PAATOS

Kallocoain is Paatos' most consistent album. It is one of those slowly growing laid-back albums that gradually lure you into its lush enchantment, each time revealing more of its details. It probably won't register very high on your prog yardstick though, so if epic prog wizardry is your thing, you might skip this one.

However, if you like the sound and atmosphere of Portishead done by competent musicians with a deep affection for King Crimson you might enjoy this very much. The focus is on the solid and diverse song writing and the silky and smoky melancholy of Petronella Nettermalm's voice. Every songs is a true gem, with Gasoline, Happiness and Won't Be Coming Back as my personal highlights.

Kallocain is an excellent album that is in desperate need for a larger audience. However, since they are hard to categorize and don't fit into a simple box with just one appealing and recognizable tag on it, this is unlikely to happen. It's too poppy for prog heads and because of the prog tag; it is avoided by their potential audience. A typical consequence of today's pigeonholing.

It's been 3 years already since this album was released. A quick guess tells me that I haven't played it much more then 10 times during that time. The reason is evident. There's something essential missing on this album, something called enthusiasm, excitement and songs.

It begins very strong though. Both Shame and Your Misery head off for a promising start, and Falling is a beautifully melancholic song like they can only make up so high up there in the north. With Still Standing the album makes a turn, strong verses again, but a chorus that seems a bit far-fetched, bit of a drained melody I think.

Petronella's voice has evolved quite a bit. She's more confident here and at times she comes close to the softer timbre of Anneke Van Giersbergen's voice. Of course, a good voice needs strong songs but with Is That All?, the string of quality pieces comes to an end. It's an uninspired song with weak playing and unsatisfactory melodies. With a catchier chorus, There Will Be No Miracles could have been a great pop song. But no, it takes till Not A Sound till the real Paatos comes shining through again. It's a brooding track with gorgeous melodies that will get under your skin in no time. The closing track is not much more then a little sound collage.

Despite many good tracks, it's a disappointing album from Paatos. I had expected much more after the two previous albums. With 27 minutes of good material, I can't come closer then a solid 3 stars.

Timeloss is a beautiful example of Swedish modern rock. Gentle and modest on the outside, burning with powerful melancholy inside. At the time of their debut, Paatos still consisted of 2 member from Landberk and consequently the Landberk (and Anekdoten) feel is very strong throughout this album.

Sensor is a good rocking opener with a strong vocal of Petronella. The chorus is the only moment on the album where she challenges the fringes of her voice. It comes off rather Björk-like but it works well in the song.

As soon as Hypnotique sets in, Paatos prove they're not a one-trick band. It's a smoky jazz number reminiscent of the better moments of the band Elysian Fields, but stretched out to epic lengths with lots of mellotron and flutes. Great tune. The sad vibe set with this song is maintained through Téa. An beautiful gloomy ballad.

They Are Beautiful has strong jazz leanings again. It starts out very gently and unfortunately stays like that through its entire course. After the downcast mood created by Téa the album needed a more powerful and intense piece of music, something to smack us awake and get our focus back. But that doesn't happen. Even the great hypnotizing guitar work of Stefan Dimle (about 2 minutes into the song) can't save the day. It's a fine song by itself but it reduces the strength of this album and creates an album dip of sorts.

Quits does what They Are Beautiful should have done. It's an impressive jagged piece of Portishead on drum & bass stimulant that evolves into a psychotic sax cocktail.

However, it can't put aside the impression left by the penultimate track. This album could have been a real masterpiece had they just worked a tiny bit harder on the song material. If they had one more track like the opener and inserted it after Téa this could have been a 5 star for me. Now I just want a cup of tea and head off for a nap.

Kallocain is the second full-length studio album by Swedish progressive rock act Paatos. The band features ex-members of Landberk and Agg. Kallocain was released in 2004 through InsideOut Music and is notably produced by Steven Wilson ( Porcupine tree, Blackfield, No- Man...etc). Guitarist Reine Fiske ( Landberk) has been replaced by Peter Nylander since the release of the debut.

I was positively surprised when I listened to the band´s debut album Timeloss (2002) and greatly enjoyed the mix of vintage sounding retro-prog and more modern almost trip-hop elements. The modern elements are much more prominant than before on Kallocain though and gives the album a different sound compared to the debut. Bands like Massive Attack, Portishead and especially Hooverphonic comes to mind. This is still progressive rock though, just a more contemporary version. The songs are all of high quality and lead vocalist Pertonella Nettermalm has a pleasant voice that suits the music well. I must admit that all songs are not equally memorable though and not all stick in my head even after listening to the album for a while and that´s probably the album´s biggest weakness. A bit more variation could have done the trick.

