THE GOURISHANKAR

With the new lineup the band wrote and recorded its first album CLOSE GRIP which came out in 2003 and crafted seven highly original recordings as well as a bonus cover track of Gentle Giant's classic "For Nobody" on several CD releases. The name of the band's name apparently comes from the Himalayan mountain which is spelled Gaurishankar and is the second highest peak of the Rolwaling Himal located in Nepal directly between Katmandu and Mt Everest. While clearly based in modern symphonic prog for a great deal of time, the band also exhibits many moments with sailing neo-prog style guitars, heavy metal power chord bombast and Porcupine Tree styled space rock effects. The band itself describes its music as "The music for mystical dancing in the opium saloons." With moments of downtempo electronica, mystic musical scales from Eastern influences and English lyrics that are translated from classical Russian poetry, it's fair to say that THE GOURISHANKAR is quite an eclectic band.

It's perhaps this eclectic streak that took me a while to warm up to this band as CLOSE GRIP left me cold the first couple of spins. The music is based on highly melodic and happy compositions that often sound like Pendragon, IQ or Arena however the keyboards can get pretty wild and deliver some virtuosic outbursts and the band likes to engage in unexpected hairpin turns as well as some slightly off-kilter time signature changes as well as modulated strange juxtapositions of major and minor keys. At its most energetic the band even generates enough steam to fall into Dream Theater territory with heavy guitar bombast, sizzling keyboard antics and although never quite going all the way into metal territory certainly goes as far as possible without actually crossing the line. Four of the seven tracks are quite lengthy and go into serious prog territory which wending and winding compositional heft that takes the time to expand melodic developments and experimental procedures.

Despite the lyrical themes mined from Russian poetry, there are no indications that this band comes from Eastern Europe as it has totally adopted its stylistic approach to Western bands like Porcupine Tree, Sweden's Moon Safari and English neo-prog. Whiner's vocals often sound right out of the neo-prog playbook with emotive tenderly delivered lyrics but at times actually remind me of Geddy Lee's semi-goofy yelps. One of my favorite tracks is the ethereal "Autumn Frost" that incarnates Orthodox church choral vocals into the intro and select moments in the lengthy 11 minute run. The track journeys through heavy prog sections including some serious prog workouts where the instrumental interplay is off the charts with banging guitars, bantering bass, dramatic drums and cool as cucumber keyboards conspiring to craft a frenzy of proggy bliss. The bantering stops for a trippy vocal and ambient interlude before kicking in again. Even the Gentle Giant cover is quite clever as it faithfully revives the classic and propels it into the 21st century.

It truly took me a while to warm up to THE GOURISHANKAR probably due to the vocal style but once i adapted to this band's approach i'm actually quite in awe of the musical performances. This band made quite a splash with its second album "2nd Hands" and for a short time became one of the most favored up and coming prog bands but i have to say that i'm quite enamored with this first offering. CLOSE GRIP delivers everything a really good 21st prog album should be expected to and then some. There's enough melody here for the purists and enough panhead unorthodoxies to keep those elements of surprise humming along. This probably could be considered a more eclectic style of neo-prog because that's where it exists for the majority of its run but the artistic ingenuity is quite impressive.

1. "Intro-Fate" (2:03) a flowing collection of spacey techno sounds that provide an introduction to the album. (8/10)

2. "Order and Chaos" (5:30) puts on display the eclecticism of this band as it melds funk bass, techno keyboards sounds, both metal and techno-pop guitar, and Middle Eastern female vocal incidentals with a kind of Mariuz Duda- Mark King lead vocal. Pretty good song. If you twist my arm I would probably admit to this being my third favorite song on the album. (8/10) 3. "First Rush" (5:01) is such a 80s-style pop song (using more modern computer and sound technologies)! We could be listening to Johnny Hates Jazz or Thomas Dolby or Level 42. Only, this song would not get very far on the pop charts. (7/10)

4. "Let It Go" (4:11) opens with programmed drums and percussion and vocoder and auto tuned vocals with mushy keyboard banks chords. OWL CITY meets The Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. Pretty well done, though. (8/10)

