Svart Records – Out Now.
Svart Records is a Finnish label whose releases I only recently managed to gain access to and, so far, I have been fairly impressed by both the variety and quality of music on offer.
The label’s focus, as one might expect, is placed on Finland’s local scene which is great as it has resulted in many young bands finally finding a promotional platform to present their music to the world. One such band is Seremonia – a 70s sounding, female-fronted quartet whose influences vary from Folk Rock to the likes of Cream, Uriah Heep and early Black Sabbath and whose same-titled debut album is now part of Rock’s rich history.
Even though this quartet is very much attracted to all things fuzzy, dirty and groovy, their alliances lie less with Black Sabbath and Pentagram and more with bands like Cream and Hawkwind, which, in view of all those recent retro releases influenced by the works of Mr. Iommi, is quite a refreshing thing.
The average length of the vast majority of these ten compositions does not exceed the three and a half minute mark, leaving small opportunity for the songs to make a real impact – something that only a couple of songs manage to convincingly achieve.
Having said that, Erno Taipale’s powerful drumming and Ville Pirinen’s spacey keyboard tunes make even the most average and strange of compositions sound fairly pleasing, boosting the album’s much needed evaluation points.
Opening your album with a forty eight second spacey keyboard tune accompanied by a female narrative in Finnish may sound slightly unorthodox but “Seremonia” comes across to me as the right tune to kick-start the proceedings – especially when it fits so well with the slow groovy riffs of the follow-up “Uhrijuhla”.
Traces of Cream can be found in the guitar work of “Rock N’Rollin Maalima” while the whispering female vocals on “Huutava Taivas, Kuiskaava Maa” and the Hawkwind-influenced keyboard tunes of “Aamuruskon Kaupunki” offer a more atmospheric dimension.
The second half of the album is filled with very short tunes, such as “Kosmien Ruumisvaunu”, “Lusiferin Kaarmeet” and “Antikristus 666” which, though enjoyable to listen to, are sadly not fulfilling their true potential, leaving the Sabbath-meets-Uriah Heep closing track “Hautakiven Varjossa” to portray Seremonia as a band with a much promising future – providing, of course, that the band and its label choose the right strategy for them.
Seremonia are a young band that still has a lot to learn. Still, “Seremonia” is a decent debut album that should appeal to those of you with a soft spot for fuzzy riffs and 70s groovy melodies, as long as the use of Finnish in the band’s lyrics is not something that you find difficult to accept. Now that the first step has been made, what is left to see is what the band’s next move will be – something I am curious about – best of luck to the band!
John Stefanis
Rating: *** (3.0/5.0)
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
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