While Finland isn't exactly a country you would associate with pop music, it is however the supplier of some wonderful artists such as Wigwam, Tasvallan Presidenti and Pekka Pohjola the latter who would later perform alongside Mike Oldfield.
FINNFOREST is an obscure collective that released two albums in the seventies on the now legendary Love Records label: 'Finnforest' (1975) and 'Lahto Matkalle' (1976).
Both of these difficult to obtain albums have now been put onto one shiny silver disc by the superb American label Laser's Edge. Some seventy minutes worth of instrumental beauty midway between Focus, Camel, Finch and the ECM work from Terje Rypdal. There are also some influences there from the Canterbury scene although the band themselves find they have been heavily influenced by the American progressive output.
Opener 'Mika Yo' also has some influences from 'Mirage'-era Camel whilst I sometimes hear some ideas that were reminiscent of the debut of Dutch band Solution. Pekka Tegelman's guitar playing is often close to that of Jan Akkerman whilst the Hammond Spinet gives it a rather dated sound which is so typical for the mid-seventies and again comes close to Peter Bardens. The mix of guitar and keyboards in 'Happea' gives you some instrumental beauty one could find on Focus material as well !
The second Finnforest album was recorded in 1976 and based around the then legendary new keyboard, the ARP Odyssey, which at the time was the state-of-the-art instrument to have ! Musically this album is much more jazzrock oriented than it's predecessor leaving behind the symphonic soundscapes the band created.
In all a wonderful record with soft melodic themes alternated between guitar and keyboards who irrevocably make you think of the gigantic pure Finish forests. The absolute highlight is without any doubt the 20 minute long 'Lahto Matkalle' where the intro is provided by a string ensemble in Jasun Martz vein before it evolves in a sort of progressive jazz. Certainly worth checkin' out if you get the chance !
Fed up with the dilficulties that encompass an 'electric' band, guitarist Pekka Tegelman semi-left the band to concentrate on acoustic guitar. In 1978 he reformed Finnforest and released the album 'Demon Nights'.