5. "Place for Everything" (4:45) is really one of the only songs on the album that has a truly progressive rock feel to it ?though its music often falls into ruts of 80s techno pop sound cliches. (8/10)

6. "Heartland" (5:53) is a very radio friendly Crossover/Neo Prog song in a kind of Nice Beaver-Level 42-Simple Minds-The Cure vein. Unfortunately, it has no real bite or vim?especially coming from the vocalist. (7/10) 7. Truth Stays Silent" (12:00) is stronger for its many changes, its many sections, and for the presence of the violin. It is weakened by the pitchy vocals and dated computer keyboard sounds used (especially the choral banks) and the two or three sections that are kind of cheezy (especially toward the end). (8/10)

8. "World Unreal" (4:40) is a nearly flawless pop prog song with great clarity definition given to all instruments in which violin, lead vocal and percussion shine particularly. One of my top three for this album. (9/10)

9. "Time Follows" (5:48) is a delicate, subtly constructed song that works. It is one of the top three songs on the album. (9/10)

10. "Pleasure and Suffering, Pt. 1" (5:43) is a totally NeoProg song full of bombast and cliche. Nice but nothing new or exciting to write home about. (8/10)

11. "Pleasure and Suffering, Pt. 2" (5:22) is an instrumental which sounds very much as if it were constructed on a computer program. It has a rather nice New Age-y sound and feel to it?and a kind of Hibernal approach with a sci- fi metaphysics blurb read over the top of the song's fourth minute. Not bad. (8/10)

While Nomy Agranson is a very talented musician and competent songwriter, his music is often lacking cohesion, lacking spark, and lacking anything really new, fresh, or innovative. His drummer is equally competent and the singer has a very pleasant tone to his voice, he just lacks conviction and excitement. (He is much better with softer, almost whispery sections?like on "Time Follows".) More violin, Nomy!

3.5 stars.

This band is in the eclectic prog genre and that seems like a genuine fit after listening to this album, though their sound is decidedly leaning towards neo prog to my ears, with occasional heavier moments and some electronica aspects in places. They remind me of a combination of bands, including Enchant, A.C.T., Marillion, Dream Theater, Rush, and even hints of Gentle Giant.

The compositions seem to jump around quite a bit, as if they are trying to fit every idea into every song. At times it becomes a bit confusing and disjointed, sometimes becoming a serious distraction. The vocals for me are the low point. They are often buried in the mix and what can be heard isn't done very well and is sometimes clouded by the singer's accent. This area needs some work in my opinion. Disjointed songs work for some groups, but not this one and I would recommend developing an idea instead of throwing many together in a patchwork. The group definitely has talent and all members are skilled on their instruments, particularly the guitar and keyboard work.

Three stars for a fairly decent first effort. I will keep their second album on my list as reviews of that one seem to suggest its better than this one and shows much improvement.

This band is really unbelievable. The music is very technical, but very melodic, and full of surprising ideas in rhythm development. You hear beautiful violin tunes and suddenly you hear rumba and in no time you hear wall of prog keyboards. You can never predict whether you hear classical sound or running rock or reggae next to what you hear now. It changes by seconds. Waoh.

Another remark we can make is they are talented in melody making. The second track "Endless Drama" is for instance like a song of Pet Shop Boys, yes, it is pop but entirely progressive rock that walks in the center of this genre. Can you imagine ? I say no you can't until you hear the music. Five-star album with no hesitation. For all prog fans.

"Moon7" has some heaviness with lots of synths early on.The tempo and mood change often.Violin before 8 minutes then it settles right down after 9 minutes. "Endless Drama" opens with synths and a beat as the sound builds. It settles back again a minute in and vocals arrive around 1 1/2 minutes.The sound builds again but continues to shift. I actually don't mind the vocals after hearing fellow Russian band LITTLE TRAGEDIES almost ruin their album with those heavy Russian vocals. "Queer Forest" is constantly shifting and vocals come in after a minute. A Reggae vibe comes in out of the blue 4 minutes in followed by organ. "Taste A Cake" is a short piano and violin led tune. "The Inexpressible Chagrin" has an electronic beat a minute in.Vocals follow and sax comes in later before 5 1/2 minutes.

