KINGSTON WALL I

One of Finland's most enduring psychedelic acid rock revivalists surely has to be the Helsinki spawned KINGSTON WALL which never really made an impact outside of its homeland during its seven year existence but has become somewhat of a cult legend since the advent of the internet which has brought posthumous fame and glory to many once occulted acts in the murky shadows of the musical underground. This band was formed as far back as 1987 by vocalist / guitarist Petri Walli and bassist Jukka Jylli with drummer Petteri Ståhl soon joining but while the two original members were firmly committed to their new band project that was originally named Moonshine Makers, they had a hard time keeping the drummer engaged.

After Ståhl jumped ship and a short stint with Timo Joutsimäki, the band would finally find resolution with drummer Sami Kuoppamäki who would play on all three of the band's album before the unfortunate suicide of Petri Walli abruptly ended the band. While supposedly named after a mental hospital in England, KINGSTON WALL started playing live in 1988 and became an immediate hit with its acid rock intensity that mixed its 60s heavy psych nostalgia with a hard rock intensity and a modern psychedelic infusion of trippy sound effects delivered by the guitar. After an extensive touring schedule and a relentless pursuit to find an album label, the band eventually recorded its first self-titled release (later known as KINGSTON WALL I) on its own Trinity label but soon found a new home on the Zero label.

The heaviest and most raw of the band's three albums, this debut featured heavy hitting tracks with energetic guitar riffing, Hendrix inspired soloing and even offered a feisty punkish version of "Fire" that displayed Walli's over-the-top vocal wallop that fits more into the camp of Midwest Emo than it does anything in the world of psychedelic rock. KINGSTON WALL sort of straddled that line between the psychedelic revival scene in the heavier arenas of acid rock but also offered a taste of early indie rock in its DIY garage rock nonchalantness of delivering tight yet raw tracks that eschewed any keyboards or other sampled effects. All the trippy effects are performed on the guitar. The band also added an exotic flair with Middle Eastern musical scales and the Egyptian horn used most prominently on tracks like "And I Hear You Call" and Mushrooms." And with "Tanya" actually slows things down to deliver something that could qualify as Pink Floyd influenced.

While considered a progressive rock band, KINGSTON WALL's debut doesn't feel as such for the most part as it mostly comes off as an above average garage band with lots of youthful pent up angst oozing from its feisty guitar, bass and drum combo assault but the album shifts gears on the closing "Mushrooms" which is basically a suite of eight movements although they are separated into individual tracks and finally delivers what many would call progressive rock. With all lyrics sung in English, KINGSTON WALL's cult appeal isn't surprising as the band's hard driving instrumental approach that mixed Hendrix and Zeppelin along with Floydian space rock moments coupled with the themes of mysticism and concepts from Eastern religions is a rather unique approach considering this band started in the 80s and recorded all its albums in the early 1990s. This last multi-suite track displays all these attributes coming together at the band's finest.

This was really the only hard rockin' album from KINGSTON WALL as the second album simply titled "II" incorporated Walli's newfound interest in tech music and rave electronica and therefore dropped the heavier acid rock abrasiveness for a smoother psychedelic space rock sound. This is an album i can understand the appeal but it's not one that has won me over to a great degree. For some reason heavy psych and acid rock outside the context of the late 60s and early 70s just doesn't resonate with me as it seems more like a period sound than one that can be revived decades later. Likewise Walli's vocal brashness is a bit of a hard pill to swallow but not a total deal breaker especially in the less vocal oriented moments. The album does evoke a unique take on psychedelic rock where it takes on a punkish approach of how the music is delivered. Not a bad album but i wish there were more psychedelic touches that anchored it more in that arena.

3.5 rounded down