PER-HENRIK MÄENPÄÄ
GOD'S PROTOTYPE
ALBUM 12-51, UNIVERSAL RELEASE: SUMMER, 2003 REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 12, 2003

Although strangely depressing is something that could be levelled at "God’s Prototype", this doesn’t necessarily imply something negative. In fact, on the whole, the album is rendered quite warm and beautiful through these very soundscapes.
Through the opening couple of tracks you do notice similar themes cropping up - most of the tracks on this album are built up instrumentally to some point of tension, and rounded off with warm atmospherics, creating a quite lush set of songs - a perfect example of this being "Gone for the Day" - which highlights this particular sound under the bleakness of the repeated vocal line "Don’t give a damn if the world ends today…". Unfortunately as you progress through the album you begin to really notice a divide occur; with tracks like "Road Flower" which are simply beautiful, fragile pieces. "Road Flower" works especially because of the isolated and delicate lone piano keys in the arrangement - very lush! It is a shame that the whole album is not like this, as this is a very mature, beautiful sound.
In contrast, "Nose Bleed" is simply slow and monotonous - this and other tracks of a similar vein just left me cold I am sad to say, with "Crushed Again" being another example. And as for "Sixteen Seconds Silence"… well that’s exactly what you get (pointless?).
To sum up, this as a warm, atmospheric album which sometimes works beautifully (especially the female vocal tracks), and other times really sounds self-indulgent. When this album works it really works - when it doesn’t it really doesn’t. Stripped down this could have made an amazing EP.

MIKE WHYTE