Oddland
The Treachery of Senses

I don't think progressive music ever have sounded more boring than when Finnish Oddland plays it, but I don't know - I haven't heard all progressive acts yet. However, I really struggle to see how it could be as dreary as this debut album.

Picked up by Century Media after winning the contest Soumi Metal Star they're celebrated by their new label as a free thinking band that the world will see a lot from in the future. now I don't want to be mean or anything but I really hope that they'll continue to progress a little before that happens because this minimalistic and slow, unharmonic mess they call 'The Treachery Of Senses' is not something I'd like to spend my future with. The closest think I can describe it to is a sort of fate related album in grayish tones released in 1997, but that's a pretty good album so how come I'm so negative to this Finns?

To begin with, I really have a hard time with the flow in the music. In typical progressive fashion the flow doesn't really have a clear direction, which in my opinion is fine - nothing wrong with twisting and turning as they go from a scaled down, calm music to something heavy, fast and aggressive thing just like that or the other way around. I can live with that and have awarded plenty of bands doing this, but when Oddland does it it's not made the best way possible, I think. In fact I think it sounds amateurish and bad as they go from calm to heavy or fast to slow and all the other directions they try, because when they do it's not made very stylish but rather as the band doesn't really know what they're doing and just do something they in ignorance instead of having a clear idea of where they're going with whatever they're doing.

The second thing I have a hard time with is the vocals, which in my opinion more sounds like a sort of rhythmic speech rather than singing and I think it sounds like Sakari Oianen is trying to read poetry aloud with the music instead of vocalize his words musically. Oianen also have a quite dull voice without any sort of articulation and I think he would suit better to do the countdown in telephone ques or taking orders in a drive-in at McDonalds than being a vocalist because I can't find a single song where he actually sounds good - not even a verse or chorus, actually.

The third issue I have with this album comes from Dan Swanös production because the sound completely lacks all sort of depth and contrast which makes it almost tragically sterile and emotionless. Like a tin can or something, or like living in an OR - something impossible to feel home in and where everything is just unnatural and feels wrong to be in under normal circumstances.

Finally I have some problems with the songs on 'The Treachery Of Senses' too. It's not just the flow that's boring and bad, somehow the entire songs just feel so pointless all the way from beginning to end. If they have some sort of purpose or importance I'm apparently not getting it. It's not that the songs are stuck in some sort of loop or something, but I don't see the songs getting anywhere than from one OR to the next over and over and perhaps a short trip to the cafeteria and toilet between these visits. the songs just goes from being dull and pointless to another way of being it - different but equally boring.

In other words I think we've found ourself a complete failure. A colossal fiasco. An album that unsuccessful in every possible way… or actually not. And I've seen plenty of reviewers praising this album, but I really can't find anything that I like on this album. Perhaps, or apparently rather, there are those who does so, but I'm sorry… I just can't see what it is they like. Fail!

HHHHHHH