AWAKENING OF THE ELEMENTS

Lost World is a Russian band with an eclectic and modern approach infusing the sounds of the violin with a jolt of Crimson-like guitar rock. It's an impressive release from classically trained musicians but only partially successful as a complete album. First a bit of what it sounds like and then I'll try to explain my problem with this.

The title track begins with a somewhat middle of the road Tull sound initially, until about half way through when the violin kicks in. At that point you know you're in for something different. Very proficient playing mixing flute, violin, and guitar with saavy percussion. Quite upbeat mood and decent opener. "Infinity Street" is next and this is the longest song at near 7 minutes. It begins with gorgeous virtuoso acoustic guitar work and when the percussion begins it has an almost Eastern-folk feel to it. At 2 ½ minutes the electric guitar comes in with some intermittent riffing. This is a complex composition that mixes electric and acoustic well but seems to fall short of being completely satisfying. "Simoom" is where the Crimson/Indukti references begin to emerge. Frantic violins racing to a quick beat with brief flashes of piano and flute. "Over the Islands" begins with an almost retro-60s guitar riff soon joined by some funky bass at a medium-fast pace, not bad but nothing special either. "Scenery with a Guitar" is some bubbling electronic sounds and manipulated guitar that reminds me of Fripp/Summer's "I Advanced Masked." Pretty cool. "Schostoccata" really kicks the door down. Driving intense guitar at a brisk clip with showy lead work for the first two minutes. Then a great section that begins like a calm pool of water with acoustic strumming, flute, and bass. This builds slowly and effectively until the electric guitar is back with some nice mood. At around 4 minutes the frantic pace returns until the end. Next is "States of Mind, parts 1-3." It begins at a brisk clip with the nervous violins and a dance club beat, this could be "rave prog." Programmed percussion is used here I believe. Part 2 is my favorite with a more thoughtful pace and some emotional, slower, more expressive violin with bass and acoustic accompaniment. Part 3 is somewhere in between, with more movement and spicier violin than part 2, and more varied bass and drums than part 1. The 3 parts together form a very interesting 10 minute piece of prog led by the violin. "Paranoia Blues" is a brief flute based track. "Collision of the Elements" is a full symphonic work-out with lots of changing scenery. "Sky Wide Open" is perhaps the finest moment, slowing enough to allow the flute and keys to paint some real mental imagery, to really stretch out. The guitars nicely compliment here without attempting to hijack the laid back feel. Good closer.

Awakening of the Elements is an impressive and promising album that showcases great talent in both playing and production. It is in a sense truly an "awakening" of the aural possibilities they are capable of. But it's not a home run in my book. First, the frantic, nerve-wracking pace they insist on putting many of the violin sections through can just drive you nuts after a bit, it can be really irritating. They are much more effective in "States of Mind-part 2" when they allow the violin to stop chugging and actually breathe for a spell, in that moment it was gorgeous. Second and much more importantly, there are impressive moments but they are rarely unified into something that connects on an emotional level, or on any level when considered as a complete piece of work. You have these great examples of musicianship and that may be enough for some to enjoy but for me there is a big connection missing. The album seems to be as much disjointed as it is impressive, the tracks seeming to be strangers to each other instead of siblings. For that reason I can only go 3 stars here but I believe these guys have a great album in them if they take the "elements they have awoken" and work towards creating something more connected and emotionally engaging with those elements.