Telepathic Minds
Self-Released, 2023
9/10
The Finish prog-rockers Overhead pack a lot of ideas into these 2 discs of diverse and exciting song craft which illustrates their unique chemistry that comes after 20 years of constant playing.
The listen begins with the thick and soaring “War To End All Wars”, where Jaakko Kettunen’s dreamy guitar and the very eloquent singing make for a pretty versus rugged approach, and “Ghosts From The Future” follows with much ambience that benefits from Ville Sjöblom’s thundering drumming and Alex Keskitalo’s airy flute for the 12 minutes of melodic and flowing bouts that alternate between calm and busy.
At the halfway point, “Sleep Tight Sweetheart” relies much on Janne Katalkin’s strategic bass to anchor the thick, spacey album highlight, while the title track spreads out across 5 chapters that range from gentle, acoustic guitar fueled to richly textured, cinematic musicianship.
“Sheep Stay Silent” and “Almost Always Near The End” finish the listen, where the former chugs with a heavier appeal that borders on hard rock, and the latter is a bright and tuneful blast of buzzing prog-rock that illuminates Jere Saarainen’s keyboard acrobatics.
Overhead began in 1999 and have consistently released accomplished and well received albums that have been complemented by plenty of live shows. Keskitalo handles vocals and is nothing short of stunning and adaptable, and together with rest of the band, they make Telepathic Minds one of the best modern prog records in recent history.
Travels well with: Fearful Symmetry- The Difficult Second; Wedingoth- Five Stars Above