PORCELAIN PAVILION

Same year with ''The sun of spirit'' comes the second part of Gennady Ilyin's trilogy, entitled ''Porcelain pavilion'' and practically recorded around the same time with the first part with Igor Mikhel on guitars.It was released on Boheme Music and the album has seen a few reissues, the MALS one credited to Ilyin contains also some bonus material.''Porcelain pavilion'' marks also the first attempt by Ilyin to promote his project through a videoclip (the chosen track was the ''The way'').

''Porcelain pavilion'' has a slightly more optimistic approach than the previous album, somewhat abandoning the intense, sinister Avant-Garde-like moments for a more dreamy, accesible and pleasant sound, always along the lines of Classical-flavored Progressive Rock.Musically the album is heavily led by Ilyin's keyboard pyrotechnics with organ, synthesizers and piano as the main instruments, delivering a more direct style towards Classic Symphonic Rock with evident E.L.P. nuances.The music is interesting with a few nice melodies, angular solos and vintage-styled organ moves, rarely giving emphasis on the cinematic soundscapes of the previous work, although some Electronic and ambiental atmospheres are still present.The concept flows with Ilyin's narration, always delivered in the Russian language, and the sporadic moments with Mikhel on guitars become extremely bombastic, having a certain more grandiose flavor.The synthetic drums are an issue, but basically for a one-man effort ''Porcelain pavilion'' appears to be more than decent, maybe a bit more of an electric taste with guitars could give the album a higher value.

Keyboard-based Prog Rock with some lovely symphonic colors, struggling a bit due to a plastic rhythm section.Nothing more, nothing less.Recommended.