NAME STOLEN

Here is a promising Finnish progrock band that has delivered a wonderful, very tasteful progrock album.

1 - Inside the temple : The intro features an ominous climate and a scary voice, then a mellow atmosphere with whispering vocals and bluesy electric guitar.

THIEF: THE STORY

2 - (a) Inside : This piece delivers several shifting moods, from slow to swinging with organ waves, sensitive electric guitar and some fiery saxophone.

3 - (b) Exile : The climate on this track is dark and atmospheric, the fragile electric guitarplay has a bit Mid-Eastern undertone and I hear a kind of bagpipe sound, a very original sound.

4 - (c) Outside : The variety goes on, this is a tasteful and elaborated mid-tempo song featuring warm vocals, bluesy slide-guitar, beautiful piano chords and mellow organ waves. It reminds me of the mid-Dire Straits era when they were blending pop and symphonic.

5 - Dying of light : This one delivers dreamy vocals (evoking Dire Straits) and relaxed guitar play.

6 including CRK-HNV 3.36 : A folky climate with a bagpipe sound.

GIANT STEPS

7 - (a) Consider it done : A wonderful track with twanging electric guitar and a slow rhythm with soaring keyboards and sensitive electric guitar work.

8 - (b) Suspicion : Here Project sounds more dynamic in a mid-tempo song with lush organ and a break delivering a swinging organ solo and propulsive, R&R inspired guitar play.

9 - Severance is futile : This composition contains a dreamy atmosphere featuring compelling guitarwork and moving soli on trumpet and organ.

A SONG FOR THE DESSERT - A SONG FOR THE FALLEN

10 - (a) Requiem of a lonely man : Dreamy climate, melancholical vocals (evoking Frank Borneman from Eloy) and nice work on the saxophone and electric gutiar.

11 - (b) Momentum : This short piece delivers a swinging clavinet, just another fine surprise from this unique Finnish band!

12 - (c) The irrational reports a spectacular loss of apparatus for the ill of substance : An ominous climate and scary voices, then a psychedelic atmosphere featuring strong interplay between organ and drums that reminds me of the epic Pink Floyd composition "Echoes", very compelling and hypnotizing with the use of some sound fragments.

13 - (d) Mementum : This is a reprise from song # 11.

SUNRIDERS

14 - (a) Winds from the past : An ambient track with flute and soaring keyboards, halfway the sound becomes more lush.

15 - (b) The reckoning : This composition features many changing climates and a very tasteful colouring by the guitar and keyboards along melancholical vocals and saxophone.

16 - (c) Heroic expressions, a turttel : The final song starts with soaring keyboards and a wonderful blend of piano and electric guitar. Then a mid-tempo with pleasant work on the electric guitar and saxophone. In the end a tight beat with organ and fine vocals.

THIS IS A VERY ORIGINAL AND TASTEFUL PROGROCK ALBUM THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION!

And I would like to dedicate this review to Jari Litmanen, the legendary Finnish soccer player who won the Champions League and the World Cup for teams with Ajax in 1995, thanks Jari!

Project (today known as PPRY) were formed in early 90's in Riihimäki,Finland and began their live activity before mid-90's.In 2000 the band releases a 8-track demo entitled ''Project:Forest''.In 2002 they finished the recordings of the full-length release ''Project:Name stolen'' with the same line-up,the band has agreed with Mellow Records to release it,but for unknown reasons this would'nt be distributed until 2005.

Project created a really underground and mysterious album consisting of sixteen tightly connected tracks of a haunting atmosphere.The sound is split between heavy organ-driven 70's styled Prog Rock and CAMEL-esque melodic Symphonic Rock with some slower darker parts thrown in in close to the style of bands like ANGLAGARD and ANEKDOTEN.There are also some psychedelic elements to be found.Vocals are also dark yet average both in sung and spoken parts,propably they sound so to keep the whole album going in the same atmosphere.The organ passages of Tuukka Haapala are a highlight,while most of the guitar parts are also interesting.The album flows nice and easy,without though being a masterpiece.

''Project:Name Stolen'' is a very decent album overall,the darkness and melody are very well measured,so the work keeps some good balance,while the retro influences are nicely filtrated.So if bands in the vein of ABIOGENESIS,AREKNAMES or MEN OF LAKE are among your tastes,this effort comes strongly recommended.

"I am not a man but a God / What I am you cannot get / I bring the darkness to your light / Stealing is my powerful right..." These dramatically half-whispered words begin an hour-long album sutitled "An Epic Tale of Crime and Corruption in the Land of Magick and Machinery". In a blindfold test it could be mistaken for a product of a 70's German band rivalling their contemporaries ELOY, GROBSCHNITT, NOVALIS etc. in the field of overblown epic albums soaked in esoteric and mystic flavours. But no. PROJECT, also known as PPRY, is a Finnish act of this Millennium, this being their first album.

The music is psychedelic, spacey and dark-toned. Great deal of it is instrumentally oriented, with that theatrical voice-over here and there, but luckily there are also several more 'normal' vocal songs - featuring pleasant vocal harmonies - to keep the whole in a balance. The retro sound is hazy and mellow in all its gloominess, comparable to e.g. ORNE. Even though the 16 tracks are mostly pretty short, they flow in a seamless manner. The way to divide every other main title into 2-4 parts looks rather self- indulgent, especially with long titles such as 'A Song for the Desert - A Song for the Fallen', (c) 'The Irrational Reports a Spectacular Loss of Apparatus for the Ill Substance'. Phew. By the way that particular 7-minute track gets VERY Floydian, strongly resembling the spooky mid-section of 'Sheep'. I find such allusions only interesting!

This work is shamelessly deriative and perhaps even laughably dead-serious in spirit, but totally charming for those who enjoy dark, psychedelic, PINK FLOYD -influenced, mellow sounding 70's European prog.