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Sunchild - The Wrap CD (album) cover

THE WRAP

Sunchild

Crossover Prog


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snobb
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Ukrainian prog rock albums are a rare birds what is not strange - after decades of bans on any rock music in former Soviet Union, rock bands were more underground protest form, than form of musical art. During last two decades,when the political situation was changed, rock music had it's fast and short peak, and later was almost totally disappeared under commercial never ending singing strip-show on scene there.

Sunchild's third album is really nice surprise - prog rock is far not the music you can expect as Ukrainian export! Brainchild of Antony Kalugin (who run few more musical projects as well), the band presents on this album eclectic and quite unusual mix of decades of prog rock legacy in one place.

Musical base of all album is obviously Genesis/ Marillion influences, but played on characteristic Eastern Slavic manner - with stronger accent on melodies and emotional field. Kalugin sings mostly all vocals on the album, and possibly this is one of most controversial decision - not like his vocals are bad, but emotive, almost exalted singing manner is not for everyone taste.

The Wrap is a conceptual album in a key as Genesis have been recorded in their 70s, but musically it doesn't sound as just simple clone. Besides of vintage keyboards based sound, there are many elements coming from different rock genres included on main sound (and they often come from more modern period, as heavy metal guitars and almost doom short pieces). The music sounds as retrospective of some prog tradition from few decades presented in one mix (sometimes successful. in moments - not so much), performed in soulful manner, often removing rock sharpness and adding melodic emotional performing.

Not the release for anyone interested in any original prog (old or new), but quite pleasant work for neo-prog fans.

Report this review (#320501)
Posted Monday, November 15, 2010 | Review Permalink
4 stars Sunchild is the brainchild of Anthony Kalugin who you may know from the group Karfagen who have released a number of very well received instrumental albums over the past few years.

This is the third instalment of the Sunchild series and follows on from the critically acclaimed "The Invisible Line"

"The Wrap" tells an adult fairy tale which becomes both dark and sinister as the truth unfolds shredding its outer layers, its victim trapped within a labyrinth of the mind.

I have personally enjoyed all the Sunchild releases so far but they do require a certain degree of listening to get the most out of them.

The real difference with this album is how immediate the album sounds," Day Of Destiny " the first track draws you in and i have never heard Anthony sing so well and with so much authority and passion.

The next track "The Wrap Intro" is the first purely instrumental piece on the album and at 5.00 min long the perfect introduction to what will eventually unfold with the title track, it has a kaleidoscope of changes within itself and you just never really know where it going to go next, some superb melody, guitar and superb orchestrated keyboard throughout.

The title track "The Wrap" is an epic track and a real tour de-force. It is very difficult i find to keep peoples interest up with a track that is normally 38.00mins long, but it really works so well.

It still retains the overall quirky but accessible soundscapes that i feel Sunchild do so well but is sounds so much more complete than anything they have produced before.

It is a track that contains so many surprises but delivered in a more confident and tightly constructed way, there is some superb guitar work and i love the keyboard work throughout, the interplay between the various instruments just seems so natural.

There is some beautiful piano and keyboard work on the next track "The Angel" almost jazzy in its interpretation of the vocals initially before building to its climax, it has bags of atmosphere and is the perfect foil to the title track.

So we move onto the second and last purely instrumental track "Illusionist" it is the shortest on the album at 1.16 min, it contains an acoustic guitar and is stripped back quite bare but remains very haunting at the same time.

"The Wrap Outro" completes the album and finally finishes the story that has been told with such passion and authority throughout, it contains some more excellent lyrics and instrumental interplay between the keyboards and guitar all orchestrated to perfection, the track eventually fades out to the perfect dream like conclusion.

The standard of playing is certainly of a very high quality throughout as it normally is, but this time the production values seem to have taken an enormous leap forward as the clarity in sound is quite incredible at times, you will understand this better when you listen to the album and are clearly able to pick out the multitude of different instruments and place them within the songs very easily.

Sunchild have produced a superb piece of orchestrated symphonic progressive rock, which appeals to fans of all genres of music including Camel and Marillion for two easy comparisons.

