TOKI NO KAZE

It's already the third time that I rate a new TSOP album with five stars. But especially this time there's no slightest hesitation, because, in a word, Toki No Kaze is their finest achievement this far. I got this thought even before I had finished my initial listening of the album, and now after several listenings I'm more and more convinced. I am sincerely happy to review this one, hoping also that further reviews will follow. A strong candidate for being THE best prog album of 2019. BTW, don't believe the subgenre: this IS symphonic prog, hands down.

The hard-working trio of bassist Marco Bernard, drummer Kimmo Pörsti and American Steve Unruh (flute, violin, vocals) have again chosen excellent collaborators, some of them familiar from the earlier albums and some of them brand new. I don't know the meaning of the Japanese title, but the booklet accompanying the gorgeous (as always) multi-fold covers makes it very clear what is the inspiration behind the album: the legendary Japanese manga/anime artist Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of the Ghibli studios and the director of many celebrated animation films. Whereas the booklets of the earlier TSOP albums have featured information mostly about the musicians involved, this time we'll miss all that and instead we read of Miyazaki's life and films*, or their plot synopses, to be more precise. So, my only criticism comes for the lack of the musicians' introductions; in order to know the bands they are coming from, I have to google.

The nearly 75-minute album has 12 tracks -- five of them are instrumentals dominating the album's first half --, and they all are either very good or fantastic. The 8-minute opener 'A Tear in the Sunset' is composed by Octavio Stampalia. I'm not deeply fond of the harder-edged, brassy sections, but the piece is impressive in its grand cinematic style, and the delicate sections are very beautiful. 'Fair Play' by David Myers is a lovely little piece for piano, flute and violin. 'Zero' by Alessandro di Benedetti is a symphonic prog instrumental full of dynamics and CAMEL-like mellow beauty. Some superb synth solos here! Benedetti has composed also the fourth, ballad-ish track 'The Never Ending Line' in which Federico Tetti's English lyrics are sung passionately by Daniel Fäldt.

The playing throughout the album is absolutely enjoyable, and since the guests vary from track to track, there's happy variety in the arrangements; for example saxophone is not overused, and the keyboards are suitably diverse, just as they ought to be in classically influenced symphonic prog. Unruh's flute and violin have never sounded better. 'Au Contraire' composed by Oliviero Lacagnina is another grandiose, dynamic instrumental with a vivid arrangement. 'Reality' (9:24) is the second vocal piece, written by vocalist-keyboardist Yuko Tomiyama. I'm glad she sings in Japanese; her innocently clear voice functions excellently alongside the orchestral arrangement. English translation of the lyrics are printed. 'The Bicycle Ride' is composed by Antony Kalugin. Those floating Moog solos are lovely!

A perfect prog album has a balance between grandiosity and more delicate and intimate nuances. And this is a perfect prog album, I daresay. 'Castle Blue Dream' composed by Sergio Chierici features the lyrics and vocals of Steve Unruh. I confess that on earlier TSOP albums I occasionally got slightly fed up of his voice, so the more gratifying it is now to hear him singing better than before, in addition of sharing the album's vocal credits with several talented vocalists. His contribution as a lyricist, vocalist and violinist is strongly present also on 'The Spirits Around Us' composed by Danilo Sesti.

Luca Scherani has composed 'Nausicaa e i Custodi della Vita' which adds Italian on the list of languages heard on this album. Vocalist-lyricist Elisa Montaldo is as pleasant new acquaintance as Yuko Tomiyama. A fantastic vocal prog piece on the mellower end of the R.P.I. spectrum. 'Think Green' is a rather ELP-sounding, organ-dominated instrumental, and the final track featuring Elisa Montaldo is another mellow highlight. I'm simply blown away by the beauty of this fantastic album.

*) The Miyazaki films and the tracks they have inspired are as follows: (1) Castle in the Sky; (3) The Wind Rises; (5) Porco Rosso; (7) Kiki's Delivery Service; (8) Howl's Moving Castle; (9) Princess Mononoke; (10) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind; (11) Ponyo; (12) Spirited Away. If you're keen on anime, that's a nice extra plus for this album.

