LOVE REMAINS THE SAME

Though steeped in some classic rock themes and sounds, the Von Hertzen Brothers have melded a collection of heavily layered and complex yet highly melodic songs in an album which feel fresh, original and which has an amazingly consistent quality. I consider this album a modern masterpiece.

It has taken me a long time to get to know this album because of the myriad layers and intricacies of each song--but it has been a 'labor' of love doing so. The numerous catchy hooks, fine production and truly clever and creative songwriting and performance will keep you coming back to this album--for years.

If there is an artist I would compare this album to it'd be DEVIN TOWNSEND. If you took away the constant tongue-in-cheek lyrics and story telling and the overwhelmingly loud, sound-crushing 'metal' quality to Devin's songs, you'd have the sophisticated music and melodic mastery of the Von Hertzen Brothers.

1. Bring Out the Sun (So Alive) (9/10) is a nearly-instrumental (there is the song's title being sung as a chorus for the last third of the song) which opens sounding like some Green Linnet artists playing "Scarborough Faire." A slow folk melody is gradually, slowly, joined by a building wall of support instruments--like one of MIKE OLDFIELD's epic insturmentals--setting up the first appearance of the gorgeously harmonized chorus ("Bring out the sun, to shine on everybody...). At 4:55 vocals disappear and the song switches to a kind of Jethro Tull/Strawbs feel (acoustic guitar strumming) faster and faster with a synth floating chaotically over top until, finally, the full rock band joins in to help support the chorus' melody line. Around 6:45 the vocals rejoin and then there is a brief rockin' part that helps the song transition into a WHO-like vocal section at 8:00. The final minute returns to the choral with big sounds all around. What a ride!

2. Spanish 411 (9/10) opens with a kind of ethereal 'Egyptian rock' feel to it until the vocal enters at the 0:45 mark. The vocal somehow reminds me of Tim Smith, Elvis Costello, and Ken Hensley all wrapped up into one. At 3:00 enters a Spanish-sounding trumpet; 3:45 guitar and synth melodies play off one another (very cool section!) At 4:30 chorus leads into a very NEKTAR-like section. 5:35 back to tight vocal section.

3. Freedom Fighter (8/10) starts with several layers of attention-grabbing activity. This song has much more of a straight-forward rock feel to it BUT it is so heavily layered--there is so much going on, so many subtleties! Again, some very strong NEKTAR similarities.

4. Somewhere in the Middle (9/10) opens with again layers of multiple sonic "hooks"--melodies which then all fade away to be replaced by a synth 'silence' à la Richard Wright/Pink Floyd. Guitar plays a bluesy soloover many layers of soft subtleties for over a minute before a delicate vocal over piano takes over at 2:20. By 3:00 the song has become a 'stadium rocker' in the vien of STYX, TOTO, REO SPEEDWAGON. Very catchy melodies. At 5:22 twin guitars battle it out à la THIN LIZZY. 5:50 introduces a killer melody line on piano with vocals and guitar activities embellishing awesomely! Great tune!

5. In the End (8/10) opens with a spacey SOUIXIE & THE BANSHEES feel before straightforward vocal with piano rock support takes over. SQUEEZE & 10CC come to mind here. "In the end..." chorus arrives and is much more rocking--and is followed by "Free Bird" guitars. At 2:42 it switches to Hendrix guitars and vocal harmonies again like 10CC or Godley & Creme. Such an odd song! It never seems to be sure where it's going and contains nods to so many classic songs and artists. Not my favorite song here, but an amazingly constructed hodge-podge that works! 5:40 sees a devolution to almost classical piano sonata! which then turns out to be the intro to:

6. Faded Photographs (7/10) is a very straight forward rocker in the vein of URIAH HEEP.

7. Silver Lover (8/10) has a bit of a 'South of the Border'/Mexican/XTC feel to it. The vocal arrives at 0:38 with a familiarity reminiscent of THE MARS VOLTA, THE MOODY BLUES, ERIC CLAPTON, GEORGE HARRISON, and ANDY PARTRIDGE/XTC! In the end it is the XTC feel that wins out over the The Mars Volta. 8. I Came for You (9/10) has quite a bit of a DEVIN TOWNSEND fell to it. Happily, it never really mounts the deafening mind-numbing walls of sound that Devin does (and which I so dislike in his music); the Von Hertzen Brothers restrain themselves admirably. At 3:15 begins a very pretty piano and vocal section--again, very Devin-like (using an incredibly familiar Devin-like melody). Support instruments begin joining in and building momentum as it repeats--almost church-/worship-like. This is the best Devin Townsend song that Devin could never do! (Unless he were nearly unplugged).

