PASSAGE TO THE FOREST OF MYSTERIOUS

Karfagen's 15th full length effort, Passage to the Forest of Mysterious, is another engaging effort from Antony Kalugin and his collaborators that is a fine addition to his catalogue. It is fascinating to see how this project continues to draw from its past efforts and yet continues to evolve as it goes along. Indeed, it appears that this collection, while having its own flavor, is part three of a trilogy of albums, the other two being 'Birds of Passage', and 'Birds' which was co-released with this one. This being the case, if you are familiar with the previous two releases, you will find laced throughout that this one draws from some of their musical and lyrical themes, but on a somewhat limited basis. The overlap is enough to link the three efforts together, but builds off of them with enough variation and variety so as to not become repetitive.

Karfagen of course, tends to be Antony's vehicle for some of his more symphonic and instrumentally focused works, but this one seems to have more lyrical content than many, which suits my preferences very well. Just the same, for those that enjoy his more instrumental efforts, there are plenty of lengthy stretches of wordless musical exploration here. Unlike some of his recent efforts such as 'Exotic Creatures and Stolen Dreams' under his Sunchild projects moniker, where he has shared the vocals with the ladies to a very dynamic effect, Antony here handles all the vocals. While he does a nice job in this, it was a just a bit of a disappointment to not have that extra dimension. Still, a minor matter for sure as Antony shows a surprisingly wide and emotive range of vocal stylings on the different tracks.

The album is built primarily around two larger pieces, 14 and 19 minutes long respectively, and these are surrounded by shorter pieces in the 4 minute range or less. The smaller pieces however, don't feel fragmented or undeveloped because they thematically and musically feel like preludes or extensions of the longer pieces, both of which are stylistically broken into smaller sections themselves. Although not an outright concept album, this gives the album a nice cohesiveness and continuity that strongly makes it feel like one. The album I am reviewing has 7 tracks running a total of 49 minutes, although there appears to be an 8th track on some releases. It is my understanding that it is a shortened version of one of the two longer tracks and doesn't add anything significantly different to the shorter album version. In any event, this overall album length is quite comfortable and accessible, not overstaying its welcome, and encouraging repeated plays

As is typical with Karfagen projects, the album cover art work is quite attractive, and dare we say, 'mysterious' as this word comes up in a number of the track titles. It is certainly the type of art work that might well move me to take a gamble on the album without hearing the music first. But of course, come the end, the music is what matters, so what do we have here? Let's take a look at the tracks.

Kingfisher and Dragonflies, Part 4: This opening track title draws off yet other back Karfagen albums, 'Land of Green and Gold', which has Part 3, Solitary Sandpiper Journey, which has part 2, and 'The Space Between Us, which is home to part 1. Obviously, Antony likes to create crossovers between his different albums, but you have to be alert to catch them all. This short opening piece serves as a nice prelude that serves as an indicator of what can be expected, starting with soft acoustic guitar, light keyboards, joined by soft vocalizations, keys gradually coming more to the forefront. It has a pleasant pastoral folk quality, yet at the same time there is a progressive jazz feel to it in the vein of something that the Pat Metheny Group has done. An engaging start that rolls into the first longer piece. (4/5)

Mysterious Forest, Part 1: This piece picks up where the previous one leaves off with the acoustic guitar and light keys. Gentle vocals come in quickly to nice effect. My immediate impression was that this picked up a strong Jon Anderson vibe from his Olias of Sun Hillow' era work. This progresses for about two minutes and there is a sense that this is going to be a very mellow journey, but suddenly this is interrupted with some strong and unexpected guitar riffs, perhaps in the vein of something that the Flower Kings might do. Lyrics join and brass gets introduced in a cascading progression that goes on for quite a while. Speaking of Jon Anderson, the lyrical content herein reminds of his style also, whimsical but profound enough, and always subjective to the perceptions of the listener. Lines such as 'holding beauty in the palm of your hands, an eternity in a grain of sand'. very reminiscent and well done! Starting around the 8:00 minute mark and ending about the 11:00 minute mark there is section of experimental but accessible sounds over a bed of percussion that is quite enjoyable. The last two minutes draw upon instrumental themes from the 'Birds of Passage' album, hinting at the symbiosis between the two albums. (4.5/5)

Mysterious Forest, Part 2: This instrumental piece is considerably shorter than the previous piece, starting with a jazzy opening that quickly propels into up beat and forward guitar work, over background keys. A minute and half in becomes more drum and percussion driven, guitars continue to build over the top, keys then start competing to overcome the guitars, and then suddenly drops off to its conclusion. Very energetic and enjoyable! (4.5/5)

To those Who Dwell in Realms of Day: This track is a beautiful contrast to the previous piece, dropping back to soft pastoral ballad. Antony's vocals in this piece are top notch and emotionally harmonized with the music in a most enjoyable way. For those that are familiar with the Johannes Luley album 'Tales From a Sheepfather's Grove' , it is very similar in texture and emotion ? very nice. Only complaint is that this one is simply too short (5/5)

Birds of Passage and the Enchanted Forrest: This is the longest piece clocking in at 19:00 plus minutes. It starts with a mid-tempo, lyrics enter, and the tempo and intensity starts to escalate. The following lyrics directly refer to the 'birds of passage', again linking the previous album to this one. About 3:45 the keys begin to really push the song, maybe expressing some Yes or Kansas like vibes, that play out until the 6:25 minute mark where the song seems to come to a complete end. And then it restarts with acoustic guitar and more Metheny like vocalizations that bring the opening track back into the mix. Once again picks up the Jon Anderson and Johannes Luley vibe, which I rather like, and then back into the 'Birds of Passage' lyrical content over a nice piano line. This continues to build in intensity for couple minutes and then feels like it is going to die out into a pleasant ambient section, but instead goes into a new lyrical section that grows in intensity and again builds into an powerful guitar section ala the Flower Kings once again. Finally, after this exhausts itself, the last couple minutes drop into the previously expected semi ambient section with a another well done vocal section. Another well composed lengthy piece by Antony! (4.5/5)

Through the Whispers of the Wind: The following instrumental piece clocks in at under two minutes, and once again, is a nice contrast of acoustic guitar and light synths, pastoral in nature, and a welcome contrast to the length and intensity of the previous piece. The second half once again draws on musical notes from the 'Birds' albums reinforcing that they are tied together. (4/5)

Mysterious Forest, Part 3: And finally, the closer. This one reprises the lyrical content of Mysterious Forest Part One, but in more of an accessible single type style that could easily be radio friendly. The vocals again pick up the Jon Anderson 'Olias' flavor which makes it feel very familiar, but this is a positive from my perspective. The song itself is mid tempo with guitars, brass, synths, and more all taking a turn at taking the lead musically. Very happy sounding, lacking the complexity and almost a complete extraction of the prog elements of part one, and yet quite enjoyable making it all finish out on high note. (4.5/5)

As always, the constructs of Antony's compositions and production are spot on. It is most enjoyable to uncover the links between his past works and his new ones. The mixing is clean and all the instruments and vocals come out distinctly and really pop. While this is not a an entirely quiet mellow album, the intensity at portions is not off the edge either. It is the type of album that can be enjoyed for unwinding at the end of the day, and yet at the same time certainly has more than enough complexity and diversity in it to warrant focused headphone listening. Once again for me, another rock solid 4 star album from Karfagen, well worth having in your collection of prog music.