The musicianship is excellent. Great playing and excellent vocals. I have to give a special mention to drummer Ricard Nettermalm. His playing is excellent and really gives the music an extra dimension. He is a bit more restrained than on the debut though which is a bit of a shame IMO.

The production by Steven Wilson is as always when he is involved professional and well sounding, but I have to give the sound a bit of the blame for the fact that the songs sound a bit too similar at times.

Kallocain is a great album but it doesn´t quite reach the heights of the debut IMO. Still a 3.5 star rating is warranted.

Paatos' second effort is sadly a mixed bag of occasional hit and sporadic miss, contrasts are bold between each track. On the alluring side, "Holding On" is where the Portishead similarities really come home, a proggier version of that talented but lazily discreet trip band, where Paatos' Petronella sounds a lot like Beth Gibbons, a heady swirl of dreamy mood scapes, sharp crackling drums, churning atmospherics, clean violin and effective guitar. A chilling and enticing piece this is. "Happiness" is another mellotron draped jewel, mischievously enticing the listener into an eddy of emotion and imbalance, as if floating on uncertain clouds. The fourth slice is the overtly affected but cleverly titled "Absinth Minded", with a huge mellotron cascade that is truly inspiring as it flows gently into the fog. "Won't be Coming Back" is another return to form, a resolute piece where all combine to shine, showing great peaks and valleys, well-oiled rhythms solidly arranged and a healthy dose of inspired musicianship. Excellent stuff! On the looser side, there are a few clunkers such as "Look at Us", a little too alternative-pop for my tastes, wimpy playing and wimpier vocals that are all the rage on national radios,oops I mean Ipods!), annoyingly bland and bleached of any progressive stain. "Reality" is another oddball cut with its primitive almost minimalist punch, boom-tchak boom-tchak drumming, devoid of any interesting symphonic manipulations, sounding like an all-together different band. The singing sucks in my opinion, wholly unconvincing (which BTW Gibbons never was). A weak instrumental break helps little in the final countdown (no, not the Europe mega-drivel hit song), it's also way too long, the repeated blare stretched to the hilt with unfortunate emptiness (unnecessary handclaps. Really!). "Stream" is an unbearable sonic gauze, unable to let the bloody wound of musical weakness heal in peace, though the lumbering 'tron slice is revealing. The guitar parts are not very adroit and the whole thing just plods grossly. The final cut is not very inspired despite its proggy length but it just highlights the fact that this cannot really go beyond a two track marvel, out of nine that's not enough! For Swedish completists or fans of this kind of retro-avant-garde. Not on my Ikea shelf for long! Only occasional visits are recommended. 3 fuzzy novocaines

If Bjork got together with Massive Attack and decided to do a prog-ish album, it would probably be either a big artsy mess or a bit more attention-grabbing than Timeloss. But it might sound a lot like this.

Perhaps that's too harsh. Paatos is definitely an interesting and unique band, with thoughtful melodic inspiration and a good sense of both compositional drama and timbral texture. If they are half as good live, I'd be more than happy to spend a breezy afternoon-to-evening in the park with them. Their moody atmospherics fall somewhere between the illbient and ambient, with more emphasis on climax and resolution. They don't necessarily remind me of any classic prog bands, but there are certainly many little details that put them in the ballpark...and, amazingly, without being too self-consciously & name-droppingly retro.

Some of the songs (Tea, Hypnotique, and the decidedly modern Quits) demonstrate a cathartic and linear build-up, while others (Sensor, They are Beautiful) utilize a more complex structure that keeps you a little more off-balance. Some passages seem a little too short (and possibly interchangeable) and some go on far too long. On the whole, however, the transitions are as organic as their instrumental approach; while certainly layered and textural, this is not a coldly over-processed Steven Wilson affair. Even the immediately identifiable dance-music influence on Quits is presented in an organic context, more in line with the better examples of classic acid jazz & drum-and-bass (Roni Size, Goldie, etc.) than the dreary predictable stuff that was already done to death ten years ago in countless trendy locales and television advertisements. The debate rages on (uh, in an isolated sort of way) about what constitutes Progressive Rock, but I have no doubt that Timeloss will appeal to as many proggers as it will to fans of Trip Hop, Post-Rock, and chill-out music in general. One of the best things about rock-based music in general is its mutability and openness to new combinations of existing and/ or nearly-forgotten styles; as long as there are bands with the level of quality and adventurousness as Paatos, there will still be a reason to keep listening and keep taking chances.

