Last Updated on Sunday, 17 February 2013 08:13
Written by EvaLantsoght
Artist: Sammal
Album: Sammal
Label: Svart Records
Genre: progressive rock
Svart Records brings us another Finnish band that released a self-titled debut in the genre of progressive and psychedelic rock. Sammal by Sammal is however totally different from Seremonia.
Sammal brings bluesy prog rock in the vein of the great rock bands, with a sauce of melancholy that is so typical for bands such as Opeth and Anathema.
The Finnish lyrics add an outerworldly character to the music. While the prog rock of this band feels familiar, the different language and more modern twists here and there make the sound of Sammal quite special.
At its best, Sammal create a delicate atmosphere that invokes the great works of Pink Floyd. At its worst, Sammal sound like they're trying too hard to clench onto the past and sometimes the vocals feel restrained.
The 9-minute long “Esox Lucius” leads the listener into a diverse world with patches of different tastes and sounds, and the track is so captivating that it feels short. The music then flows into the bluesy, Apache-like “Jäniksen Vuoksi”.
A hint of metal appears at the fifth track “Näennäiskäännännäinen”, where the fans of Opeth, Riverside or Porcupine Tree can feast their ears to a successful combination of blues, prog and some distorted sounds.
“Lehtipuiden Alle” starts with an intro that has the same delicate quality as “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond” by Pink Floyd.
The album Sammal gently grooves along while leaving you in a time capsule from the 60s/70s, until the final minutes of the final track “Kylmää usvaa” turn dark and menacing – quite an interesting way to end this album!
In short: Sammal play some of the better progressive rock that has been recently released. At times the spacey soundscapes on Sammal with their bizarrely-sounding Finnish vocals seem to carry the listener to a different world. If you like prog, you can't miss out on Sammal!
Buy Sammal - Sammal 
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