TORMIDESOOJAD

I happened to find this album by chance. I was visiting Estonia, and saw this album in a local super market. Apparently it was brand new at the time, and the back cover of the cd promised "45 minutes of Estonian ethno-progressive rock" so I just HAD to buy it instantly.

I don't know anything about their history, but this album is surely a fine one. I can't compare their sound to any other band, they sound so unique. The music sounds like it's influenced very much by Estonian folk music still retaining a modern sound.

Their sound is characterized with Lauri Saatpalu's and Triinu Taul's vocals with some near vintage synth sounds combined with a guitar sound which would not sound out of place on a prog metal album. They sing in Estonian, and it's a beautiful language. Thankfully the lyrics are translated in English in the booklet. The vocal melodies are, without exception, very pretty. I feel that Triinu Taul is very underused though, I would have liked to hear her nice voice more. Now it seems to be in the background a lot of the time. It's a minor thing though as Saatpalu is quite charismatic singer. He hasn't got a broad range, but his voice is very pleasant and mixed quite front.

The other players are good, a solid rhythm section and some guitar and synth solos here and there. I just wish there were more guitar and synth solos though. Judging by the short solos, they can really play, and I can't understand why there's no more soloing and jamming.

The production of the album is great, as is the artwork. The album seems to be very professionally made, and therein lies the problem. They seem to play it safe a bit and it's a very pleasant album with lots of originality which surely makes you feel good, but that's it. No chills, no revelations of any kind, just pleasant feel-good music. That's why I'm giving it 3 stars.