The Windmill - 2024 - Mindscapes
(40:31; Crime Records)
Norwegian proggers The Windmill are back with their fourth album. The line-up on their 2010 included Erik Borgen (lead & backing vocals, guitars), Jean Robert Viita (keyboards, lead & backing vocals), Morten Clason (sax, flutes, keyboards, guitars, lead & backing vocals), Arnfinn Isaksen (bass) while both Sam Arne Nøland (drums, percussion), and Stig André Clason joined in time for the second album. It was the same line-up on the third and would surely have been the same on this one, but sadly in the spring of 2018, drummer Nøland was diagnosed with cancer, and he died later that year. The band looked to Kristoffer Utby, who plays with Stig André Clason in Infringement to be the replacement, but although he has played on this release, he has now decided to concentrate on that band instead and he in turn has been replaced by Nils Harsem.
Any band who kicks off an album with a 22-minute-long song are setting out their stall from the beginning, saying, “we know we will be roasted by the mainstream rock press but that is not who this is aimed at”, which is exactly what they did last time as well. I love the approach, and very quickly am deep inside what is a very enjoyable Neo prog album indeed. They are listed on PA as Heavy Prog, and I fully understand why that is the case as they do crunch guitars, but this is one of those bands who would happily sit in more than one sub-genre, and I am sure the HP team were very pleased indeed to grab them first. Mind you, there are elements when these guys are overtly Crossover so probably it is best to describe them as modern commercial sounding progressive rock.
They are not always heavy, there is a lot of light and shade on here, with plenty of acoustic guitars and piano, and one of the joys is not knowing what is coming next. With plenty of singers there are loads of harmonies and polish, and I feel there are more influences from The Flower Kings readily apparent on this release, and a little less Wakeman and Jadis. The flute sounds do make one think of Jethro Tull, but in a modern context and not Seventies (and to be honest, just the use of a flute in prog often makes one think of Tull given Anderson is so ubiquitous).
I have still yet to hear the debut, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the last two albums and yet again we find the Norwegians are taking loads of influences and melding the into something which is incredibly polished and enjoyable on the first time of playing and repeated listenings just makes it better. It has been six years since the last release, but at long last The Windmill are back with yet another delight.
Kev Rowland, March 2025
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