ANGELS AND DEMONS

This is certainly an interesting offering from the Russians Algabas that comes to show that personal character and injections of "folk" music has a lot to offer to progressive rock. Don't think screaming flutes, violins and acoustic guitars: the "folk" element here is a distinct Russian sound blended in excitingly with heavy/neo progressive rock.

The vocals of Milyaev balance between narration and singing and sound somewhat "harsh" but fit the retro-character of the type of prog rock that Algabas exhibit: heavy - at times galloping - guitars and splendid keyboard work by Frolov reminds me of the unrefined lines of 80's Pallas but also classical music. Not overly complex, but with enough experimentation and jamming, "Angels and Demons" portrays elements from jazz (Walking Around Jerusalem) to operatic and symphonic rock, without losing for a moment its hard rock/bluesy temperament. The Russian-sung lyrics definitely add to the "peculiarity" of the album, particularly evident in songs such as "Galilei" and "The Madness Formula".

Algabas are clearly a skilled band and manage to inject a "cinematic" aspect to this album (see Express Train), including the narrative-styled vocals, that make it an intriguing listening experience, drawing from Russian music tradition. The Russian language may slightly alienate the listener, who might not be able to appreciate the poetic lyrical content, but don't let this put you off from trying this album out - especially if you are looking for new prog-combinations. The "rough around the edges" feeling is certainly counter-balanced by the creativity of the group.

Promising start - 3.5 stars