HAIKARA

Reviewing Haikara's albums is always a difficult task because they were such an original group that it's hard to compare them to other bands. I guess Haikara's sound falls somewhere between H To He - era VdGG and early King Crimson IMO. Tasavallan Presidentti must have been an influence too, to a lesser extent. The soundscapes and atmospheres are mostly quite dark, the dominating instrument is definitely Harri Pystynen's sax, while the guitars, flutes and keyboards are mainly on the background creating very strong melodies. Vesa Lehtinen's vocals are strong, and while they are not quite as prominent as Hammill's in VdGG, he surely makes himself heard. He sings in Finnish which might be a slight problem to someone.

Out of the five tracks here, the first one Köyhän Pojan Kerjäys is quite possibly the weirdest. It's an excellent track, but nevertheless a bit out of place here IMO, a rather goofy track with influences from finnish folk music among others. Manala is probably the most compelling piece Haikara ever wrote, a classic in Finnish prog. The ending actually reminds me of Magma in its weirdness. The section where Lehtinen sings "Manala, Manalaan Joukolla Kuolemaan" is a huge climax, at least for me.

It's really amazing to think that this is Haikara's debut, as the music already sounds incredibly mature and "ready", which is hardly typical for a debut. Haikara's best album, and quite frankly one of the best albums ever made in Finland. A true gem in every sense of the word. This album might be a hard one to find, but surely worth the hunt and the money.

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