I can guarantee that there is no other band around at the moment like Finland’s Von Hertzen Brothers. They make the most beautiful and thought provoking music around today, and the word Prog does not do them justice – they are way more than that. They have this knack of creating huge soundscapes within the stories they tell. The band have a rich history in their native Finland. All three brothers were in established bands before they got together in 2000 to form The VHB’s.
The opening title track is 12 minutes of unbelievable awesomeness, which I think is about freedom and the joy it brings, and how futile war is. An incredible song that travels many paths, but the melody remains high and is a driving force throughout the song. What an opening! To The End Of The World has a great heavy choppy riff with an almost fusion feel, but somehow the melody just sits perfectly on top. The Arsonist is a straight up rock song – well as close as the VHB’s get to one anyway. It still has a choppy drum groove and the verse and chorus are fantastic. Jerusalem starts with a very military drum pattern, and again, the melody and hook are just superb and have a very emotive feel. Frozen Butterflies is almost power pop in its delivery, and I just adore the melody and harmony. Superb track. Who Are You closes out the first disc and is a stripped back acoustic piece complete with strings. They are so good at doing this type of song as they have so much feel for the music.
Blindsight is a quite a strange track as it seems to be a mix of a good old rock song with a big riff, and then it has an almost Celtic feel to it. Long Lost Sailor is played at a gallop and has an almost indie vibe – the melody again is just superb. Wanderlust follows and is a bare bones song with what sounds like strings and a guitar, and is quite a fragile sounding song. Side 4 here we come with Beyond The Storm. This was the original last song of the album and it feels like an old lament on returning from conflict. I’ll Make It Up To You and New Terrain are bonus tracks for the vinyl, and you have to wonder how you leave songs as good as this from an album.
The VHB’s are such an amazing band. They deserve to be heard by as many people as possible. I strongly suggest you go out and buy, not just this album, but their entire catalogue, and then you can thank me later.
10/10 from The Grooveman.
