After a long while
, the fascinating works of the progressive-folk band Pantokrator is finally available on compact disc. The release, Jäi servi seisma... {Standing on the Edge...} is a compilation of much of their material recorded back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, featuring all but one of the songs from their old LP, I, released almost ten years ago.The material
is excellently re-mastered and stands out among all the recently re-released material in that respect. The packaging is also quite cute, with a nice cover that seems like a cross between The Flintstones and the cover of the last Rush release Test for Echo. The only thing odd seems that the credits given to songs for authors differ from what was printed in that LP release...The first song
on the CD is "Aas" from the LP, which begins with an example of the vocal skills and uniqueness of Lauri Saatpalu -- probably the most celebrated folk singer in the country right now. The song itself is a cool little pop-prog bit, with some cool guitars in the background. It's almost like a cross between contemporary Peter Gabriel and Rabin-era Yes, but purely uniquely Pantokrator. A fun song, perfect opening to the CD. The drumming of Raul Puusepp is excellent, while the guitar solo of Andres Moro is also quite cool.This is
followed by "Tuba tuules," which is not from the LP though always one of their best unreleased songs. A cool soft opening laced with fitting harmonics, easing into the vocal parts. Saatpalu is at his bass-tone best in this folky song, working the song to its eventual crescendo. Priit Karm does an excellent job on the drumming, very much in that ethnic-folk rock vein.The LP opener
"Pastoraal" follows with a folky yodelling opening, a cool little song. Saatpalu shows off his voice as a lead instrument throughout the piece, demonstrating how good technically he is and how good spiritually he is as a singer. The band pulls off a cool but deceptive style change near the end of the song that is really cool if you catch it -- though the "tribal" ending is a bit odd -- another common feature of the band. This is followed by another unreleased song, "Puhastuslaul." It's a strange one, with a rock beat and very dark and growling vocals. The guitar solo by Kalle Vilpuu is excellent especially alongside the violin of Tõnu Raadik -- cool duelling segment. Weird but cool one."Tuul"
follows, one of the LP tracks. It's another cool little song, a little of that Gabriel feel again. Though it may sound monotonous for a bit, the little music bits in the background are quite fascinating if you listen to it carefully. It soon takes off a bit, getting a bit more intense. The chords played by keyboardist Erik Sakkov is perfect and gives it a nice proggy feel. This is followed by the unreleased "Tule tagasi Helmemänd," a quiet song with a bit of a Beatles pastiche to the acoustic sounds."Sundimatu jutustus tõelisest kevadest"
follows that (from the LP), a weird song mixing many strange elements together. It has a nice melody keyboard line from Sakkov, though the electronic drumming from Puusepp does take away from the song. An odd combo that's telling of Pantokrator really. This is followed by pop-prog "Olemislaul," one of their best unreleased song. A positive-sounding piece, it features guitarist Vilpuu toying with a Dave Gilmour style at parts, but it works perfectly for this song -- the solo is particularly cool. My favourite from this CD.The very odd
"Itk" follows, a song that could give you nightmares or make you laugh uncontrollably. The music has a dark and spacey Floyd aspect to it, with a high-pitched lamenting soliloquy in the background -- rising as the tension grows. The music is superb in the background, with both excellent guitars by Moro and keyboards from Sakkov.Another of the good
LP tracks, "Püha mägi," follows -- a percussion tour-de-force. The re-mastering job did wonders for this song, bringing the full force of it out. It has some nice instrumental passages throughout, though Roland Puusepp did a heck of a job with the drums on this one. The keyboard solo by Sakkov is nice and happy, one of the rare times when he decides to let go and create a stylish solo -- he should have done that more often, as it works very well in the songs.The title track
"Jäi servi seisma" follows (also a track from the LP), a very moody song with again excellent aggressive drumming by Puusepp. You can hear a little Marillion in this one, but it's strictly uniquely Pantokrator as always. Guitarist Andres Moro does a nice job with the solo. This is followed by the wasted slot with the horrible unreleased (should have stayed like that) "Skarabuu" -- a bad attempt at satirising rap. If you want to roll around laughing on the ground, you'll like this joking song. If you cut the rap parts out, this would actually be a good folk-pop song..."Sõjalaul"
follows (also a track from the LP), another cool little folk song. It has a Celtic flavour about it, and stays true to the war theme. Puusepp's drumming works again on this piece, giving it more punch in the background. The last song is a live performance of "Vaim raiskub roojusse..." showing that the band can more than handle its own live. It's an excellent song, with good playing and has a bit of a Ruja flavour to it at times. It was the first time I heard this, and I was quite impressed by it. I don't think Shakespeare imagined one of his sonnets in this form, though he would have been impressed. The little harpsichord music bits just makes it work. Oh, keep listening after you think the song ends...I won't ruin it, you'll like it.This is
a very good re-release of some very interesting material. If you're into prog with some ethnic folk stuff thrown in, you'll enjoy this. If you're a folk music fan, the prog is a great little bonus. There are some odd moments here and there, but what folk band doesn't do that once in awhile? Recommended as a good relief to the new "prog" that you may find coming out by the dozens these days.In a way
this is a fascinating experience, especially reading my own review of the LP at a later time to see what I agree and what I disagree with. But I must say that the production really helped this CD being on the top range of re-mastered material. I like it more the more I listen to it, I must say.Mel Huang
Tallinn, Estonia
18 July 2000
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