I can see a huge leap forward musically for them on this release and hopefully it will be enjoyed by even more fans than his last release under the Sunchild monicker.

There is no doubt that if you enjoy this release you will be seeking out the comprehensive back catalogue of Anthony Kalugin ,he is one of progressive rock`s undiscovered gems by many and iam certain this is about to change with this album.

Report this review (#328854)
Posted Sunday, November 21, 2010 | Review Permalink
5 stars KALUGIN once again has metaphorically raised the bar musically with his most poignant statement yet on progressive rock. ANTONY via SUNCHILD "THE WRAP" enraptures both the tight hard-hitting sound familiar to lovers of great rock music as well as evoking memories of vintage progressive music with his use of classically trained musicians to enrich the lengthy moving and shifting passages so vibrant throughout THE WRAP. The albums concept will engross the listener, as the adult fairytale becomes a dark and sinister one as the truth unfolds Shredding its dark and sinister tale its victim trapped within a labyrinth of the mind.So whether you bag is CAMEL or DREAM THEATER MARILLION or METALLICA you are in for a five star ride. So make sure you catch this star before it ascends to the skies!
Report this review (#329054)
Posted Sunday, November 21, 2010 | Review Permalink
TheGazzardian
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars It is rare, these days, for me to dig too deep into modern symphonic rock. There is a lot of good stuff out there but there is also a lot of formulaic/retro stuff out there, and to be honest I've heard enough already. So it takes a really good song to catch my attention these days, and Sunchilds 2010 album had just that in the opening track "Day of My Destiny".

Kalugin, the mind behind the project, has learned well from the likes of early Genesis, for there is no instrumental wankery to ease the listener into the album; from the very first moment, this vocal-oriented track starts with - well vocals - soft and poignant, sung over a piano line. Okay, it's a break up song, and you could say that it has cliches, but it is great in my mind for two significant reasons. The first reason is that it sets up the concept of the album quite nicely (that concept being about "The Wrap" between us and others; not too different from that of Pink Floyd's The Wall). The second reason is simply that this song is amazing in terms of songwriting. It is catchy from beginning to end, builds up quite nicely, and all the elements work well together.

After many listens, the 4 minutes at the beginning are still, in my mind, the best 4 minutes on the album. But I would do this album an injustice not to mention that single track, with the same name as the album "The Wrap", which takes up 2/3rds of the album. That's right, we are exposed to a 40 minute prog rock epic. My thoughts are - well - it's not Supper's Ready. It's got a lot of really great pieces, some great atmosphere, but also some parts (although just a few!) that tend to fade into the background. The first ten minutes are uniformly great and the remaining 30 are, for the most part, pleasant to very good. The song features heavy, metallic guitars at parts, ethnic keys at others, great singing - pretty much anything a great symphonic prog epic needs. But it lacks the cohesion that makes the best tracks so powerful.

Beyond that, the remaining tracks are all enjoyable, if none are as good as the opener. The last track does suffer from some painfully bad lyrics mind you, from the first time I've heard it the line "It's really good time for corn flakes" has made me have a hard time taking the rest of the album seriously. Luckily, it's in the last song, so most of the album isn't tarnished by it.

Report this review (#342227)
Posted Friday, December 3, 2010 | Review Permalink
Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars SUNCHILD is one of the three main musical ventures of Ukrainian composer and musician Antony Kalugin, the other two being Karfagen and Hoggwash, respectively. This project was set up by Kalugin and involves young, aspiring musicians from his homeland. The first album made by Sunchild, "The Gnomon", was issued in March 2008. "The Wrap" from 2010 is the second of those, and as all albums by Sunchild so far it was released by UK record label Caerllysi Music.

"The Wrap" is an album centered around the massive epic-length composition Under the Wrap, and its blend of neo-tinged symphonic art rock, carefully spiced with progressive metal, folk-rock and jazz-rock themes, should be a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate art rock with an eclectic touch. Mood, atmosphere and melody are emphasized over technical and quirky features, and as such I would suspect that those fond of the neo-progressive approach to symphonic art rock might be a key audience for this fine CD.

