NUTCRACKER IN FURY

Psychedelic take on classical Cajkovskij opera (or ballet by Tchaikovsky if you please), "Sisoethepa" is, by my opinion, quite strange intro. Sets the mood for entire album, indeed, but could be better. From this album, I expected rock approach to classical music, something more like metal perhaps, but result sometimes don't please me much.

"Overture in Fury" is well played (for a classical-rock song). Maybe too much of electronic sounds, but I can get over it (first seconds for example), but I understand that it can be for better psychedelic atmosphere. "Heavy March" is also without bigger flaws, but it's quite sad for me, because I would rather see something less artificial, this kind of modern synths using, but something so big like this project doesn't exist. It's just 70s prog lover in me who wants it back. After these two tracks, main theme ends and gets here less known ones.

"Children of the Damned" starts as groovy track, in slow rhythm, with 3:07-3:27 done on modified voice and clear to see use of samples. This reminds me that this record is little bit oversampled, but as I said for many times, in the end it doesn't matter too much. "The Frozen Dolls Town" shots (amongst other things), at 3:42-3:58 beautiful example of synth strings. These high tones are well performed. But when I hear name "Dance of Tea Giants", I imagine something different, much softer and weaker (like tea) than this fury (fury as name of the album, of giants (as the name of the song). Are these sounds in the middle monkey screams ? Or is someone from band so creative that he done it himself ? Applaud, very playful song. Even in Porcupine Tree style, sometimes heavy, sometimes psychedelic, sometimes tender.

"Flower Fever" melody was my favourite as classical "Waltz of the Flowers", now it's remade into combination of electronic themed song, some parts sounds like they're combined with sounds of the tavern and then, something, are these strings ? Well, more like synths, but it sounds so faithful reproduction. "Coda Cold" leaves synths almost completely and enters more rockingly sounding music, which I welcome. In last third it again returns to take its toll. "Apotheosis" is something of calm outro, where we can think about wonderful musical (box) show we just heard.

4(+) stars for crazy (furious) Nutcracker.