COMA ROSSI

There was a lot of hype back in 2018 when it was released and the cover of the album also drawed my attention and I decided to give it a chance. I wasn't too excited about it and selved it but some years later I thought it was time to revisit it. Coma Rossi hail from India and the main influences, to my ears, on this album are Porcupine Tree and Riverside, sometimes way too blatant. But nevermind this; after all, it's quite hard to create something really unique nowadays and secondly I have heard many albums that sound quite similar to other bands, but I enjoy nonetheless. So, the music is mostly ambient, with a cinematic edge, too, although hard parts on the guitars are dotted here and there. The first two songs, though nothing superb, kept my interest, but after that I'm sorry to say that the whatever 'novelty' wears off and the music sounds very boring to my ears. The keyboards provide nothing but pads, the guitars are one-dimentional, playing mostly atmospheric passages and suddenly throwing in some power chords, the development of the songs is dragging and the "mesmerising" way the singer sings becomes tiresome after a while. The fact that they hail from India had raised my hopes that I would hear something more exotic but no, it is too typical and derivative. One of the few times that I didn't make it to listen to the entire album.

Fans of Porcupine Tree and Riverside and also take a liking at ambient music might check it out.

Coma Rossi was formed in 2014 in Bangalore India. Not the typical origin for a progressive rock band. Still, Bangalore is one of the top "Tech-HUB's" in India, so that may at least explain their fascination for this typical "Western world" music style.

Four guys on guitars, keyboards and vocals are joined by two different guest drummers on this, their debut, self- titled, 8-track album. Great album cover, reminiscent of some of the famous Hipgnosis covers from the 70'ies! Stylistically, they obviously draw their inspiration from the likes of Riverside and other European band within the post progressive movement. I can even hear a clear influence from Riverside vocalist Mariusz Duda on some of the tracks. The overall sound often leans over to the heavy part of progressive, with distinct guitar riffs dominating the sound spectre. Most of the eight tracks carry long and sometimes quite complex instrumental passages while other are painted in large, cinematic scenes. The 2nd track "Transmission" stands out in this context with some great guitar work.

"Jomolungma is far away" is the only all instrumental track on the album and builds perfectly from the calm and lush opening sequence until it becomes more dramatic towards the end. Probably equal to the challenge of climbing to the top as "Jomolungma" is the local, Tibetian name for Mount Everest! Love this track!

"Yellow Escape" opens with a monotonous beep that forms the backbone of the rhythm for this track, and creates a slow, mysterious atmosphere. Low key, dark with a scent of despair.

"Dream" is the longest track of the album, clocking in at nearly 14 minutes, and stands out as least interesting with the first 8 minutes dominated by long, slow vocal passages, while the ending part contains some drawn out cinematic, repetitive guitar, keyboards and drums passages. On "Stillborn" and "Turn Back Time", I notice some influence from the likes of Porcupine Tree In Absentia/Deadwing area, shifting from calm and quiet instrumental sections to heavy guitar riffs and high pitched vocals.

The album closes with "Lost" which stands out as a true "tour-de-force" ending with some great guitar and keyboard soloing and interplay.

Overall, a very good debut from these Indian guys. Great instrumental skills, good songwriting with great arrangement diversity. Vocals are on par. 3.5, and this time I rounding up to 4 stars on the verdict.

Second album for Coma Rossi . The group has undergone many changes since its first recording attempt in 2018. Originally from Bangalore in India and then made up of four members, it has today become a duo shared between Germany and England, the link being provided by Gaurav Govilkar who plays almost all the instruments, with the exception of the drums. More than Prog, I would say that the album 'Void' is positioned on the Post Rock side, the overall sound of Coma Rossi having taken a heavier, darker turn. Moreover, the theme of the disc fits perfectly with this sound: "Coma Rossi attempts to achieve a contemplative silence and a familiar melancholy enveloped by atmospheric and saturated guitars, introspective texts and explosive drum sounds, as during the preparation for a storm at sea."

"Wither" is an instrumental intro based on distorted guitar arpeggios and keyboard layers. This gives way to the thick heaviness of "Waves of Time" which contains many cleverly interwoven guitar parts. I remain a little less convinced by the vocal performance which seems a bit fragile to me in the face of this wall of sound. We will also note the revival work of Diane Galen on drums who manages to maintain momentum throughout the track.