Report this review (#427100)
Posted Sunday, April 3, 2011 | Review Permalink
4 stars It's a pity that these days so many progrock fans and even so many critics only want to hear the same old Yessongs replayed and rerecorded under different names and performed and "composed" by new bands over and over and over again. What is exactly progressive about that? Personally I like to discover new bands, producing new sounds and new music, adding new colours and bringing fresh ideas, thus keeping music alive.

Fortunately I recently discovered the Ukrainian musician Antony Kalugin, who has been producing lots of quantities of excellent new progressive and symphonic art rock in the last few years. Of course not everything he makes is completely new, because every musician is a part of the world he lives in and every man is but a cog in the big machine called world, but what's the point if everyone tries to be the same cog?

When you listen to the music of Antony Kalugin, you will get to know a man who has succeeded in giving the conception of the word progressive rock a new turn. His craftsmanship is proverbial. He is the main man behind the projects KARFAGEN and SUNCHILD. Enter his world and discover the fineness of his melodies, the warmness of his harmonies, the inventiveness of his arrangements and the outstanding quality of his keyboard playing.

His album "The Wrap", is centred around the over 38 minutes lasting title track of the same name. All other tracks are subordinate to this magnum opus. The second track is the instrumental intro to the Wrap, while the sixth track is meant as an outro. "The Wrap" is constructed over a couple of beautiful, returning symphonic rock themes and shows the complete versatility of the Sunchild sound. A classic band line up is alternated with a string trio (violin, viola & cello) and instruments like the bassoon and the bayan, an Ukrainian sort of accordion. Main attraction are of course the impeccable and excellent keyboard interventions by mister Kalugin. The lead guitar sound by Maxim Velchko is warm and full and fits the music like a glove. Just listen to his superb playing in the very symphonic final part of "The Wrap". His sound can easily compete with the best Steve Rothery.

The music of Sunchild can be heavy, just listen to the almost Metallica like riff in the main track, but the main ingredient of their music remains the warmth of their melodies and arrangements. Of course I could put in a couple of references to other groups to give an indication of would you can expect. Lovers of the best Mike Holmes (IQ) guitar solos will be pleased with the technically perfect sounding Maxim Velchko, while lovers of melodic Italian bands like Latte e Miele (compare the bassoon playing or some of the chord progressions on their album Papillon) will also recognize the sound of their preference in the music of Sunchild. There are spots where Sunchild shows the strength of U.K. in some passages where the organ and the violin combine. What I mean to say, is that Sunchild can compete with the best.

The only thing I had to get used to are the vocals. Antony sings, like he is telling a story and he does that very close to the microphone, which gives a bit the same effect as Jûrgen Dollases singing with Wallenstein. Of course this is a matter of taste. The opening track "Day Of Destiny" still has a very catching chorus and sounds inviting enough.

The album is well produced and comes with a handsome booklet. This album that so excellently combines folk elements to warm progressive and symphonic rock music, deserves to be discovered by everyone. All four stars are well deserved !

Erik de Beer

Report this review (#628840)
Posted Wednesday, February 8, 2012 | Review Permalink
5 stars It's about fear and hope, weakness and faith, deceit and what we believe at face value the truth to be.

However we are carefully hiding under the wrap - wearing masks and coats of many colours and shades.

We struggle to change the life we have ignored, misunderstanding even our closest friends.

Then suddenly we realise that we are the prisoner of our own thoughts, and the beloved one is so "far away".

And that you have become a player in this masquerade - seeking so hard to find the way back, because so many things were just said and done for effect. Your powers are tested to the limit and you try to salvage your life and love, as your alter ego "Raven" is always watching you waiting to crush your newfound spirit.

Once again like in "the Gnomon" album there're two personages - girl and a boy. At the centre of the big masterplan a ruthless game is being played within the mind you fight to win back your values and your love by finding the way out of "the Wrap".

Report this review (#1820242)
Posted Tuesday, November 7, 2017 | Review Permalink

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