TOBIAS TAG

Following a couple of years after his brilliant solo EP, "Green Shadow", "Nightspirit" adds back in some of the flutes and whistles which were absent but not needed, but unfortunately that short release's strength is this longer work's weaknesses, for virtually every track has not only the same tempo but even the same meter in the vocal structure. What worked brilliantly in an intense 13 minutes becomes frustratingly samey over 42 minutes. Each song is like more authentic, bleak, and crepuscular BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, without his unnecessary "remember who I am" solos, but the whole is somehow less impactful than any 2 or 3 tracks would be if chosen at random and presented as the complete work. To be clear, every piece is excellent, and I like "Mist of Morning" and, partly for their extended nature and string synth blissfulness, the last 2 tracks best.

After this, Tag went on to do a few symphonic singles and a soundtrack, and may perhaps focus more on these in the future. Recommended to sprinkle in with your favourite playlists but in measured doses, nightspirit willing.

While on the surface "Green Shadow" plays like THOBY LOTH with vocals, the lack of flutes and the wall of crunching heavy guitars and atmospheric keyboard touches keep me from missing the flutes and whistles of his prior band. And speaking of vocals, this guy's voice is absolutely right for what he is trying to do, or perhaps I should say that this EP delivers in large part because of the interaction of his voice and the arrangements. It was always about atmosphere when THOBY LOTH was at their best, and, while that ambience has shifted into an almost metallic folk, it's as critical as ever,

While the opening track is perfection itself, beginning almost as a folk number and rapidly ratcheting up, the title cut and "Desert Palace" are nearly as accomplished, and the similar tempos and angst unfold like an epic in the Swedish speaking part of the Finnish woods that have me running to adjust my internal thermostat. I've searched hard for comparisons and, while this style is hardly unique, I can't find any meaningful similarities, though some of MIREK GIL's solo and group works come to mind, mostly because of the pained vocals.

I don't think I've ever rated an EP 5 stars but I think in this case "Green Shadow's" brevity is just another of its strengths, allowing it to overshadow TAG's still memorable prior works.