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Released on May 15, 2015 via Svart Records
It’s very easy for jam bands to be undisciplined, to take an idea, riff, or section and vamp on it so much that the end result is nothing like its original form and, therefore, making it extremely difficult to circle back and continue with the piece. With their new album Myrskyvariotus, the Finnish prog-jammers Sammal have found that key ratio of the amount of “jam” to overall song content, and the result is jaw dropping.
With the opening track ‘Stormvarning’, Janu Kiviniemi (vocals, alt. keyboards), Jura Salmi (guitar), Lasse Ilano (bass), Juhani Laine (keyboards, alt. guitar), and Tuomas Karivaara (drums) lay down a solid, driving groove that is retained throughout the album with each individual song offering its own small, yet distinct, detour from the overall piece. From there, the album progresses through eight more tracks in which Sammal display complete mastery and ownership of their work.
The first extended jam section comes in track 2, ‘Järjen ohimarssi’. The restraint shown by the members of Sammal helps bring out the true essence of piece instead of burying it. The instrumental ‘Kohtaus yön vyöllä’ features a short but intense groove that further showcases the bands ability to work together as a whole. Other stand out tracks include the somber ‘Muurahaisen päiväuni’ and oceanic waltz, ‘Sulle haaven tein’.
Sound wise, the album is equally as amazing as the songwriting. The mixing and mastering of Jaime Gomez Arellano (Messenger, Hexharvest, Paradise Lost, Ulver) gives the entire album a raw, vinyl-esque sound. Salmi’s guitar has Josh Homme like dry-fuzz to it and Laine’s keyboards sound like a mix between Ray Manzarek and Mick Schauer. Fans of Clutch should seek this band out immediately. And if you are the type of person that really digs into the lyrical content, be sure to brush up on your Finnish as Kiviniemi sings all the songs in his native language.
Simply put, Myrskyvariotus is a must have. The album was released on May 15th and Sammal have several dates lined up in Finland to support. I can only hope they come to the states sometime soon.