9. The Willing Victim (9/10) starts with a Middle Eastern sound. A second guitar joins at 1:00 and then violin at 1:37. A very delicate, beautiful vocal starts at 2:05. As it develops I am transported to ANATHEMA's We're Here Because We're Here album (even though Love Remains the Same came out a couple years before WHBWH) with some sensitive, plaintive vocals and familiar melodies. The shift at 3:05 deepens that Anathema feel. 4:05 enters a synth "horn" solo à la Pink Floyd and Genesis. 6:10 shifts into Devin Townsend territory--more power and with very Devin-ish melody--like the previous song. It builds to a very theatric climax--with guitars soloing--from 7:05 through 7:50. Incredible! The Von Hertzen Brothers' "Comfortably Numb"!

Again, this is an album of incredibly well-crafted, multiply-layered, quirky, melodic songs. There are very few songwriters crafting together songs of this calibur--now or ever.

A true love of mine?

Two years after the release of their breakthrough album, in Finland at least, the Von Hertzen Brothers repeated their enormous success in that country with this their third studio album. The drum stool this time is occupied by Sami Kuoppamäki, the line up being further augmented by the arrival of keyboards player Juha Kuoppala.

The album sees the band consolidating the vast strides made between albums one and two, with many of the tracks once again being developed beyond their core pop rock structures to become prog style compositions running between 6 and 10 minutes.

Things begin rather deceptively with the almost imperceptible melody of "Scarborough fair" offering a decidedly folk tinge. As synthesisers gracefully pick up the tune, the more familiar harmonies of the Brothers Von Hertzen gently transport us towards their true vocation. At almost 11 minutes, "Bring out the sun (so alive)" is a superbly ambitious opening statement. Swishing Hammond organ sounds and floating synths adorn an ever ascending anthem which moves from the soft folk of the intro to a full blown metallic blast.

"Spanish 411" has a slightly retro feel, the frantic tempo supporting a complex arrangement which includes bullfighting horns. "Freedom fighter" is the first of three singles taken from the album. While the commercial aspects of the song are apparent, for me it is a weaker point on the album. "Somewhere in the middle" returns us to a more interesting arrangement, the piano and lead guitar intro leading to another majestic anthem.

"In the end" was also selected as a single. The song has similarities with the album tracks of Aha (an under appreciated Norwegian band, chastised for their singles success). The vocal performance here is particularly strong. The last of the singles on this album is "Faded photographs". While featuring a strong hook, the arrangement of the song is probably a bit too complex to succeed as a single, yet too pop orientated to appeal to prog fans. "Silver lover" has the sound of single B side; it has the familiar tenets of the better Von Hertzen brothers songs, but this time they do not pull together well.

"I Came For You" is a comparatively downbeat affair where the emphasis moves to an emotional delivery of a romantic eulogy. As the track builds through a repeating refrain, the harmonic singing becomes increasingly chorale. The closing "The willing victim" has similarities with the opening song, as both run to around 9 minutes, and both open with a soft acoustic passage. Here though the track remains subdued until it bursts forward with a refrain of the album title and a magnificent guitar crescendo. A delightful end to the album.

"Love remains the same" may be a bit of a daft title for an album such as this, but the quality of the music is undeniable. Here, the Von Hertzen brothers consolidate the progress made on their "Approach" album, while displaying an ever increasing willingness to realise the full potential of their compositions. "Love remains the same" sits on the edges or prog, leaning distinctly towards the commercial. It does so though from a position of being among the best in that field.

Just when you think you have heard it all before! Stupid ignorant me! To think that some people have the nerve to get bored with prog, not realizing that no other form of contemporary music contains as many sub-genres, damning those incompetent idiot naysayers who foolishly believe that prog is just early Genesis revisited! Shame on you! The Von Hertzen Brothers came as quite a shock for me, I was inspired by the positive reviews and I took the blind plunge, expecting something good but not necessarily great, I mean Deep Purple, Zeppelin and AC/DC as influences do not necessarily bode well for the sympho-proggist that I am. It took me a few run throughs before I could really get into their rather unique sound but I do like courage and audacity, traits that seem so distant in our cellophane cell phone world.

