Pacha and Pörsti: Sea Of Mirrors

One of the most prolific progressive rock bands these past few years has to be The Samurai Of Prog. I have reviewed most of their material, including the many side projects, all found on their own Seacrest Oy record label. Perhaps what is most revealing is how these musicians can continually release quality albums year after year. Not only the music but the underlying concepts and artwork as well. These releases exude professionalism, creativity, and recording quality. And of course, the music has always been excellent. In this review we will examine Pacha and Pörsti’s Sea Of Mirrors, the follow up to the 2022 release titled Views From The Inner World (which I have yet to hear).

As per usual the package is lovely with its three-fold digipack and booklet with colourful artwork, each track is represented by a painting, breathing extra life into these ten tracks, both vocal and instrumental, beginning with “Sailor’s Tale�. A gentle acoustic guitar and the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the guitar weaving arpeggios, along with inspired flute work supporting the melody. Varying tempos ensue, as the song morphs into dramatic progressive rock, the music becomes more intense, like a storm over the open sea. All along, the choral wordless vocals from Laura Pörsti are truly inspiring. A meticulously crafted album opener. A mournful folk melody can be heard in the second track “Diving Into Infinity�, ss the recorder and flute aid in the build, the drumming, while subtle, ramps up the intensity leading into some nice guitar and synth work. The band show their adept skill at adjusting the tempo, very smooth and seamless. Pacha’s acoustic guitar stands out in the jaunty instrumental “Tara’s Joy In The Beach� while on the folk-prog of “The Island Of Lotus Eaters�, his electric work is loaded with atmospheric intonations. The title track is another excellent tune highlighted by Marek Arnold’s excellent saxophone playing.

Another fine album from The SoP universe, easily recommended for fans of the band. If you are unfamiliar with these musicians, this would be an excellent choice to begin your listening adventure!

The musicians:
Kimmo Pörsti (drums and percussion, keyboards, bass, acoustic guitar)
Rafael Pacha (electric and acoustic guitar, bass, keyboards, lyre, mandolin, viola da gamba, electric violin, melodica)
Marek Arnold (saxophone)
Alessandro Di Benedetti (piano)
Olli Jaakkola (flute, bass, oboe, saxophone)
Laura Pörsti (vocals)
Paula Pörsti (vocals)
Alejandro Suárez (vocals)
Jan-Olof Strandberg (bass)

Track Listing:
1. Sailor’s Tale (7:08)
2. Diving Into Infinity (6:27)
3. Tara’s Joy In The Beach (4:19)
4. The Island Of Lotus-Eaters (5:24)
5. Charybdis (3:59)
6. Sea Of Mirrors (5:07)
7. Fascination (9:09)
8. Lead, Silver And Gold (5:56)
9. Shipwreck (7:22)
10. House Of The Light (5:31)

Added: June 20th 2024
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist @ Facebook
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Language: english

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