Jess and the Ancient Ones: Vertigo

Today on Bands That I Discovered Through Sea of Tranquility: Jess and the Ancient Ones!

I have never heard them (and of them) before, and I’ll admit immediately that I’ve been missing out. Jess and the Ancient Ones’ new album, Vertigo, is a musical statement to be proud of. Drawing inspirations from Deep Purple, this mysterious Finnish collective has managed to put out a record that, if nothing else, is unmistakable for any other band. Fronted by a female lead singer with a powerful voice, Jess and the Ancient Ones reshape 70s rock into their own style, putting even more emphasis on Jess’s soaring vocals and (mostly) dark, moody atmosphere.

Galloping keyboard intro opens “Burning of the Velvet Fires�, which quickly transforms into what resembles a religious chant mixed with hard rock. What an invitation! “World Paranormal� defies expectations again, this time putting an 80s pop mark on the band’s rock sound. Jess’s vocals on this track are swaying and captivating, and Abraham’s piano work is simply immaculate. “World Paranormal� should be a hit! I simply can’t get enough of this song. After a quick stumble named “Talking Board�, the band quickly recovers with “Love Zombi�. Guitars and organs put the listener in a trance with steadily repeating grooves, only to shock the unsuspecting one with an explosive, powerful chorus. “Summer Tripping Man� and “Born to Kill� return to Deep Purple-inspired style, and do so with class.

Unfortunately, the ambitious epic “Strange Earth Illusion� does not quite manage to stick the landing, and quickly starts to drag on. The sublime finally redeems it partially, but the track would benefit tremendously from cutting it to eight or nine minutes.

Despite aforementioned slumps, it’s hard not to recommend this album to anyone craving good old-fashioned hard rock. Vertigo truly lives up to its name, but in a good way - at first, my head couldn’t process how great some of these songs are! One of my favourite releases of 2021 so far.

Track listing:
1. Burning of the Velvet Fires
2. World Paranormal
3. Talking Board
4. Love Zombi
5. Summer Tripping Man
6. Born to Kill
7. What’s on Your Mind
8. Summer Earth Illusion

Added: June 7th 2021
Reviewer: Maciej Slowik
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 746
Language: english

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