LIQUID WOLF

Perhaps to me the least pleasant ingredient, and the one that gives the music its distinctive heavy flavour, is the low-toned and somewhat depressed singing style that underlines dark emotions more than would be necessary. I get no big pleasure out of the heaviest and less complex tracks such as 'Toenails'. What I do enjoy is the way the intrumental sections have more variety, both in dynamics and in instrumentation. For example the opener features elegant marimba, and on 'Pale Rider' there are vibes on the intro. The lively piano heard later on that very dynamic track brings some classical/jazzy nuances.

The longest of the seven tracks is 'Every Mistake' (8:12) that starts delicately with a clock ticking and an acoustic guitar. The excellently produced soundscape features also some mellotron-sounds, and the dynamic growth from mellow, instrumental section (featuring piano) into more intense prog and into the sax/marimba dialogue in the end is very impressive. The six-piece combo features the renowned jazz musician Pepa Päivinen on saxes, flutes and bass-clarinet. On drums is the legendary Sami Kuoppamäki (who rised into fame in Kingston Wall).

'The Utopist' is a rhythmically complex instrumental with gorgeous musicanship, stylistically between RUSH, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and the galaxy-exploding symphonic prog. The album closer 'Spit It Out' starts in a serene and peaceful mood and grows into powerful, instrumentally oriented prog rock with mighty solos and all. Indeed I'm happy to notice that the more closely I listen to this album, the better it comes, or in other words, the more highlights I hear. I strongly recommend this fine album especially to listeners of melancholic [heavy] prog who appreciate cultivated arrangements and high musical competence.

'Lost', the longest track at 9:26, starts calmly featuring vocals, but later on the playing gets much heavier and reminds of bands such as Opeth and Porcupine Tree. The project actually started as Opeth-inspired, "but have expanded from that". To my pleasure the metal / heavy aspect is not constantly present, it is woven together with more ambient and melodic approach. The mood is rather melancholic. The vocals are like a bit warmer version of PT's Steven Wilson. 'Share This Dream' continues in the same vein with sparse vocals. It has cool keyboards here and there. The dynamics and the emotional strength are something to really appreciate, and the addition of moody sax is gorgeous.

This is first class instrumentally oriented, dark progressive rock, perfectly balanced between retro and modernity. The production is very fine, you can hear many delicate nuances. The leader Sami Sarhamaa is a real multi-instrumentalist, handling guitars, bass, drums and keyboards. Teijo Tikkanen also plays all of those except drums. The main drummer is Sami Kuoppamäki. Delicious keyboard playing is also on the hands of Matti Kervinen (who forms together with Sarhamaa and Tikkanen the aforementioned Kataya). To some degree the album is graced with the feel of continuity too. Often I get frustrated and tired of such prog where the calm and more aggressive elements dominate in turns, but here I don't have that problem.

The last three tracks are all between 8 and 9 minutes. There are lots of changes in dynamics, soaring solos for guitar and keyboards, both heaviness and airiness, but in a coherent form where everything serves the whole. Perhaps the best reference is Porcupine Tree (which I like also). This album is warmly recommended!