The insistent, almost incessant urgency of the opening riff to “The Relapse” means only one thing.
Never mind what else you’ve returned to; in this case, it means Von Hertzen Brothers are back.
They are one of those bands, the Finns, that don’t do things like anyone else—witness the sax solo right in the middle of this. More than that, though, they are a band that once you’ve heard, chances are you’ll love.
That’s been the case for MV for well over a decade, but for “In Murmuration,” they’ve really opened the toolbox.
From the glee and almost rock ‘n’ roll of the opener to its follow-up, the cinematic “A Good Life” has echoes of Polish maestros Riverside and sees Mikko Von Hertzen musing that we’re all looking for “a haven from hate and war.” It feels like they’re chucking everything in here.
Sami Kuoppamäki (best known for being in Apocalyptica) is on drums, and he is on the brilliantly disorientating “Starlings”—which flies high, and the euphoria that so characterises the early songs here is never better shown than on “Ascension Day’l.” There was something of an irony in it being so glad to be alive when I first heard it on a rainy Birmingham Monday morning rush hour, but it is glorious.
Completing the lineup for this album is Markus Pajakkala, and the multi-instrumentalist is to the fore on the gentle “Beneath The Silver Stars.” It finds them reflecting on life after a tour and the comedown—and if no review of a VHB album would be complete without mentioning the gorgeous harmonies of the brothers, then we might as well add it here.
If they are one of the hardest to pin down to any musical stereotype at the best of times, then that’s especially the case here.
“Tightrope Walker” has a stomping, near glam rock flavour, the very next one, “The Change,” veers from a folk-style opening to something altogether more expansive, reflecting, perhaps, the emotional journey it appears to illuminate.
Jonne Von Hertzen’s vocals are particularly evocative on the beautiful “Separation,” and the drums of “Snowstorm”—not to mention its power chords—are Def Leppard levels of enormous. All in a day’s work, probably for arguably the most innovative band around.
It’s noticeable, too, that however much goes on in these albums—and my goodness, there’s a lot—VHB are never verbose.
Instead, they keep things trimmed. The ten songs here are just over 45 minutes, and that’s only because of the achingly superb “Wait For Me” being a lengthy closer.
It is the case that Von Hertzen Brothers don’t make bad albums. They’re a wonderful group. It’s also the case that they’re a reviewer’s nightmare because they don’t lend themselves to the clichés we all love to write in, but even allowing for that, this is a cracker.
“In Murmuration” then, so good you’ll want to shout about it.
Rating: 9/10
REVIEW: VON HERTZEN BROTHERS – IN MURMURATION (2024)
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