PLAYING LIVE AT ONE MUSIC FEST

Despite forming all the way back in 1994 in Kirovograd, Ukraine, the oddly named ICHTHYANDER DAD'S ONLY DOLPHIN never managed to release a bonafide album until they reformed in 2014 and worked on revising old material along with some newly inspired tracks. With no studio albums in site, the band decided to release their debut in the form of a live album titled "PLAYING LIVE AT ONE MUSIC FEST" which displays the fully intact enthusiasm of a vibrant band that lets loose of all the youthful passion and energy that many a band tend to lose as the years pass. With their music as eccentric and eclectic as their eye-catching name, IDOD deliver a near hour set list on this night in their hometown which is absolutely guaranteed to please fans of eclectic and energetic progressive rock in its full regalia. The album is entirely instrumental with no vocalist in site which allows for complex improvisational tradeoffs of the instruments involved.

The band on this album includes three founding members Dmitry Dorosh (guitars), Oleg Vorona (bass) and Viktor Sirotin (drums) along with newbies Olena Yeremenko (violin) and Sergei Kadenko (keys). The influences are long but includes many of the usual suspects of eclecticism such as Gentle Giant and King Crimson along with healthy doses of jazz-fusion compositional approaches with saxophone workouts woven in with electronic ambient elements, psychedelia and even heavy rock often all within a single track. The feisty opener "Through The Gates Of The Universe" is a Voivod inspired rocker that not only breaks down the doors but literally crashes the gates with full rock fury. "Biometry" takes on an 80s King Crimson vibe that adds an ambitious violin that will remind the listener of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with that Jean Luc-Ponty virtuosity in full effect. They skillfully cranking out track after track alternating between heavy complex rock workouts with softer more subdued segments.

IDOD do tend to lack the originality that clearly separates them from the influences they infuse in every cadence of their compositions but they do manage to weave it all together in an interesting way that when taken with the fiery spirit of their performances and tight quirky ability for the band to play together at uncanny speeds incorporating dangerous frenetic time signatures makes this a very compelling listen. The arrangements are quite varied and outdo their influences and in many cases as they have upped the game in terms of eclecticism as well as stage performances. For a live album, the production is quite good and the unison of the band to play in tandem is impeccable. I'm usually quite underwhelmed by live albums but this one has all the elements that make it as good of a listen as a studio album. It is rumored that a true non-live album is in the works and i must say that "PLAYING LIVE AT ONE MUSIC FEST" has truly whetted my appetite for more of IDOD's music as they sound like truly seasoned musicians that have taken the long road to blossom but have finally reached the promised musical garden of delights. Another promising band to emerge from the Eastern outposts of Slavic nations.