"Syx" has a classical vibe early with piano, violin and more.This changes before a minute as it turns heavier. It settles with flute 2 minutes in and synths follow.The song keeps changing though as different instruments lead. "...End" has these intricate sounds that build.This is kind of cool.Vocals 2 minutes in as the sound gets smoother. Electronics after 5 1/2 minutes.Catchy stuff. Good song. "Marvelous Choice" is the over 18 minute closer. Electronics to open then the piano becomes prominant. Heaviness around 2 minutes then it settles back. Vocals after 3 minutes. Mellow stuff. Some vocal melodies come and go. It turns heavier before 9 1/2 minutes followed by a calm as the song continues to shift and change.

A good album but not a 4 star record in my book.

Yet multiple listens reveal that The Gourishankar are not just showing off. Sure, they have crunchy guitars, melodic violins, bass sections, and much much more in this track - but it's not just to prove that they can. As you listen to the track multiple times, you realise that the band has a remarkable ear for melody and flow - that, once the many different movements don't all catch you off guard, they actually flow in exactly the right order, and sound incredibly pleasing to the ear.

Endless Drama is a bit less free-form than Moon 7. It starts with some techno-y synths, before guitars join in and we get our first dose of The Gourishankar's vocals. This style of song is actually much more common on the album - a combination of basically techno-y music, some heavy guitars, and heavily accented yet quite charming vocals. The sharp contrasts in mood still exist, (the thirty seconds from 4:15 - 4:45 are an excellent example, where it transitions from a key part, to vocals overtop of that, to vocals with heavy guitar, to playful vocals that remind of System of a Down to some degree, to female vocals, with each section having a different melody). So the constant changes still exist, but in this song, it settles more, and it repeats itself more.

Endless Drama is not the only song to be structured in such a way. Queer Forest, The Inexperessible Chagrin, and Marvelous Choice are all similar in style, although after Endless Drama, none of the songs change quite as frequently.

Taste a Cake is aptly named - it gives us a nice little dose of sweetness, with a great piano line, some low violins, and distant airy vocals at parts.

Syx is another sweet sounding instrumental song, opening with more piano and violin. It develops more gradually than some of the earlier tracks on the albums, which means that by two minutes, it's only had about four different sections. This one is a lively, upbeat track featuring the synths and the violins prominently.

End is a very synthesized track, even featuring drum loops instead of drums and effects on the vocals. This is another track where The Gourishankar display their ability to develop themes slower than they did on the first track.

In conclusion, the sound is very melodic with the occasional crunchy guitar. Synths play a huge part in the music, and the drums are occasionally done via drum loops. Guitars are rarely in the forefront. The music can be incredibly eclectic, switching from idea to idea so fast you get whiplash, but at the same time the also know how to build up a nice theme. Violins guest on several tracks and sound wonderful.

Highlights: The Inexperessible Chagrin, Moon 7, Endless Drama,

This is a really, really crazy album. The downright eclecticism and insane variety that makes up these 8 tracks is incredibly confusing when you first spin this. I kept trying to predict what my star rating for the album would be, but it was impossible! From one track to the next, it would jump from 5 stars, all the way down to about 2.5. I appreciated the manic creativity, but there were some sounds and moods that just did not sit right with me. Shades of 90s Eastern European techno throughout...bizarre and unexpected.

Several more spins revealed that this misunderstanding was my own inadequacy and most certainly not the music's fault. These guys definitely mean business, and putting out an album this good at such an early stage of their career bodes very well for the future.

I won't describe Moon7, as its available for streaming here on progarchives and listening to it will probably convince you to order this album, as it did for me. Great opening, enough said.

In fact, most of the tracks here are up to that same standard. Huge, maniacal levels of energy, superlative keyboard and guitar/bass work and unique interesting compositions. If there is anything to complain about, it is limited to two tracks.

