Mortality's Volume II blends jazz and prog to explore beginnings and endings with soulful depth, featuring top Finnish artists.
*Volume II* is the highly anticipated second album by Finnish jazz supergroup Mortality. Following their critically acclaimed 2019 debut, the new album deepens the ensemble's exploration of human experience--this time focusing on the duality of beginnings and endings. Composer and producer Tapio Ylinen once again leads the project, crafting compositions that balance melancholic beauty with moments of uplift and clarity.
While the debut album stemmed from Ylinen's personal tragedy, *Volume II* looks further outward. Its themes reflect the cosmic and the intimate: the Big Bang, the expansion of the universe, births, deaths, and the emotional turning points that define human life. The music flows with bittersweet harmonies and subtle contrasts, embodying both the fragility and strength of existence.
Mortality's lineup features some of Finland's top jazz musicians, including Jori Huhtala (bass), Mika Kallio (drums), Mikael Myrskog (keyboards), and Johannes Granroth (guitar). The brass and wind section includes Manuel Dunkel, Max Zenger, Mikko Pettinen, and Gunu Karjalainen, providing rich textures and dynamic range to the compositions.
The album also features guest appearances by celebrated guitarist Teemu Viinikainen and vocalist Teri Mantere. Mantere's haunting rendition of Ylinen's "Desperate Measures"--originally recorded by his earlier band 5th Season--stands out as a deeply emotional and virtuosic performance, likely to become a milestone in Finnish vocal jazz.
True to Mortality's identity, *Volume II* blends contemporary jazz with progressive rock aesthetics, carefully balancing composition and improvisation. The result is a cohesive, emotionally resonant journey that reflects on the impermanence of life with both sensitivity and vision. Rather than offering concrete answers, the music invites listeners to pause, reflect, and find meaning in transitions--whether cosmic or deeply personal.
Track Listing
For Oona Towards Darkness The Expanding Universe, Part 1 The Expanding Universe, Part 2 Mortality, part 2 For Oona Desperate Measures
- 1. For Oona (Introduction)
- 2. Towards Darkness
- 3. The Expanding Universe part I
- 4. The Expanding Universe part II
- 5. Mortality part II
- 6. For Oona (Reprise)
- 7. Desperate Measures (Death's Little Sister part II)
