One of the best releases of 2022 so far and what a formidable record this is. The Finnish band's world class trumpeter Verneri Pohjola is on top form and provides a brooding seriousness throughout that is very compelling. Pianist Tuomo Prättälä proves a dramatic foil say on 'Follow the Damn Breadcrumbs' and on a track like 'Aila' which emotionally pushes heightened raw, tragic, dramatic buttons there is an epic majesty to the group playing. Ilmiliekki don't do cliché or fall back on nostalgia. A serious record for serious times certainly, the band are in their prime and this proves to be a new landmark in Ilmiliekki's considerable discography to date that you've just got to hear.
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