an Speir" works admirably as a summation of the group's powers, although, to be honest, even the 6 minute tracks are surprisingly diverse. The album slows down a bit after the suite, but just enough for me to recover my breath.

TORNAOD's latest is highly recommended to prog folk fans and others who might enjoy traditionally inspired hi-test music. Just make sure you bolt any movable objects to the floor before letting it blow through your living room. Better yet, listen from your storm cellar.