Here we have the new THE SAMURAI OF PROG album!This is always a major event in prog music and this time we can say again BINGO!Our beloved band managed to realise,possible the best TSOP album to date!It's absolutelly breathtaking from all the points of view!Starting with the amazing and unbelieveble artwork,again provided by the unique ED UNITSKY,and continuing by the wonderful musical message-an epic work of 75 minutes,we can say that we are spoiled again with something sensational and out of the ordinary!Au contraire,how the French are saying,this album is something like a peak in TSOP career!This album is truly magical and it's an invitation for a fantastic musical journey,it's so rich in visual soundscapes and has all the elements to be considered a masterpiece!The care and preoccupation of the band members for the visual effect and impact of the album is obvious!The booklet is sensational and all the digipak presentation of the album is magnificent!But the music itself is a pure ear candy for all good prog music lovers!This album is a culmination of all the talents of it's core members and all the musicians involved in this impressive project,are 200 % at their artistical skills!They deliver at maximum!!All the beauty and majesty of the vintage prog music is here,rich instrumentals and wonderful arrangements,great performances and superbe voices!The perfect balance between the instrumental compositions and the vocal tracks is just perfect!It's absolutely impressive the marvelous combination between the vocal and instrumental tracks,the sensation of unity and cohesion is perfect!What is even more sensational is the feeling thet the band seems to have an andless inspiration and an endless huge potential too,from the creative point of view!They are a body of work and they manage to deliver always excellent music,keeping the high standard of quality at the most elevate level!Without any hesitation,this is a 5 stars album and TSOP are definitelly one of the surest values of the actual vintage prog rock bands of our days!Congratulations and keep up the good work,guys!

"UPDATE INTERESTING NEW PROG"

This is a Finnish prog project that evolved from the collaboration between the Finnish Colossus magazine and the French prog distribution mail-order Musea. Between 2011 and 2019 The Samurai Of Prog released seven albums, this review is about its latest one, entitled Toki No Kaze (2019). Not every track is my cup of tea but Toki No Kaze delivers a lot of captivating and exciting compositions.

My highlights.

A Tear in the Sunset (8:07) : It starts mellow with dreamy flute and piano, then bombastic with exciting Hammond, synthesizers and classical orchestrations by Octavio Stampalìa (Jinetes Negros) and fiery electric guitar runs, blended with trumpet and French horn. It sounds like classical meets rock and prog (ELP). The climate returns to mellow with flute, then gradually more bombastic with fiery guitar and a churchy choir sound, and a brass synthesizer sound like Emerson. In the final part the sound gradually turns from dreamy to bombastic with awesome classical orchestrations, blende with trumpet, it sounds majestic, like the final part of a heroic movie.

Zero (7:40) : First dreamy flute and classical piano, then a catchy beat with a varied synthesizer sound and classical piano, by Alessandro Di Benedetti from Mad Crayon (one of the most overlooked Italian bands), soon joined by propulsive guitar riff and exciting keyboard sound. Then from dreamy with piano to bombastic with spectacular synthesizer work and propulsive guitar riff, and finally a slow rhythm with tender saxophone play, a very alternating and captivating composition.

The Never-Ending Line (4:55) : A beautiful, very mellow piece featuring warm piano and vocals, blended with spacey synthesizers flights.

Au Contraire (5:07) : First a sensational intro with violin and synthesizer (by Oliviero Lacagnina from Latte e Miele), then the music alternates between dreamy, mid-tempo and bombastic, with a very tasteful and varied colouring with instruments: from French horn, Hammond, piano, flute and piano to classical orchestrations, synthesizers and swirling violin, how exciting.

Reality (9:24) : This track features Japanese guest musicians Yuko Tomiyama (piano and vocals) and Alan Kamran Shikoh (on electric guitar). The intro delivers sounds and soft organ, then piano and warm vocals, majestic orchestrations and a sensitive electric guitar solo, this is wonderful and compelling prog. Finally tight drum beats, bass pedals and dreamy vocals, a beautiful conclusion.

The Spirits Around Us (5:59) : First a dreamy violin and piano, then a slow rhythm with moving violin and electric guitar, followed by a catchy beat with vocals, acoustic guitar and mandolin. Halfway bombastic eruption with swirling violin (Eddie Jobson inspired) and powerful electric guitar solo, the song ends with dreamy vocals and piano.

Think Green (6:30) : This is a very dynamic track that that contains fat ELP-like synthesizer runs (by Michele Mutti from La Torre dell'Alchimista) and swirling violin, fuelled by a dynamic rhythm-section, along strong interplay and powerful vocals.

La Magia e la Realtàa (6:20) : Here we can enjoy varied keyboard work from Elisa Montaldo (Il Tempio delle Clessidre), blended with emotional, Japanese vocals (also from Elisa Montaldo!) and wonderful violin, piano, classical guitar and flute, in a dreamy atmosphere. Then a slow rhythm and halfway an accellaration, it sounds bombastic with keyboards, guitar and violin, then Hammond and flute joins, and again wonderful Japanese vocals. Finally a sensitive electric guitar solo with tender piano runs, this is one of the best compositions on this CD!

My rating: 3,5 star.

This review was recently published on the Dutch prog website Background Magazine, in a slightly different version.