KLUBKIN'S VOYAGE

I understand that many prog fans here dislike bands that try to imitate classic 1970's prog, but I'm not one of those. To me, that era ended all to abruptly with the music industry and their journalists conspiring to squash the genre in favor of more cheaply produced product. So I am always happy to hear a band that brings back that era.

The start of the album is not encouraging to me. The first thing we hear is a Tony Banks-like arpeggio in the Overture. Genesis clones are a dime a dozen. In fact, there seems to be Marillions of them. But moving on, the band spreads out, and in come passages that remind me of ELP and Yes (well, Starcastle more than Yes, but you get the idea), and even (gulp) Styx.

The retro feel comes mostly from the keyboards. There is plenty of seventies style organ riffs, and lots of old school synth patches. And that's one point of enjoyment to me. As the album continues, the band settles in, and their talents come out. Like other throwback bands, like Wobbler, Quorum manages to have their own style while at the same time they are tipping their hats to the old masters.

To me, this is like a trip home. Except this time, everyone at home is speaking Russian.