Timeloss is the debut album from Swedish progressive rock act Paatos. Paatos lineup features a couple of ex-Landberk members in Stefan Dimle ( Bass, Double bass) and Reine Fiske ( Electric and Acoustic guitars), but while the two gentlemen´s past shines through more than one time during the album´s playing time, Paatos is much more than a Landberk album with female singing.

The album consists of five songs ranging from five to twelve minutes in length. The opening song Sensor is the most powerful of the first four songs and listening to this song it soon becomes clear that you´re in for something special with Timeloss. Lots of vintage keyboard sounds ( mellotron, organ and a few other sounds I can´t name), busy drumming, heavy bass and guitar ( not heavy metal style though) and to top it all a beautiful female vocal. A good mix of retro prog and more modern tendencies.

Hypnotique and They Are Beautiful are mellow beautiful songs which really achive to take me on an emotional journey while Téa is a song sung in the Swedish language. Very beautiful. Just listen to how it builds to a climax in the end. The last song is probably an aquired taste. Quits is a 12:17 minute long track with a relentless frantic jungle like beat that reminds me of Moloko. The vocals have a soul flavour to them and reminds me a bit of Skye Edwards from Morcheeba. The song also has some brass arrangements which gives it a really different sound from the rest of the album. As I said it´s probably an aquired taste but I enjoy it greatly and IMO it ensures that the album is very varied.

The musicianship is excellent. Everyone performs really well on this album and I´m especially impressed with Huxflux Nettermalm´s drumming. What a great and very busy drummer. He really drives the music forward. Petronella Nettermalm is a very strong frontwoman too and needs her share of praise. Beth Gibbons (Portishead) emotional vocal approach is a big influence on Petronella IMO. Petronella has her own style though it´s just hard not to mention Beth when listening to this emotional and dark music.

The production is warm and powerful and everytime that mellotron comes in I´m sold. Really pleasant.

Timeloss is an excellent album and I can´t understand that I wasn´t instantly turned on when I listened to the album at the time of the release. The fact that I wasn´t impressed back then makes it so much sweeter that I´ve given this album and Paatos one more chance though. Timeloss deserves a 4 star rating and a big recommendation from me. Fans of Anekdoten and Landberk is sure to find pleasure with Timeloss but even if you´re not a fan of those bands Timeloss might be an interesting album for you anyway.

I really wasn't expecting too much from this release after hearing it was along the same lines as the disappointing "Kallocain". Well as they say "Don't believe everything you hear". This is an excellent album much like THE GATHERING's "Home" release, very melancholic with the focus on Petronella's vocals.I really like this style of music and especially the mellotron that is featured on 5 of the 9 tracks.By the way i'd like to point out former LANDBERK bass player Stefan Dimle's fabulous playing.Incidentally he also owns the record label "Mellotronen", and was an important part of the band MORTE MACABRE.Oh,and another plus is that the length of this record is 42 minutes.Just right. "Shame" is simply an amazing song that i can listen to over and over.Quite heavy to open but it settles when the vocals arrive.This contrast continues.Mellotron flows freely and check out the samples 3 minutes in as bass and drums continue.Just a great track. "Your Misery" is very atmospheric to open,but it ends up being all about the vocals.A slow moving track with strummed guitar,piano and lots of atmosphere. "Falling" is laid back as well but only better.Vocals,keys and light drums lead the way early.Mellotron before 2 1/2 minutes and 4 minutes in.Good tune. "Still Standing" opens with over a minute of processed vocals.Then those beautiful vocals come through after 1 1/2 minutes,contrasted with mellotron and a fuller sound before 2 1/2 minutes.This contrast continues.I like the atmosphere with the vocals and piano on the mellow passages.Some flute as well.Another killer tune and the best one since the opener.It reminds me of "Home" from THE GATHERING. "Is That All?" is even better! Gentle guitar and soft vocals are followed by some heaviness and emotional vocals.Gulp.Incredible. The contrast continues.Love this track. The song starts to slowly build with vocal melodies 4 minutes in.Check out the heaviness 5 minutes in as drums pound and gale force mellotron blows in.What an intense ending. "Procession Of Fools" is a brief instrumental. "There Will Be No Miracles" is the only song i'm not fond of,in fact it doesn't even fit in on this record in my opinion.Uptempo and commercial sounding but it's ok. "Not A Sound" is back to the melancholic mood with cello,mellotron and violins.Sad vocals as well.The fuller sound after 5 1/2 minutes to the end is a highlight. "Silence Of Another Kind" is experimental sounding with spacey sounds and samples.Kind of cool. I still think "Timeloss" is their best by far,with Reine Fiske on lead guitar and a lot more mellotron,but this is a pleasant surprise. They thank THE GATHERING who they were touring with,as well as Peter Nordins from ANEKDOTEN.