It's a bit of the same mood that inhabits "Burning", on which I found a hint of The Smashing Pumpkins . The song is based again on stacks of layers of guitars, and a very minimalist approach to singing, 80% of the track being instrumental.

A peaceful atmosphere finally arrives thanks to the acoustic guitar of "Falling Apart" and its strange chords. An electric guitar then appears, then discreet layers of keyboards, before giving way to an explosion of sound which accompanies the end of the piece. A great success.

Tribute to the group Mars Red Sky ? Not sure? although the title "This Red Sky" may have some similarities. Long instrumental development (or almost) filled with angry guitars and drums with a heavy groove, it will delight fans of Stoner and Post Rock. "Oblivion", more immediate in approach despite its odd rhythm, was selected as a single, and once again offers a very thick sound even if it sometimes means drowning out the main vocals.

The verses of "Small Ideas" are intended to be more airy and luminous, in particular thanks to the contribution of the double vocals, but the roaring guitars are not to be outdone as are the numerous rhythmic changes of the drums to make it one of the peaks of the album.

Very Ambient oriented and certainly the most Prog piece of the disc, the quasi-instrumental "Farm of Lights" evokes Pink Floyd for a soaring journey to the sound of Thomas Huy 's voice .

The closing track "In Circles" evolves in a melancholy atmosphere by taking up the musical elements of the rest of the record, to make it a piece of fragile heaviness.

Focused on the theme of loss and lack, 'Void' leans towards the dark side of feelings. This undoubtedly explains the difference in style with the group's first album. Although they have become a duo, the writing of all the titles is the work of Gaurav Govilkar who has recorded on record the fruit of a palpable sadness.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.

"Wither" solemn, dark reverberating orchestration on electric guitar, for a soundscape bringing "Waves of Time" GATHERING sound for this strident guitar; a melancholic prog metal tune that drips with post-rock; a progressive space, latency of sound leaving on the storm, swirling and invasive, oozing the lamentation of the last ANATHEMA. "Burning" more sedate, metronomic; a wave of swelling notes, amplified by the buzzing drums over the barren landscape left by the flames; sinister decadent post rock. "Falling Apart" with acoustics and a phrased vocal, a synth forcing the melancholic air, collapse of notes with the arrival of the nostalgic, devastating electric solo. "This Red Sky" with a dramatic, solemn intro; the drums set the tempo before the electric guitar rips off the extended scores; heavy, evil air of the death that raged, blood remaining the only proof; only a prolonged 'ah' will disrupt this mantra from beyond the grave with its heavy post-apocalyptic crescendo, the finale veering into dark doom where one could imagine a growl voice.

"Oblivion" its bubbling sound, voice reminiscent of SIGUR ROS, the guitar on a dark, monolithic HABITANTS; viscous feeling of not being able to get better despite the struggle of wanting to get out of it. The sound of yesteryear shows the proven morbid aspect which seems inevitable, on a progressive dark wave. "Small Ideas" continues, same line with added depressive choruses; the guitars are more unstructured, giving a pale reflection and the melancholy leans towards the tunes of TENHI and KAUAN; the finale returns to conventional and reverberating post rock with saturated guitar, making it addictive in a final decadent grindcore. "Farm of Lights" changes climate with a cathedral air; his soaring, latent, alarming end-of-the-world vocalizations of Thomas recalling the sung title of Klaus SCHULZE; ethereal atmosphere on the early FLOYD, finally eyeing those of the first COMA ROSSI. Dreamlike and majestic, the best. "In Circles" archaic and crystalline piano, heavy electric guitar, everything is in place to conclude this lugubrious journey with this lunar crescendo where the drums print the deadly La to come out healing; a little voice sprinkled in and the musical clarity is imprinted in your head.

COMA ROSSI had to recover to go from 5 to 2 members; like a funeral testament, the sound leaves the listener stunned, haggard. Originally on Profilprog.

Moods and Meditations, Lamentations and Hope

The eerie cover art of Coma Rossi's debut album lured me from the beginning, and the music complements it perfectly. This bewitching album has been my companion in lockdown limbo, and I've enjoyed its otherworldly atmospheres, comforting vocals, and shifting moods during these trying times.

