Customer Reviews

I

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Usually if a band's catalogue is essentially interchangable it's a bad thing, indicating a dead horse being soundly beaten; not this time. Finland's Kingston Wall were an outstanding power-trio who made camp in musical territory where eastern mysticism, trippy psychedelia and heavy-guitar workouts all converged, and they mapped out this region masterfully. The very first track of this first record, "With My Mind", sets the tone for the entire Kingston Wall catalogue - an anthemic pop structure overflowing with scorching guitar, suffused with a swirling, blissed-out vibe. Guitarist/vocalist/chief visionary Pete Walli leads a flawless rhythm section through a 60-minute CD so chock-full of everything that is meant by the term 'heavy progressive' that it's amazing Kingston Wall is still an unknown entity to so many. After an equally amazing second album (KINSTON WALL II), Walli sadly committed suicide shortly after the band's third cd, TRI-LOGY, a much darker and druggier effort than these first two (though still a knockout, must-have recording). Like the death of Kevin Gilbert, Walli's death is a greater loss to music than the general public will ever realize. Listen to any or all of these great albums and you'll understand why. And here's to you, Pete.

...in stead of flying to the top of the world. If those guys would have been "discovered" in the USA. in the UK or maybe even if it would have been in Germany or the Netherlands, the world would have got to know them, they would have been big and the death of bandleader P.Walli would have been as big a news as for example the one of Kurt Cobain. Their first CD is still a little raw (if compared to "II"), ROCK!, "retro"?, YES! and what a sound it is! Since the Experience never a trio has had such a dense sound as this! Fabulous! Great Music, great lyrics (in spite of one or two minor English mistakes) and a powerful production with a great sound!

Well, what can I say. Truly a masterpiece that starts up the Kingston Wall trilogy with a lot of speed,stamina and determination and on top of it all has an UNIQUE sound - Kingston Wall rides its flying carpet in some Hendrix/Pink Floyd/Zeppelin/psych/prog/hard rock combination soundscape with influences from the middle east and India. Beautiful tracks, just to name a few: "With My Mind", the first song is what begins it all and sort of reminds of those good old british prog/hard rock bands at their best, a great cover version (with amazing drumwork) of "Fire" (a Jimi Hendrix song), the mindblazing combination of "Waste Of Time" and "Nepal" and on the top of it all, "Mushrooms", a 21 minute long journey into the mind, a psychedelic symphony that is so utterly perfect that you just don't get bored with it. ever.