KINGSTON WALL II

Kingston Wall is a Finnish band formed in 1987. They sound a lot like a hard rock band, but they have a lot of prog elements that make it a progressive rock band. "Kingston Wall II" is surprise surprise their second album. It is the most appreciated album amongst fans. It is clearly influenced by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. There are some eastern music influences as well.

This album is really easy to get into. At least for me it clicked right away. The reason for this is probably the rocking first song "We Cannot Move". The song starts with a blast. It's one of the most rocking songs in the album and it features great drumming. Petri Walli is a great guitarist, but what struck me was the incredible drumming thoughout the album. "We Cannot Move" is a good example. The first song is a very good opener in the sense that it gives a good impression of what you are about to hear later in the album. It has the hard rock feel, eastern influences, great drumming and imaginative guitar playing.

Some people might find Petri Walli's singing a bit weird, but it's certainly unique. At first I didn't really care about his voice, but it has slowly grown on me. Even if you don't like his voice the album has a lot of other things going on and I don't think his voice will be a big problem for anyone.

The best thing for me in this album is the drumming. The guy is insane! Really rocking and innovative drumming. Most people will mention Walli's great guitar playing, but to me it's the drummer that stands out. Of course Walli is great too. He does have a lot of great emotional solos and his acoustic guitar work is outstanding.

The album consists of great rocking songs and then some emotional guitar-driven songs. At first the album might not seem all that emotional, but after a few listens you can hear the emotional guitar solos and emotional singing.

Overall one of the best prog records released in Finland. Certainly a great addition to any prog music collection. If you're into rocking prog then there's no better place to go than here. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece though. There are some minor flaws, but they don't make the listening experience any worse.