Ethereal, mysterious, and hallucinatory, the music of Coma Rossi is an interesting brew of cinematic soundscapes, soaring vocals, emotive guitar solos, and aggressive riffage. For this debut album, they present eight beautiful but sometimes unsettling meditations on loss, yearning, death, and resignation. Each song is a fever dream exploring uneven terrain, often lapidary in structure, beginning as a typical song, shifting gears, almost ending, shifting gears again. Asian-inflected melodies and sitar-like timbres intermingle with distortion and celestial atmospheres. A spoken word intro, spooky keyboard vista, or delicate acoustic guitar solo will sidestep into something else. Lyrically, the songs take us on journeys through loss and transition as the music provides substantial detours into realms of anger, contemplation, and hope.

This is not a dark album; it is a shimmering reverie that leaves me with a sense of having traveled strange lands, of losing something along the way and returning with something else found. These feelings match my current state of mind in a world gone off the rails. I have lost something, I have found something, and I don't know how it's all going to work out. Sadness and hope can flow from the same source, and Coma Rossi's music suggests that owning these feelings is enough.

This is a strong first effort and works best as an album experience, start to finish. Recommended - quite a bit, actually.

As one of the oldest amalgamations of cultures in the entire world, the mega-nation of India spans thousands of years and has crafted some of the most memorable and distinct forms of music ranging from classical Hindustani and Carnatic to the diverse sounds of Bollywood filmi and catchy Indi-pop however progressive rock has taken a lot longer to catch on in this nation of over a billion inhabitants but the time has come in recent years that the rest of the world has adopted some of the more sophisticated sounds that evolved in the West, new bands are popping up all over the place.

COMA ROSSI comes from the city of Bangalore which is more associated with the booming tech world than as a bastion for English flavored prog but this band that consists of Tom Borah (vocals, acoustic guitar), Udayan Kashalikar (bass, vocals), Juby Thomas (keyboards, samples), Gaurav Govilkar (guitars) and Anupam Panda (drums) was formed in 2014 and four years later released its self-titled debut album which incredibly sounds like a seasoned mature band that has been around much longer. When you think of anything remotely Indian in prog you automatically go to the 70s fusion styles of Indo-raga where sitars dominate the ethnic waves of ancient Hindu dreams but COMA ROSSI has completely forsaken its indigenous sounds for a mature sound that is right out of the Porcupine Tree playbook.

This is band that doesn't rely on instrumental wankery to get its point across but rather delivers an amazing atmospheric textured slow burning style of prog that is fortified with the best production techniques and highly emotive performances that allow slowly unwinding rhythmics that are accentuated by lush ambient soundscapes, fuzzy guitar sustain with the occasional solos a la Pink Floyd and beautiful sweeping synthesized effects. The eight tracks slink by slowly and confidently and extend out to the 67 minute running time but despite this nonchalant procession to the finish line, COMA ROSSI have crafted an amazingly addictive slice of atmospheric prog that often borders on shoegaze in its nebulous spaced out detachment that nurtures stray melodies into emotionally rich hooks. Prog-gaze is a thing now? Thanks Steven Wilson!

When it comes to influences it is immediately apparent that Porcupine Tree are the clear winners of this honor however COMA ROSSI still manage to craft a style that escapes the catastrophic disaster of becoming a mere clone. Oh no way! While the atmospheric production may evoke a sense of "The Sky Moves Sideways" psychedelic rock on valium mixed with a touch of heavier "Deadwing" types of guitar distortion, COMA ROSSI cleverly steers the melodic constructs into its own universe of instantly accessible hooks without bringing Mr. Steven Wilson to mind for even a second. Sometimes sounding like a bit of Pineapple Thief, sometimes a touch of Floyd, the slow unfolding shoegazy effects of the gentle groovy bass lines and passionate vocal deliver an arousing and attention getting set of tunes that are amazingly brilliant.

