FINNFOREST

The amazing debut album from this group--initially just a trio--of Finnish prog and Jazz-Rock Fusion enthusiasts.

1. "Mikä yö!" (5:27) the extended solo church organ in the beginning of this does not prepare one for the CAMEL-like onslaught of guitars and drums that join in the second minute. A very cool, very prog-centric song that I feel bears little to no commonality to anything going on in the world of Jazz-Rock Fusion. (9.25/10)

2. "Sanaton laulu" (3:51) 30-seconds of BACH-like organ arpeggi precede the joinder drums and, later, Andy Latimer- like guitar. In the third minute there is a total shift into a more guitar-centric motif but then the song comes to an end that feels almost Midlothian Again, Camel is the dominant model for this very well rendered song. (9/10)

3. "Happea" (4:39) using stop-and-go syncopation makes this high-speed song feel like it comes from the world of EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER or TRIUMVIRAT. Guitarist Pekka Tegelman's chosen guitar sound and style here emulate those of Dutch virtuoso JAN AKKERMAN. At the halfway point things slow down for the adoption of a FOCUS-like passage in which the Thijs Van Leer-like organ leads over the solid rock drumming of Jussi Tegelman. This takes to the song's end. A very nice song that mystifies me with its two completely different motifs. (9.125/10) 4. "Koin siipesi" (2:52) now for something more slowed down, spacious, spacey, and PROCOL HARUM-organ like within which Pekka plays an acoustic guitar with the aplomb of JAN AKKERMAN on Focus' gorgeous "Love, Remembered" (from 1973's Focus III). The drum sounds and stylings and wah-wah-ed electric guitar at the end make it different but still very pretty. (8.875/10)

5. "Paikalliset tuulet" (4:17) and off to the races Jussi and Pekka take us. Pekka's machine gun distorted-guitar gushes are met with some trills and frills from Jukka's organ in the second minute before Pekka and Jukka start a section in which two new, over-dubbed tracks duel it out over the continued play of the previous full palette. Then there is a spacey drum solo in the third minute in which Jussi's drums are all processed through a flanger. Pretty cool! (8.875/10)

6. "Aallon vaihto" (4:54) the first song that bears any crossover resemblance to Jazz-Rock Fusion music, this one sounds like a song from one of Larry Coryell's power trios. Jussi Tegelman's drumming skills really show and shine on this one and brother Pekka is a very good bass player! (9/10) 7. "Kunnes" (4:34) tense, dramatic organ, bass, and drums entwine to create a motif that might sound familiar if coming from pretentious Jazz-Rock Fusion artists like The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cervello, Area, or Fermáta (and, later--in the 21st Century--MAD CRAYON). Nice guitar, keys, and drumming. (9/10)

8. "P.S." (1:40) obviously the capture of a nice idea that never got developed into a full-scale song. (4.375/5)

Total Time: 32:15

I can definitely see why some fans extol this album and band high-enough to name their I find no flaws with this album other than the fact that there is a lot of imitation going on. Since the trio has chosen such a high echelon of bands/artists to imitate, and since they've done such a great job "making it their own," I can give them a pass. I applaud their creativity and high standards of musicianship.

A-/4.5 stars; the music on this album is of such a high quality--so well meted out and rendered--that I want to assign a full five star rating, BUT there are still plenty of areas to grow (including band originality/identity), so I'm going to only give four.

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