TIMO SS II

SYMPHONIC SLAM was a Canadian band based around Finnish composer and instrumentalist Timo LAINE, which issued two full length productions prior to disbanding. "SSII" is their second and last album and was initially released in 1978. This latest reissue comes courtesy of Musea Records, and saw the light of day in 2011.

"SSII" is a curious album that basically consists of material recorded by three different band entities, each with their own particular traits and stylistic expressions, with Laine's vocals the element that gives the original nine features compositions a common identity marker. The symphonic and space rock tinged pieces that cover the initial 20 minutes of this disc are the main reason for investigating this production to my ears, but this is also an interesting disc from a defined historical perspective: an album that documents what the end results often could be when the artists and their labels didn't see eye to eye in regards to creative freedom and stylistic expression.