Some tracks like "Stillborn" are amazingly creative as eerie piano runs alternate with heavy prog guitar riffs while atmospheric cloud covers continuously shift like the atmospheric album cover that simulates a soft breezy afternoon. This is truly one of those albums where the atmospheres dance in a slow but effective manner while the rest of the instrumentation is somewhat of a secondary feature while Tom Barah's vocals give the impression that this music is the next big neo-prog band to break big however the music itself doesn't sound like IQ or Arena but does hint at those styles of prog. This was quite a surprise actually. For prog like this to work for me, it must have a dynamic competent singer as well as an emotive atmospheric production that allows the subtitles to emphasize the greater sum of the parts. Add to that a disparate collection of instantly addictive melodic performances that stand out from each other and you got a winner. Very much looking forward to a sophomore release form COMA ROSSI as this debut is quite impressive.

COMA ROSSI was formed in 2014, this group comes from India, where he gave birth to this album, mixing atmospheric environments, percussive grooves, psychedelic sounds, sometimes hard riffs, all sprinkled with a typical emotional voice describing feelings loss, grief and the effect of time on relationships, fortunately magnified by an air pocket full of hope. I waited to chronicle with the release of their album in CD format to amplify a major production in 2019, the digital version is available since December 20, 2018. Their music, like many current groups, is a conglomeration of various musical trends, digging for insiders in the universe psychedelic, electro and indie: I personally have found the PORCUPINE TREE, of Oceansize, the MOGWAI planing period, the tHE GATHERING, the GAZPACHO for this atmosphere planing and staggering a bit of NEW ORDER yes, just for some well-metallic synths, a hint of KING CRIMSON for some guitar riffs and of course the ANATHEMA and PINK FLOYD their period of more symphonic. Again, I must say that here the boys COMA ROSSI have the guts to give out an album with a singular sound, clean, with only reminiscences of the major groups mentioned above! For the uninitiated, "Mirage" opens the show with a crescendo structure in two stages. It is hovering with waves intro, it gets nervous guitar a little OSI is also up plaintive voice of Tom Borah aside, it is already enjoyable. "Transmission" share a rhythmic tempo synth and vocals, quickly leading to the sound COMA ROSSI, a spleenante guitar, throbbing, hot recalling SOUP or S. WILSON with some radio voice to PINK FLOYD. "Jomolungma is far away" slower, heavier, outgoing air guitar of "Red" and a western movie, some ANATHEMA for the atmosphere and an instrumental explosion in two stages with a guitar this out stoner again Monkey3, bass, who gets to the stage with a fluid synth we are faced heavy there! Already half of the album and "Dream" has a rest with a beautiful intro to THE GATHERING with bombs infra-sounds and almost crystalline guitar here, then his throbbing sets off in fine style (listen!) but a repetition of air tarnishes somewhat the atmosphere created (9 minutes enough in my opinion). "Stillborn" gives this fast plumb fleeting printing with a heavier title, almost metal, guitars and synths that relate to each other and a voice to the sensual B. Ferry, the piano notes making yet evolve all at halfway before a flood and a plaintive sound end, meditative there. "Turn Back Time" from here on an alliance LUNATIC SOUL, ANATHEMA and RIVERSIDE: it is soft, relaxing; beautiful voice work using this road as before the combination of the various instruments. "Lost" from her on a kind more new-wave pop with a voice more forward on two tones, mixing that of SIMPLE MINDS and A-HA restful also saw the flood of titles offered; but watch the soaring synth midterm reminded that here nothing is officially recorded until the end, just to the latest sounds and a final solo extraordinary guitar magnified by a striking rhythmic. Well, I say more !? Whether it's enjoyable, I said; it is beautiful, that is cutting edge and also a synthesis of the pre-mentioned groups, but the sound is the COMA ROSSI; that is bluffing, I'm right in this kind of PROG ART music, in a summary of what I imagined not hear one day, yes! This album is just wonderful, I must admit!

Indian band COMA ROSSI was formed back in 2014, and from their home base in Bangalore, India they have worked diligently since then to create material suitable for a debut album. At the end of 2018 this debut album appeared, simply called "Coma Rossi", and was self released as a digital album by the band. Shortly after the album was picked up by Irish label Progressive Gears, and made available in CD format.

There are many bands out there that explore different variations of what some people have dubbed new progressive rock these days. Bands that have taken direct and indirect inspiration from the likes of Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief, Radiohead and others. I'd suggest that those that tend to enjoy the first two of those bands in particular would have a fairly good chance to enjoy the landscapes that Coma Rossi have chosen to explore. A strong and promising debut album.