Whenever I receive a parcel from Finland from Seacrest Oy, I am always curious to listen to the excellent music of the various projects related to this label. This time, the second album by Pacha And Pörsti has arrived, entitled “Sea Of Mirrors,” released on September 15, 2023 and containing 10 medium-length tracks with a fine booklet enriched with delightful paintings. In addition to the two artists, several guests collaborate on the various instruments and vocals on the album, enriching the sound. The sound of sea waves and delicate arpeggios open the album and the first track “Sailor’s Tale.” Dreamy atmospheres permeate the track, enriched by a choral background, and then the track evolves with a solid and elaborate rhythm section and fine guitar and keyboard interlacing. The intensity increases as the song progresses, with a symphonic progressive imprinting and long instrumental textures that the band has taken care of. Tempo changes, symphonic openings with a fine piano insert in the second part that interweaves with the horns, and then a section with a good guitar solo that accompanies us to the finale. Delicate arpeggios with a baroque touch open “Diving into Infinity,” to which is added a warm and very intense female vocal. In the middle part, the rhythm section kicks in and the song evolves into a musical crescendo with fine guitar and keyboard interlacing, resulting in a fresh and modern Progressive Rock with symphonic overtones. The song in its entirety enhances both the band’s compositional and performing technique, with excellent melodies and inert keyboard and guitar solos. “Tara’s Joy in the Beach” blends elements of Prog and a touch of Folk with horns and mandolin. The blend of these two genres is very interesting, creating an intense and engaging sound that combines the different musical backgrounds of the two artists. Acoustic guitar and piano create a delicate melody over which a warm, expressive vocal is inserted in “The Island of Lotus-Eaters.” The intensity remains very high throughout the duration of the song, which in the middle section evolves into a distinctly Progressive instrumental section with guitar and keyboards duetting and the rhythm section enriching itself with continuous tempo changes. In the second part the orchestrations are added and the track flows, interweaving instrumental and vocal parts of absolute value. The shortest track in duration, “Charybdis,” at almost four minutes, is a delicate interweaving of guitar arpeggios and gentle piano notes. In the middle part, a delicate rhythm section enters and the electric guitar offers a solo insert that accompanies us to the finale. The title track “Sea of Mirrors” opens with saxophone melodies and then evolves into a solid Prog track. The sax remains centre stage with an extended solo, accompanying us through the entire track. Between well-constructed tempo changes and very intense passages, the track is very pleasant and with a refined sound, leaving room in the finale for an electric guitar solo. A guitar arpeggio opens “Fascination,” the longest track, exceeding nine minutes in duration. The male vocal is warm and expressive and moulds itself well into the musical context of the track. With the entry of the rhythm section, the band develops solid and elaborate textures, with interesting keyboard inserts and long instrumental plots. A track that has in the tempo changes an added value for the sound, managing to explore all the facets that make up its personal and original style. Between guitar and keyboard solos, intense vocal parts and more choral passages, always in the name of high-quality Progressive. “Lead, Silver and Gold (Song for Cadiz)” is a long instrumental track with sounds that incorporate both elements of Prog with a Spanish touch, as recalled in the title. Precious keyboards intertwine, guitars with positive melodies and an elaborate rhythm section, making the track a very dynamic and enjoyable passage from beginning to end, enhancing all the musical aspects that make it up. An intro with percussion and a very evocative sound characterises “Shipwreck,” before developing into a theme with oriental atmospheres. Arpeggios and horns subsequently give way to a Prog theme with mystical atmospheres, very intense and full of pathos. Guitar and woodwinds intertwine in sophisticated melodies, to which the keyboards are added in the finale, concluding the song in a musical crescendo of exquisite workmanship. The album ends with “House of the Light” divided into three sections, the last two of which are instrumental. A dreamy atmosphere opens the track, with a very warm and expressive female vocalist passionately interpreting the lyrics. This first part is soft and delicate, and then evolves into the two instrumental sections in which the intensity increases with the flow of the notes. This track concludes the album in a musical crescendo with a fine use of orchestrations and guitar and keyboard solos in the finale. This album also confirms that this group of artists is among the best in modern progressive music. Intense, elaborate tracks, where each artist is emphasised and given their rightful place, creating a sound that is always very intense and of high quality. A masterpiece of modern Prog, with a very intense tracklist from beginning to end and with passages of absolute value.
Trackslist
01. Sailor’s Tale (7:08)
02. Diving into Infinity (6:27)
03. Tara’s Joy in the Beach (4:19)
04. The Island of Lotus-Eaters (5:24)
05. Charybdis (3:59)
06. Sea of Mirrors (5:07)
07. Fascination (9:09)
08. Lead, Silver and Gold (Song for Cadiz) (5:56)
09. Shipwreck (7:22)
10. House of the Light (5:31) :
– a) Sailing Scared
– b) Afraid of Drowning
– c) New Path
Lineup
Kimmo Pörsti / Drums & Percussion, Keyboards, Bass, Acoustic Guitar
Rafael Pacha / Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Lyre, Mandolin, Viola Da gamba, Electric Violin, Melodica
With:
Marek Arnold / Saxophone
Alessandro Di Benedetti / Piano
Olli Jaakkola / Flute, Bass Flute, Oboe, Saxophone
Laura Pörsti / Vocals
Paula Pörsti / Vocals
Alejandro Suarez / Vocals
Jan-Olof Strandberg / Bass
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