UMUR
"So Fine!" is the third full-length studio album by Finnish, Helsinki based heavy rock/metal act Waltari. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in 1994. It´s the successor to "Torcha!" from 1992 and it´s the first internationally released album by Waltari.
As always it´s a bit difficult to describe the sound of Waltari as they are a pretty unique sounding act, but an alternative (often funky) and sometimes relatively experimental (at times even progressive) heavy rock/metal style is the most valid description I can give. Compared to the first two albums "So Fine!" is slightly more polished and melodic, which is probably a consequence of the shift to a major international label, but it´s details, as "So Fine!" is ultimatly just as wild, crazy, and experimental as the two predecessors.
"So Fine!" opens with the accessible, ultra melodic, energetic, and beautiful "The Beginning Song", and then goes right into the funky and rhythmic "Mad Boy", before the mad techno heavy rock of the title track kicks in. If you´re not confused about the overall style and direction of the album after listening to the opening trio of tracks, consider yourself an open minded music listener. The next track is a great cover of The Cure´s "A Forest". Waltari retain the melancholic feel of the original but also inject the track with a lot of energy and an additional uplifting spirit. They manage to make the song their own, and it´s always great to hear artists who succeed in doing that.
The remaining part of the album continues in an eclectic stylistic fashion with elements from death metal, thrash metal, big band brass sections, comedy rock (tracks like "Celtic Funk" and "Piggy in the Middle" are pretty silly), and all sorts of other features, to make "So Fine!" a very diverse but at times also confusing release. Waltari produce music which is for the open-minded listener, and even if you enjoy some tracks on the album, you may not appreciate others. In that respect they remind me slightly of Faith No More.
"So Fine!" features a clear, powerful, and well sounding production job and Waltari are an incredibly well playing unit. So upon conclusion "So Fine!" is a high quality release by Waltari, but it´s probably not an album for everyone, and to my ears the adventurous and highly eclectic nature of the band´s music are sometimes taken to an extreme which disrupts the flow of the album and even disrupts the flow of some individual tracks where parts of the song are great while others are in a completely different mood and style, and as a consequence end up making the song a confusing listen. I respect the creativity and the innovation that Waltari bring to the table, but it just doesn´t always work. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
