AUGUST IN THE URALS

What we have here? A great symphonic album that comes from USA? Yeah, that's right!

Well, I'm not used to listen Symphonic rock albums from USA, so, for me, it's quite a big surprise, specially because it's a very good one!

I've heard about Deluge Grander when I bought my copy of the DVD Romantic Warriors (which, by the way, is a great Prog Rock documentary). And I was really curious, so I started with a copy from their first album, the 2006's August In The Urals.

The man behind the band is Dan Britton (composer, keyboards, vocals and guitars), and maybe the production isn't that great (well, it's the first release from his own label Emkog and independent at the same time), but that don't affect really the overall sound. My only complaint is about the vocals, I do think they're good, a kind of spoken voice style, but they're way far too 'hidden' on background. It should be on front, that would make the music even more relevant.

All in all August In The Urals have some great symphonic passages, keyboard driven (good ones, not that kind of 90's prog rock comeback stolen from Pink Floyd's The Division Beall that I always disliked).

5 tunes on the album, 2 of them with more than 12 minutes long and a big opening track: 'Inaugural Bash' with 26.

Deluge Grander have 2 albums, the second one, 2009's The Form Of The Good I have to pick it up yet, hope they fixed the vocal thing, cause if they did, it's probably a great record.