At last, a live record from one of my favourite contemporary prog bands! There was no need for decision for me to buy it or not, but sadly the vinyl did not create as huge impact to me in the way their second and third studio albums did. Maybe my expectations were too high? There's nothing wrong here with the music, but also there nothing really exceptional either... The songs do not differ much from the studio versions (except the title track is extended), and there is not either anything unreleased material among the songs. So the focus is directed to the performance quality, and though it is not poor, I must admit that the loss of delicate studio recordings and many carefully constructed nyances appear lesser here. My appreciation to the achievements mentioned in the previous sencence are not very small, affecting strongly to the listeining experience of this album, I'm certain!

The played songs are from all of their three albums. The track order is different in my vinyl than in the entry here; The set starts with Happiness, which is a really powerful starter. Here Petronella's vocal approach is slightly more dramatic and powerful than the more fragile version in the studio album. Your Misery is more softer but dark song about the unpleasantnesses of the life. Gasoline follows, dynamic great composition with powerful tension creations and releases. Sadly it only works in the studio version so well that I believe it's impossible to reach similar perfection in the stage. The side A is ended by the song for the child of the couple in the band. Beautiful indeed!

The B-side starts with the mellow and tender Hypnotique, some quite nice mellotron keys on this one, which also works as a great song for a pretty voice. Absinth Minded is another tune for the black realities of the would-be happy life. I like those words, Blinded by you the great misfurtune. That can happen. Sensor ends the vinyl, also being a wonderful song, and giving Huxflux an opportunity to really smash the drums in an great way. This opportunity is not lost.

I would really wish to see this band on stage, for sake of actual experience, but the preservation of the concerts isn't the same thing than being there. Sadly the group has not yet transported to Finland over the sea, but I'll hope that would happen in the future. I tried to decide should I give the album three or four stars, and I decided to choose three, as good but non-essential describes it perhaps in a best way. For a music listener I would recommend instead the studio albums Kallocain and Silence of Another Kind, and this album I would recommend for the fans of the band, or for those who are more interested in live music over any studio recordings. I just feel that the band succeeds more better in the studio, creating something unique there, unlike on the stage.

The opening track on Paatos’ sophomore album makes the kind of bombastic, stand-up-and-look-you-in- the-eye statement that other 4th generation proggers have used to grab listeners’ attention on otherwise rather understated releases. Mostly Autumn’s “Never the Rainbow” from ‘The Last Bright Light’, Nightwish’s “Wish I Had an Angel” from ‘Once’, the Ayreon tune “Cold Metal” on Ambeon’s only album, Kebnekajse’s “Comanche Spring” and Stream of Passion’s “Out in the Real World” all come to mind when hearing the opening tune “Gasoline” on this album. But like most of those albums (except Nightwish of course), this one takes on a much more subdued tone after the rousing opening.

And that’s okay, because if you were a neo-metal fan you probably wouldn’t be buying this album anyway. The other thing that stands out here is that like the various offshoot projects of Arjen Luccasen, Trent Gardner, Jeff Lynne and Alan Parsons, this album reflects almost totally the character of its producer, in this case Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson. The sonic consistency and digital elaboration on songs like “Absinth Minded”, “Look at Us”, “Reality” and especially “Won't be Coming Back” all bring to mind the overall texture and mood of most of the Porcupine Tree albums I’ve ever heard, even if the music is slightly more poppish and mellow. The band itself hasn’t really changed all that much from their debut album, aside from Wilson’s production tweaks to make them sound a little more dynamic and varied than they really are. This is good if the band takes the experience and uses it to find other ways to expand their sound, but based on their 2006 follow-up ‘Silence of Another Kind’ I’m not convinced that’s going to happen.

There’s been some fuss made about how the band has ‘stretched’ the boundaries of modern prog by combining trip-hop and neo-prog for a unique new sound. Well, they have sort of blended those two sounds; although the trip-hop part is so understated and subtle as to border on laconic at times (check out “Holding On” and the closing “In Time” in particular). But I don’t think even this is completely new, as I’ve heard the same from the Smell of Incense (only better), as well as from Änglagård leader Mattias Olsson’s side project Nanook of the North. But unlike those two acts, these guys seem to still be around, so extra points to them for that.

So despite the sonic blast of the opening “Gasoline”, this is really a pretty laid-back record, although it would definitely make a nice cozy-up soundtrack with your lady some late evening under candlelight, and so far it’s the best and most cohesive work Paatos have managed to put together. It’s still not quite essential, but is easily a three star affair, and will appeal to fans of softer, ambient progressive music. Recommended if you like that sort of thing.

peace