ENDLESS WAY FROM YOU

This is the second album from a band who were formed in 2006 in the depths of eastern-European marshlands of Belarus, when Sergey Gvozdyukevich (keyboards, bass, acoustic guitar, flutes, voice) and Vladimir Sobolevsky (keyboards, bass, acoustic and electric guitars) who were inspired by Seventies progressive rock, decided to put forward their musical vision to the public. Over the years there have been many line-up changes, but the band is currently working as a trio with drummer Mikhail Kinchin and on this album they have been joined by guests Vitaly Appow (bassoon), Aliona Sukilyan (oboe) and Alexandra Gankova (vibraphone, xylophone, timpani). When asked to describe the album I was told it was 'organ- and guitar-based with a notable use of monotonous whine of flutes and other woodwinds as well as (obviously) the maddening beating of vile drums.'

It is unusual for bands to have such self-deprecating humour, and needless to say that endeared them to me, but I was even more impressed by the album itself. Any band who is confident enough to commence proceedings with an instrumental which is more than fourteen minutes in length are likely to produce something of import, and that is indeed what has happened here. They have obviously been majorly influenced by the likes of Caravan and the Canterbury scene, Camel, Zeuhl and Magma, and have taken a mellow approach to proceedings. There are times when it is fairly upbeat and others where it is more delicate and thoughtful (they describe it themselves as 'inconsolable lugubriousness'). It is a mostly instrumental album, and when they do wake up the guitars as on 'Clouds To Owings Mills' it is quite a shock to the system!

I have been fortunate enough to hear some amazing bands from Eastern Europe over the last 30 years or so, and for me The Worm Ouroborus are right up there with the best of them. Although this comes across as a long-lost Seventies British progressive rock album, it really is a modern piece of work which came out on Christmas Eve 2019, and is truly deserving of investigation by any self-respecting proghead.