Detailed Reviews [Heronimus Fin - 2022 - "Live in Session @ the BBC"]

Prolusion. UK band Heronimus Fin has a history that stretches back to the first half of the 1990's, but with a long spell where the band were inactive as a recording unit as a part of that history. The band returned as a more active unit on that front in 2016, and have released three albums since then. "Live in Session @ The BBC" is the most recent of these, and was released through the label Garden Records in the spring of 2022.

Analysis. This live album obviously isn't the album that will shed any new light into the universe explored by this band, and not one that will feature any distinct innovations either. As with most other live albums it is a document and a testament to the band's ability of transferring their studio efforts into a live setting, and with the music explored by this band this isn't a major challenge as they, from what I can recollect, isn't one of those bands heavily relying on studio effects and studio magic to make their songs work. The style and type of music resides inside the psychedelic rock universe first and foremost, with a few tips of the hat in the direction of progressive rock along the way. The foundation of the band appears to be inside a retro-oriented take on psychedelic rock, and of the kind where the classic rock elements often is a dominating aspect while the psychedelic ones adds flavor rather than being a dominant aspect in and of itself. At least that is the case for this live performance, where the guitars are the main providers of the psychedelic flavored moments. There is a bit of variation in the kind of songs performed however, with some being more light and elegant affairs with the piano and acoustic guitars leading the way in songs that include elements of 60's and arguably even the odd 50's music. Other songs hone in on 70's music in a more purebred manner with the organ and the electric guitars prominent, with one of the songs having a darker tone and occasional riffs with a bit of a Black Sabbath tinge to them. The composition here that presumably will be most interesting for progressive rock fans is 'Riding the Great Fantastic', a creation that wouldn't have been out of place on a classic Hawkwind album. A little bit of garage rock tendencies find its way onto this album too, so while psychedelic rock is the core style explored here it is explored with a bit of variation. A slight nitpick of mine for how this album has been compiled is how the introductions to the different songs have been singled out into separate tracks. I can see the reason for doing it in this manner, but for me as a listener this slightly disrupts the type of engagement a live album is supposed to create. This is obviously a subjective opinion, and I know many people that will appreciate doing it in this manner as well, but as this description is about my personal opinion this is a detail I need to comment on.

Conclusion. Heronimus Fin is an experienced unit that know their part of the psychedelic rock universe rather well, and recording a live session album at the BBC has given them the opportunity to record a high quality live album that showcase their abilities as a live act very well indeed. Those who tend to favor live albums in general and tend to enjoy bands with more of a retro-oriented take on classic rock and psychedelic rock should find plenty to enjoy on this production.

Progmessor: March 2022
The Rating Room