WORDLESS

Back in 2006 I never thought there were any Russian prog-bands, let alone top-class bands playing top- notch progressive rock from post-Soviet area. But in late 2007, eventually, I found out there is a certain band from Russia called Infront. Later on I got their highly acclaimed debut album directly from the band and really appreciated it. I found the album itself quite enjoyable. Just imagine an island where there is nothing else, but birds flying and singing, flowers blooming here and there, and where you are alone lying at the seaside and simply enjoying the sounds of water and cool evening breeze. These are exactly the very emotions when I am listening to the album. But let us throw all these sentiments and lyricism off and bring back to music.

Prog is such a versatile genre! I have always been thinking why it is absolutely easy to get into some stuff right away, but it’s difficult to drive into the other one even after countless spins. Well, it is, as a matter of fact, a rhetorical question. But Infront definitely have to do with the first so-called group. Wordless was accepted at once. The album is full of complex/proggy stuff, but this stuff is also very accessible and comprehensible.

Invisibly Join starts off the journey. Its intro reminds me of those of Riverside’s The Same River (from Out Of Myself album) – just like someone’s trying to tune in and we can hear some radiowaves. I really like the song’s first section, which reminds me of King Crimson a bit, where there is a kind of “solid conversation” between two guitars. At 3:25 there is an enjoyable turn with gentle guitar sounds, which then turns to quite a post-rock thing with typical guitar “scratching”. Some guitar sounds put an end to the track. All in all, a nice opener. Corridor begins with uncanny and mysterious sounds, at 1:00 we can hear guitars starting off the whole melody line. The song is very relaxed with quiet atmosphere, similar to Pink Floyd’s stuff, and at 3:11 my favourite moment appears; the whole song can be compared with Djam Karet’s experiments. From Where The Wind Blows is a bit different song by its structure and, in evidence, by mood. I can feel some jolly notes here. I’d like to particularly mention bass work during the whole track – it’s incredible!!! Song’s final is very cool. Then 888 follows. A weird title – an intricate song. One can notice some avant-garde or Crimson- influenced melodies, but as for me, this track is very similar to the current Djam Karet’s stuff again. I don’t know if the guys are keen on DK’s music, but they pretend to stew in the same juice together with these USA fellows. This is not a rip off indeed, just their music very much alike. Autumn Velvet is even darker than the previous song. The title speaks for itself – rainfall during intro, some awesome arrangements (including trumpets or something) throughout the song… Well, the atmosphere of the song is very autumnal; I can’t help smiling sadly while playing Autumn Velvet back. RUNNN is a great instrumental by all means. Till 1:30 it is a mellow part, being presented by some mysterious guitar sounds, part two is a pure rocker. It resembles heavier and more complex prog- experiments of Gordian Knot or something like that. Drums are just stunning here! kS, good for you ;-) Well, intro of Mensura Zoili reminds me of some RHCP typical funky “bass+drums” intros! :) Very neat! Then the whole thing is supplemented by a heavy guitar riff. At 0:45 there is a damned cool section: slap bass, funky flavour, psychedelic guitar part. There are some heavy riffs in the middle of the song, which are quite pleasant as well, and crazy drums draw the line at the end of it. Then we bump into the last track on the album – Chinese Butterfly. Intro, which consists of different sounds, is quite lengthy (about 3 minutes). But the rest of the song is uncommon and impressive. I can feel some oriental flavour/touch during the whole song. The flutes are amazing here, I recalled Jethro Tull at once. Very art-rockish. Just imagine a few Chinese playing Genesis and The Tangent simultaneously! The track is a brilliant album closer.

In conclusion I’d like to say that I really enjoyed the album immensely and regard these fellow- townsmen as a true young progheads, who keep up some nice experiments in the branches of prog- rock, post-rock and fusion. Their music is comparable to that of present day’s prog-leaders abroad, such as The Mars Volta, Ritual, RPWL (and many many others) and instrumental bands like Gordian Knot, Djam Karet, Russian Circles, Ozric Tentacles and Hydria Spacefolk. Well done, guys. Five stars. Highly recommended!