These taciturn Finns certainly take no prisoners, playing a highly melodic, fast-paced, bruising style of prog that has all kinds of hues and colors. There is not much like them out there that's for sure. First area of note are the eccentric harmonies as well as some powerful lead vocalisms that saturated the eclectic grooves. Secondly, the hard-prog attitude shown by the hard/fast guitars, slithering organ and synths and bruising drums (Mikko Kaakkurinniemi is a monster!). Tracks such as "Freedom Fighter" and "Spanish 411" are perfect examples of this edgy strain. They can also opt for the grandiloquent and the flamboyant as on the brilliant opener "Bring Out the Sun (So Alive)", the opulent "Somewhere in the Middle" or the epic closer "The Willing Victim". Then you have some ditties that are pop-rock gems that evoke various aromas (I like that Aha analogy by our Easy Livin'!), with the full understanding that North American radio will never pick these up. Songs like "In the End" and "Faded Photographs" have that smudge of weirdness that spooks the saccharine ear-candied horde who like to sing along to their draft beer and embrace their acne-ridden girlfriends (oh, be nice, Thomas!). "Silver Lover" has those Zeppelin tinges straight out of Houses of the Holy (the fleet guitar rhythms par exemple), and it's quite a pleasant ride without being derivative. The final 2 tracks are really splendid, "I Came For You" is by far my fave piece, at times similar to Sylvan in its poignant vocal delivery and rather quirky backdrop. Strong contrasts between the mellow and the harsh, fueled by some stupendous vocals ending in a magnificent heavenly chorale that is sheer aural bliss. As stated earlier, the finale is another treasure; "The Willing Victim" is a symphonic slow builder with delicate acoustic guitar and pastoral setting of impeccable pedigree, as per the fluid synthesizer solo that graces the mid-section, a composition full of unbridled passion and barely containable restraint, settled by a colossal explosive lead vocal hurl. Wow! And when the lead guitar blows through, you just know that feeling is there once again. This is precious stuff!

I probably will require some further spins before I can truly be the good unbiased judge that I am (and modest too!) but it must be said that this is neither symphonic, neo nor space. Rather a rock band that are not being dictated to by some corporate pirate and do their own thing. Bravo to you, heart brothers! I need to get used to the harder tracks and digest them properly before bestowing any higher marks.

4 suomi wrestlers

I've heard about this band for a couple of years now but to be honest I never had the desire to check them out mainly because of how commercial they supposedly sounded, and also I kept seeing QUEEN mentioned as a reference. Also females apparently often made up the majority of their audience. And yes they are superstars in their home country of Finland. As I combined all these thoughts I just didn't think i'd like the music. Yes I have egg all over my face as I write this (haha). It took a few listens but man did I get sucked into the VON HERTZEN BROTHERS vortex. How do they do that ? MUSE I think is a good reference along with KINGSTON WALL.

"Bring Out The Sun (So Alive)" is the longest track at almost 11 minutes and by far my favourite.The intro is mournful and it goes on and on for almost 4 minutes. It does start to build after 2 minutes and vocals come in just before 4 minutes. A change 5 minutes in as we get silence then synths and strummed guitar. It kicks in at 6 minutes. Hell yeah it does. Some killer organ here and the vocals follow. So emotional. Kicking ass a minute later. Incredible track. "Spanish 411" is guitar and synth led as the organ joins in. Vocals before a minute. Killer stuff. The guitar is lighting it up before 4 minutes. "Freedom Fighter" hits the ground running with lots of piano too. Synths come in just before a minute with vocals. Damn this is so uplifting, then it turns intense once again.

"Somewhere In The Middle" calms down just before a minute with guitar and atmosphere. Reserved vocals and piano before 2 1/2 minutes then it kicks in again. There's a Brian May reference 5 1/2 minutes in. "In The End" is one I enjoy a lot. It kicks in fuller around 2 minutes with a great sounding instrumental section with prominant guitar leading the way. "Faded Photographs" is such a passionate song. "Silver Lover" opens with some cool sounding guitar that reminds me of THE TEA PARTY. Yes there is an Eastern vibe to this one. "I Came For You" has some good contrasts between the laid back and more intense passages. Great section before 3 1/2 minutes with vocals and piano. "The Willing Victim" has a beautiful instrumental intro and we get some violin after 1 1/2 minutes. Reserved vocals follow. It's maybe a little too ballad-like 3 1/2 minutes in when the vocals get more passionate. It's building 6 1/2 minutes in and guitar comes to the fore late. Nice.

So yeah I have to reluctantly give up 4 stars for this one despite my earlier reservations. I'm so glad I checked them out.

