Mikko Joensuu releases the second part of his trilogy with Amen 2. The project aims to tackle his awakening to the fact that he believes there is no God. Joensuu comes from a very religious background, and grew up - just like everybody else in the area - being taught the word of the good book.

Amen 1 was a collection of plaintive and delicate folk songs in the vein of Josh T Pearson / Leonard Cohen, written as a way for him to let out the anguish he felt in confronting this realisation that everything he thought he knew was dissolving.

For Amen 2 Joensuu shifts musically, to provide a more joyous collection of tracks, as he finally feels a sense of relief in accepting this is the way things are. This part of the trilogy serves to examine what happens to the mind when it lets go of the past and moves on.

I wasn't overly keen on the first part of the Amen trilogy. It was interesting enough, but a little flat. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Amen 2 was a lot more enjoyable.

From the first play through there were tracks that instantly lodged in my mind. 'No One Knows' and 'What Have I Done' are arguably the album's stand out tracks. But to be fair, of the LP's 8 songs (1 hr, 16 min, 45 sec) there isn't a dull track. The slightly lower key moments help to bolster the high points.

I'm very much looking forward to the third and final chapter, which should arrive in Spring 2017.

8

Nick Smithson