Orne
The Tree Of Life

I imagine the winter cold of Finland, those snow-covered expanses that fill the horizon. The sun rising timid and pale, the biting wind, the still and unchanging air of a fantastic setting. On the cliff, a pub where a band is playing, the Orne. Few know them, even fewer are aware that they already have another album behind them. Their name is lost in the dusty recording studios. A niche band for a niche genre.

The time to savor a few pints of beer, just enough time to be enchanted by the opening "Angel eyes", a prelude to "The temple of the worm": in a mind already clouded by alcohol, the ghosts of Pink Floyd, Van Der Graaf Generator, the dark shadows of Black Widow materialize.

Hardly have the 12-minute variations of "The temple of the worm" been assimilated when the compositional class of the Orne manifests itself again with "The return of the sorcerer", in which the lost designs of ancient prog rock achieve the perfect marriage with a subterranean folk, Nordic, necessary.

The pub is now filled with the band's notes: their evocations leave one immobile, the "relaxed" atmosphere of the pieces helps soften the icy air. "Don't look now", "Beloved dead", "I was made upon waters", prayers to the Nordic Gods, monologues to be poured into the Arctic wind. The dream becomes reality in the simple notes of a prog rock, with folk and psychedelic hues. The simplicity and strength of a music that continues to survive with difficulty.

The journey ends, the cold is now unbearable, but the mind becomes active again: just enough time to realize that Kimi Karki (guitars, vocals, and mellotron) from Orne is the same as in the projects Lord Vicar and Reverend Bizarre.

It is still cold, darkness covers everything. It is all perfect. The journey resumes.

1. "Angel Eyes" (3:15)
2. "The Temple Of The Worm" (12:10)
3. "The Return Of The Sorcerer" (7:41)
4. "Don't Look Now" (8:42)
5. "Beloved Dead" (5:46)
6. "I Was Made Upon Waters" (6:53)
7. "Sephira" (5:22)