I find that, on this album, when the Von Hertzen Brothers strive toward traditional progressive rock, the result isn't nearly as satisfying as the band's catchier, less complicated rock music. The simpler tunes are just excellent. The more "progressive" songs tend to have a lack of flow. That said, there is plenty to enjoy here, especially for Heavy and Neo-Prog and fans. Standout tracks for me are "Somewhere in the Middle," "Silver Lover," and "I Came for You."

"Bring Out the Sun (So Alive)" Light, swirling tones wash over the listener in the beginning of the album before beautiful harmonies take over- an excellent build, but unfortunately anticlimactic. Midway through, a quiet synthesizer lead emerges. Intense rock with generally light vocals pummels the listener.

"Spanish 411" As the name implies, this Spanish-flavored song has rapid verses with hushed harmonies underneath. The electric guitar chunks out the strident chords. The music behind the trumpet sounds just like a segment from Yes' "The Remembering (High the Memory)."

"Freedom Fighter" There's far too much going on here, with jarring guitar riffs, an overabundance of drum fills, and shrill vocals. It becomes increasingly painful toward the end.

"Somewhere in the Middle" A gritty guitar performance over soft bass and keyboards kicks off a soft passage on the album. The vocals are initially sung over quiet piano before the rest of the band enters. The melody is excellent and soars, reminiscent in content and tone of The Flower Kings; it is a very nice progressive pop rock tune.

"In the End" This is a decent moderate rocker with good electric guitar riffs and a catchy hook.

"Faded Photographs" I'm rather reminded of It Bites with this one. The vocals are gritty but melodic, and the instrumentation is appropriate, complementing the singing.

"Silver Lover" Moving in a more acoustic direction, this is a happier tune with exotic traces. It feels like "Reason to Be" by Kansas. It picks up and adopts a very different, heavier feel.

"I Came for You" This song possesses a quiet, Porcupine Tree-like middle passage. The repeated line "Are you ready now?" is evocative and perfect for the piece.

"The Willing Victim" The gentlest song on the album was saved for last, it seems. The vocals remain soft and airy, as does the music. The final three minutes bursts into an arena rock "power ballad," complete with the obligatory screaming guitar solo.

This is what crossover prog should be; this is the sort of album against which all other crossover albums should be compared. This is music without pretension, music that is content to forgo lengthy technical sections or extended instrumental show-offs in favor of irreplaceable composition. Every song is incredibly melodic, with infinitely sing-able choruses and vocal lines that will give you chills. This certainly isn't particularly difficult or challenging music, but it's darn good, and some of the most listenable stuff I've heard in a long time.

"Bring Out the Sun (So Alive)" begins the album with a slow buildup. A slow repeated melody that's repeated over and over, being added onto by various instruments until vocals enter and the track takes on a spacey, laid back feel aided by psychedelic keyboard parts and great vocal harmonies. At about 5 minutes in the track abruptly changes tone, taking on a much more up-tempo feel and launching into a scorching organ solo that helps introduce a new main melody. Despite the fact that more or less the same melody is used throughout the track it never feels repetitive, which is due largely to the strength of the melodies used and the brilliant pacing. Small changes are made in the music throughout to give the song a sense of drama and it works brilliantly, with the result being that "Bring Out the Sun" comes off sounding like a bona fide prog epic despite its generally homogeneous composition.

"Spanish 411," as its title might suggest, has a bit of a Spanish folk music flair to it, though it's also quite a rocker. The vocal melodies are again spectacular, as are the use of harmonies, and there's some rather understated but still very effective horn playing that eventually increases in its intensity as the track goes on. This all results in a kind of prog-rock mariachi sound that culminates in a great reprise of the vocal melody. A stellar track and some of the catchiest prog music I've ever heard.

"Freedom Fighter" is another highlight of the album. Beginning with a punchy, syncopated guitar part, the track quickly develops into a driving, upbeat little song that's as charming as it is easy to sing along with. Excellent interplay between keyboards, guitars and strings really helps to bring out the melodies as well, ensuring that this song is one that will likely get stuck in your head. How much prog can you say that about? Add to this the fact that every note in the song hits like a train despite its catchiness and you've got all the makings of a pop-prog classic.

"Somewhere In The Middle" takes the tempo down a little bit, trading in driving guitars and cheery horns for a melancholy introductory verse backed by tender piano. Once the song gets to about the three minute mark, however, the grandeur of the previous 3 tracks returns, with vocals soaring towards the heavens and spot-on perfect interaction between guitar, percussion and piano. Again, the vocal harmonies cannot be overlooked, with multiple voices blending together to transform great melodies into holistically great sung parts.

