Time Traveller - Chapters I & II

(CD 2008, 38:55, Presence Records PRECD-012)

The tracks:
Chapter I: The Journey
  1- Launch(00:12)
  2- Part One- The Pioneers(04:31)
  3- Shifting (or The Introduction to The Traveller)(00:46)
  4- Part Two- The Traveller(06:52)
  5- Part Three- Floating(07:27)
Chapter II: Circumstances
  6- Part Four- The Chase(02:51)
  7- Part Five- The Great Escape(06:37)
  8- Part Six- Dead End(02:34)
  9- Part Seven- The Release(05:44)
10- Outro(01:12)

Time Traveller Website & samples        Presence Records


Sometimes the combination of rock, blues and progressive rock works out very well. Chapters I & II, the debut album of Time Traveller from Finland, contains all these musical styles. Time Traveller is the brainchild of Juhani Nisula, a fabulous guitarist who can easily be compared with Jimi Hendrix,  Robin Trower and Frank Marino (Mahogany Rush). Those names certainly reflect that blues and rock were a great inspiration. However, Juhani’s love for progressive rock music and for the great concept albums of the seventies, made him decide to record an album integrating those influences. At his analog home studio, using a Fostex-16 tracker, a crappy mixer and a few echo’s, he succeeded in recording a great sounding instrumental album. Juhani Nisula plays guitar, bass guitar and several vintage keyboards. According to the credits, he managed to get hold of Hammond organs, a mellotron, a clavinet and several synthesizers (Moog, ARP and Oberheim). Thanks to the excellent drummer Esko Takamäki, Chapters I & II gives you a ‘live’ feeling. Besides Esko, we hear two other musicians: Timo Ristilä plays a fantastic Moog-solo on The Pioneers and violinist Sanna Ägren makes beautiful noise on The Release.

Chapters I & II deals with travelling in time and space. The album begins with Launch. On the first thirteen seconds of Chapter I: The Journey, you hear the roaring of a spaceship. The next three parts are predominant as far as progressive rock is concerned. The Hammond organ, mellotron and Moog- synthesizer intensely dominate the music. Together with the great melodic playing on electric guitar and the up-tempo drum beats, it is hard to sit still. Chapter II: Circumstances contains four parts and a short outro piece. In this chapter, you can enjoy the influences of the bands mentioned above. On part seven, The Release, Juhani returns to prog rock with beautiful sound waves of the mellotron.

We can expect more Chapters in the near future. The second Time Traveller-album will include parts III and IV. The trilogy will be finished with a third album containing chapters V and VI. I sincerely hope that the upcoming releases have the same high quality level as the debut album. I really loved this instrumental piece of art. It proves that sometimes music speaks louder than words.

**** Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen)

Where to buy?






All Rights Reserved Background Magazine 2013