CONFLICTS

No Rough Edges

TAMMATOYS is a Norwegian septet founded in 1999; this is their third release- two EP's preceded this, their first full- length album.

Current members are Kjetil Bergseth - Vocals, acoustic guitars, keyboards; Øystein Utby - Bass; Ragnar Utby - Guitars; Simon Dolmen Bergseth - Guitars; Bjørn David Dolmen - Guitars; and Martin Utby - Drums. Guest: Ørnulv Brun Snortheim - Guitars on "I Will Follow".

Good, Not Great

I wanted to like this album, and symphonic progressive rock is one of my personal sweet spots. "Conflicts" is certainly a timely topic, and from what I could catch of the lyrics (I still don't get why lyrics aren't made readily available to listeners), this album was somewhat conceptual:

War is bad, there are innocent victims, there is insanity, and those who wage war hide behind those they put in harm's way.

At least I THINK that's what I was hearing.

Plenty of Keyboards

Again, one of my personal sweet spots- the growling Hammond organ, synthesizer leads, string sounds, bass pedals, lush walls of sound.

Keyboards were utilized throughout.

Great Rhythm Section

I thought this was a highlight- those solid, commanding drums; that punchy, full bass guitar, and how these two worked together. Definitely a foundation and platform was created, upon which to build the edifices of these tracks.

Tasty, Not Flashy Guitar Work

There were many textures and tones utilized, and melodic leads, violin-effect guitar sounds, chiming chords. A few times, there were some fairly potent power chords. Frankly, I wanted more.

Vocals

One of the weak spots, at least to my ears- adequate, not distinguished, not commanding. Good uses of harmony.

Compositions

Several average length, and several longer tracks- another sweet spot for me, since I enjoy twists and turns, changes in tempo and mood, a chance for a band to stretch out and develop themes.

There were several outstanding, elegiac, classical-tinged symphonic sections- but too few.

So What's The Problem, Dude?

No edge. No fire. Nothing to grip the heart and move the soul or the body. Sometimes the compositions seemed stitched together, as if to say "let's make this a ten minute track, so let's go here," rather than developing a coherent theme that needs time to grow.

I'm not really a fan of sound effects either, and the use of battle sounds, or radio transmissions has been done to death. Perhaps had I had access to lyrics I'd have made more sense of these additions.

So...

For me, this album is 'good, not great', 'safe and stately', and unfortunately, 'no rough edges'- all of which I hope can be added for future albums from TAMMATOYS.

I rate this three safe, stately stars, "Good, but non-essential".

Share this TAMMATOYS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Steve Conrad
• Report this review (#2489496)
• Buy TAMMATOYS music online with PA partners
• Show all TAMMATOYS MP3/Stream
• Go to TAMMATOYS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Conflicts page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for TAMMATOYS related discussions