Matti P
My first ever JMA review was originally written in Finnish in 2017 for the lately deceased Colossus prog site.
This Finnish fusion group was founded over 40 years ago, but in the 70's the activity gradually faded after some gigging and demo recordings. Guitarist and composer Harri Nokso rebuilt the group, and the debut album The Dream of Cecilia was released in 2007. Already then the drummer Kimmo Pörsti (Mist Season, Paidarion, The Samurai of Prog, solo, Pacha/Pörsti) participated in the album's production, and a bit later he joined the line-up together with keyboard player Otso Pakarinen and the bass maestro Jan-Olof Strandberg.
Produced by Pörsti and Pakarinen, this second release is subtitled "Music from the Archives". It contains seven studio pieces stretching just a little over half an hour, plus four high quality live cuts recorded a few years earlier.
The lively instrumental music operates between Mahavishnu-like intensity and a more laid-back melodicism comparable to the Canterbury branch of prog fusion. The sound is meaty and dynamic but never too stuffy. In solistic roles one hears especially electric guitars of Nokso and viola played by the other main composer Jussi-Matti Haavisto. Two of the new compositions were written by Otso Pakarinen, and also on them the band chemistry is kept equal. Music works well and is worth the time for an average Fusion listener. As it is quite often the case with this genre, I'd wish a little wider emotional palette in the compositions.