Review Summary: A very honest good work. A promising and dynamic debut.
“Mother Turtle” is the eponymous debut studio album of Mother Turtle and was released in 2013. The line up on the album is Kostas Konstantinidis, Giorgos Theodoropoulos, Kostis Hasopoulos and Giorgos Mpalats.
The Greek prog scene, despite all odds, continues giving us remarkable albums. This is due to the talent, hard work and above all, the determination shown both by the musicians and the people behind the bands that strive to promote them inside and across borders. Mother Turtle is one of those bands. In the last five years they have managed to make a sensation from the start and have nothing to envy from many other similar bands and releases made outside of Greece.
The Greek band Mother Turtle was formed back in 2011, originally as a jam band using the moniker Hogweed. They decided to change their name to Mother Turtle sometimes in 2012, following the realization that they really wanted to create their own music based on common musical interests. “Mother Turtle” is their self debut album released in 2013.
Their main features are the perfect balance between structured ideas and experimentation, the technical competence of their music that works in favor of emotion and the smart use of their influences through knowledge of the past decades. Certainly, they don’t lack modern aesthetics and expression that gives a new perspective to the term neo-prog without coming as a surprise to the traditional enthusiasts. Mother Turtle’s eponymous debut album was a welcoming proposal of a band, which from the very beginning showed a very special ability to mix sounds and influences of an extremely creative and endless music source. So, here we have the 70’s unique aristocratic prog rock with no leaps and bounds.
It seems to me that Mother Turtle is a band that has a fairly wide interest in music, and that they seek to incorporate as many of them as possible into their compositions. Their compositions are structurally fairly advanced and are pleasant enough overall to listen, with some fine individual sequences explored generally in a context that manage to maintain the tension well enough all over the album. The use of contrasting sequences gels in a good manner and the flow isn’t disrupted. The abrupt transitions that sometimes come across, are logical to follow and don’t break the momentum.
Their sound is an amalgam of influences from the classic era of the 70’s, mostly relying on heavy prog and guitar rock. Basically, they explore similar landscapes as on the first compositions, with vintage symphonic progressive rock akin to the likes of Camel, alternating with harder edged guitar or guitar and organ driven sequences that at the most intense takes on qualities comparable to the likes of Deep Purple or Uriah Heep, with some vibrant passages that in elements used may be said to be a tad closer to the likes of Rush thrown in for good measure. The general impression is of a band rather form of progressive rock from the past, but also a band that may well incorporate some details here and there from a somewhat more contemporary context as well, gentler neo-progressive details of a classic Marillion style first and foremost. In addition there’s room for some jazzy tinged details here and there as well, used in good effects.
Of the seven pieces, all are worthwhile listens. All over the album we have the sense that, although the musicians are working really hard, they are also having real fun. The playing is intense. Personally I’d say that everything combines in just about a perfect manner. For instance, on the instrumental piece “Rhinocerotic”, the first half of the track is a brilliant run through engaging themes and arrangements. Still, despite the freneticism of the all track, the vocals retain a lightness that offsets the riotousness of the music. Striking this balance well, as the band has done, is quite a great achievement. The climax is perhaps closer with the last track “Attic”, which displays a bold, electric sound, myriad shifts in time and tone, and striking vocals. We can also say that the guitar playing on the tune, absolutely shines. Also intriguing is “God Games”, where particularly the beginning and end sections sound like a classic jam band music, with in-your-face guitar and driving drums, but the mid section includes a brief spoken, sometimes yelled, religious lecture.
Conclusion: The musicianship founded on this album is a mix of classic prog rock and is excellent throughout. There are catchy lead guitars, retro sounding keyboards, punchy bass, vigorous and dramatic drumming work, melodious, and seemingly tongue in cheek vocals, which are sung without any Greek accent, at times, evoking Geddy Lee. These guys have musical chops, and they want you to know that. The harder edged progressive rock of a vintage variety will probably be the facet of Mother Turtle, which defines them most profoundly, but as far as specific style is concerned, there’s probably just as much material here with stronger ties to gentler varieties of classic prog rock. If you imagine a band that picks bits and pieces from Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Rush, and blends them into fairly sophisticated compositions with more of a Camel tinged direction, you should have an indication about what this album is all about.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
