OASIS

"Oasis" is the debut studio album by INNER DRIVE. This Moscow band plays instrumental symphonic prog / fusion music composed by talented and skilled musician Sergey Bolotov. He is keyboard player using both acoustic piano and digital synth sounds reminding 1980s. His style of playing combines virtuosity and sentimentality. Drums and bass create real drive; both violin and flute add beauty. This music is oriented to die-hard proggers loving frequent changes in rhythm, tunes, measures, tempo. This stuff is not for people accustomed to traditional song structure. Perhaps, the more quantity of delicate acoustic fragments could make this album more listenable.

Inner Drive from Russia, this totally unknown band even in their country released the debut in 2014 named Oasis. Formed around 2006 they come up with a beautiful art work ,but the music is no less chalenging and beautiful in same time. The album is entirely instrumental and is on eclectic side, from symphonic prog to prog folk and even some fusion moments are present all done with skills and good taste, keyboards, flute, the violin parts, all are well organized delivering some intresting chops from start to finish. The head of the band Sergey Bolotov gathered around him talented musicians who know to handle the instruments, creating a good towards great release in today prog realm. All in all intresting album by this russian band, I think they need far more exposure. 3 stars rounded to 3.5