Endless Drama has a couple of questionable moments. It builds around what can only be described as a mid 90s techno/dance loop. But the song moves on from there, incorporating the melody (but not the sound) into newer, more compelling sections. Their range of influences is so huge, and their willingness to experiment so obvious, it becomes so easy to forgive the unexpected techno stylings. I do really like this track now, but not quite as much as some of the others.

The track where this album really loses its 5 star rating, however, is The Inexpressible Chagrin. To be 100% honest, it's kind of a godawful song. It is obviously lacking in the imagination and skill so evident on the other 7 tracks. Very uninspired, and a real shame.

So, forgetting that track entirely, we are still left with about 65 minutes of admirable, pallatable prog rock goodness. More than worthy of 4 stars. Maybe even 4.5.

Here, it sounds almost like collection of many short songs which were put together by glue of unnoticed transitions. Well, almost, at times. You have to literally expect the unexpected, almost prog metal like style pouring into strings / guitar solo. It's music that won't keep your brain rest, not even for short time. So it's for adventurous listeners only, those who want to think about music. With just listening, it would lose much of its magic I think. Also it's hard to decide, whether it is melodic, or not. Probably it is, but not in traditional way. Location, where they come from surely helped them to have different point of view, influences and style. Vocals are average and quite pleasant, nothing unfriendly, or just for someone. But these funky electronic sounds don't fit me here. But that's part of this eclecticity.

4(+) for this dish full of fruits of different origins.

Because it turned out to be another doubt case for 3 or 4 stars I will do the song by song review once again.

Gripped by Fear is a short opening instrumental with some weird key sounds hardly producing anything melodic but at least it's original. 2,5*.

Insomnia is the first real song and first impression compared to 2nd Hands is that this sounds rockier than previous album. Second thing I notice is the similarity between Vlad's voice and the one of the latter-day Geddy Lee. A thing I didn't notice with the earlier album. What has remained the same is the original sound of the band. Even though they display several music styles within their songs they still have their recognizable sound. Most obvious influence in this track is Rush (besides the already mentioned vocals). 4* for this.

Sweet Earth starts much more quiet in the opening minutes but gets varied along the way. A song of moodswings you might say, another original and unpredictable composition even though this was even more the case on 2nd Hands where you ran from one strange experience into the other. It proves why the band is in the eclectic category. 3,75*.

In the Hope is the second short song on this album and again it's just instrumental with same out of the ordinary keyboardplay. 2,75*.

Wind of Night is a track with piano-like sounding keys, later on accompanied by nice guitar turning jazzy all over sudden then back to mainstream prog. Yes, indeed The Gourishankar is about shifts and swings and I really like this feature of the band. Very complex song this. 4,25*.

Autumn Frost is the longest track of the album. Starts with choir sounds for the first 50 secs, then immediately turning in the same rock style as Insomnia with great guitar after two minutes going on for a while then going back to the choir for half a minute until we are halfway down the song. Here a strange voice takes over. This is The Gourishankar people ! Weird sounds and piano play take over sounding extremely beautiful for over a minute. In the last section of this interesting track keyboards are prominent, followed by the vocals again. A grand finale closes this marvellous mini epic. Along with previous track the highlight of the album. 4,5*.

Close to Death is the third short track, this time with vocals though they are just scat singing. Again a pretty special one without obvious melody. 3*.

For Nobody is another rock song with vocals reminding me of Gentle Giant (cover obviously). And musically there's some resemblance as well. To me a blend of GG and ... The Gourishankar. 3,5*.

That's right, The Gourishankar is maybe the band with the most influences of the various music styles you will ever meet. And yet, to me they are recognizable as they are. After some time you start to get familiar with the shifts and you can clearly detect it as The Gourishankar. For me they have already established themselves as one of the more significant modern progbands. And they have a fan added to their already long list, being yours truly. I don't know what I was thinking when I said it was a doubt between 3 and 4 stars. Ok, maybe it's rounded up but it's four stars 100% deserved. Though slightly less than the "debut"'. Oh, a word about that (though several others already metioned it): chronologically this album Close Grip is actually the debut for these songs were written earlier than those of 2nd Hands. So to keep things badly arranged they switched the releases so to speak.