The frequency of release of 'Karfagen' albums is impressive because, after the remarkable 'Echoes From Within Dragon Island' at the beginning of 2019, it is the turn of 'Birds of Passage' see the light of day at the very beginning of 2020. As usual, 'Antony Kalugin' called on many artists from the progressive scene, and alongside electric instruments, we find the violinist 'Maria Baranovska', bassoonist 'Alexandr Pastuchov' and flautist 'Elena Kushniy' and the vocal section is provided, in addition to Antony himself, by 'Olha Rostovska' and 'Tim Sobolev'.
The album contains 5 titles but the first 2 titles which constitute the sequel ‘Birds of Passage’ are two long developments of 22 and 21 minutes respectively, the other 3 titles ranging from 3 to 5 minutes. Like the ‘Dragon Island Suite’, we embark on a journey made of a rich and complex progressive with multiple sections juxtaposed in a beautiful way where each instrument plays its role wonderfully and where everything flows peacefully. The instrumental sections take precedence over the sung parts but this in no way affects the quality of the ensemble because, for my part, I never had a feeling of weariness because, on the one hand, the melodic lines are always pleasant and, on the other hand, the whole offers a beautiful diversity. The rest of the album continues this beautiful and peaceful journey with 'Spring (Birds Delight)', then the instrumental 'Sunrise' continues in this serenity with the highlighting of the flute accompanied by some percussion and finally, 'Birds Short Introduction 'returns to the theme of the sequel and has the effect of giving this irresistible desire to replay the first two titles.
In summary, 'Antony Kalugin' continues to enchant us with long and rich progressive developments offering a peaceful and poetic atmosphere and, if you liked the previous album, you should also like 'Birds of Passage' because it is a continuation of 'Echoes From Within Dragon Island'... | |