"In The End" opts for a slightly darker sound, with some spookily atmospheric keyboard parts faintly lurking behind a guitar and piano part that wouldn't sound out of place in a neo-noir film. The vocals in this section are suited to the music perfectly, with a proper degree of restraint and mystery; however, the real high point of the song is the chorus. Guitars crash in and the already spot-on singing ascends to new heights, with incredibly passionate and raw delivery. Following this is a bit of an interlude section, with a slower tempo and lower, more restrained vocal harmonies that eventually build back up to reprise the chorus. It's an incredibly effective compositional technique, so much so, in fact, that by the final chorus there's a strong urge to simply stand up and belt along with the singer. The end of the track returns to the slinkier, darker motif for a brief moment before a brief but very good keyboard duet closes out the song and leads into the next.

"Faded Photograph" begins with a brief instrumental section that can only be described as triumphant. While the track overall is essentially a simple verse-chorus number, the fantastic instrumental interplay, wonderful melodies and stellar vocals ensure that the song is the farthest thing from ordinary.

"Silver Lover" begins with a wonderfully carefree strummed guitar part that's quickly elaborated on by percussion, keyboards and even some faint wordless vocals. The song on the whole is far more stripped down than some of the other more symphonic numbers, relying primarily on fairly simple instrumental parts and the charm of the vocals to keep the track going. There is, however, a gorgeously spare instrumental section in the middle that proves the old idiom that "less is more." The end of the track does crank up the orchestration quite a bit, but the pacing of the track is brilliant and the extra arrangement never sounds busy or forced.

"I Came For You" again starts off subdued, with an almost martial percussion beat and a low, almost sinister vocal part. This more restrained approach, however, is juxtaposed against some brief guitar parts that offer sledgehammer chords. The contrast is brilliant and helps to emphasize the heaviness when it is used. Midway through the track switches gears and introduces a repeating motif that is elaborated and built upon for the rest of the song, much in the same way that "Bring Out the Sun" was structured. The effect is much the same, as well, despite this latter section's repetition it's incredibly powerful, with multiple voices and a large variety of instruments having joined by the time the song draws to its close.

"The Willing Victim" begins much the same way the album did, with a softly repeated instrumental motif that is built on until vocals enter. When vocals do enter, they're high and ethereal, effortlessly serving as the center of the track without needing to overpower the instruments behind them. The introduction of strings confers upon the track a sense of cinematic finality, and after a brief instrumental break that features an excellently dramatic synth solo, the vocals re-emerge stronger than ever. There's another brief vocal section, and then the track drops down to nothing, briefly leaving the listener to wonder whether the album has ended on an early anti-climax. Fortunately, this is not the case, as the final three minutes of this album contain some of the finest music I've ever heard. Very faintly, guitar and vocals re-appear before building to a stunning climax that features typically soaring vocals, wailing guitars, and of course all manner of other instruments. It's a breathtaking climax to an album that comes as close to perfection as music is capable of coming.

Thus, if you are looking for a pop-prog fix, look no further. This is one of those albums where every song seems better than the last and where my favorite song is the one that happens to be playing. A stellar example of songcraft and proof that music doesn't need to be mind- bendingly complex to be good. As I said, as far as crossover prog goes, this is the standard for the genre to live up to.

5/5

This is a terrific album! This crossover prog band has a great melodic style. They don't try to overdo it on technicality or speed. They write beautiful music that arouses the emotions and lifts the spirits. Amazing, soaring melodies are the key here. The band even plays around with some Spanish sounds here, too.

This album is great from start to finish. "Spanish 411" and "Faded Photographs" are both fantastic songs, but the unequivocally best song on this album is "The Willing Victim". This song is simply stunning in every way. The structure is superb and the vocals are breath- taking!! It takes you and allows you to soar on the crest of the melody. This would have been a 5-star album for sure had the rest of the album been as fantastic. As it is, it is a strong 4-star album. Highly recommended!

Accessible melodic rock prog outfits who draw heavily on Pink Floyd are thick on the ground and often leave me cold, but on Love Remains the Same, their third album, Von Hertzen Brothers overcome my usual scepticism about this style thanks mainly to the fact that they don't just regurgitate the same tired old Floydian motifs (echoed telephone vocals, etc.) but actually seem to have some appreciation of the old masters' compositional style, as well as some intriguingly cryptic subject matter to apply it to rather than the usual tired old moaning about modern life. The end result is an engaging and entertaining album which deserves your attention.