CARPATHIA PROJECT

1998 in Budapest and two Hungarian musicians, guitarist Zsolt Daczi (R.I.P.) and guitarist/violin player Tamas Angyan started Carpathia Project.With the help of session members on bass, drums, keyboards and flute the duo recorded its self-titled debut in 1999, a work which was good enough for Periferic Records to release it on CD the same year.

What characterizes this album is the strong amount of energy and passion of its compositions, which come as a blend of fiery Jazz/Fusion, Guitar Rock and Ethnic Music.Daczi and Angyan were not only the driving forces of Carpathia Project but also the two mwn who shine on this record with their satisfying and talented performances.One moment the listener has to face the dynamic riffs, powerful grooves and intricate solos of Daczi, not to mention a few lovely acoustic crescendos he delivers.His work is nicely blended with the violin execution of his bandmate Tamas Angyan, his performance has strong Hungarian Folk and Classical tendencies (Polish act ANKH come to mind) and the interplays between the two are definitely the highlights of this release.The rest of the crew is not far behind, especially Tamas Zsoldos with his incredible jazzy and complex bass lines.Some nice flute work and organ passages here and there make this work more diverse.Another clever move of the band is keeping the length of the album short (just over 37 minutes) and compress the ideas in short forms, without getting the listener tired.

Among the very good and satisfying releases of modern-era Jazz/Prog/Fusion.''Carpathia Project'' is strongly recommended to all fans of powerful Jazz/Fusion with an evident ethnic feeling...3.5 stars.

4.5 stars.

A collaborative effort between the two guitarists mentioned on the cover, Angyan and Daczi. And what a great effort! The end result is a hard-hitting kind of fusion vaguely reminiscent of groups like Mindflowers, MCM, and to a lesser extent Liquid Tension Experiment.

What sets this release apart however is the eclectic mix of styles and instruments. Every track has their unique sound, but at the same time they all manage to sound completely different. The musicianship is top notch, especially the violin (also played by Angyan), which is an essential part of the sound.

All of the tracks are relatively short yet manage to create a great fusion vibe on each of them. Many of the tracks are perfect, though a remote few are lacking. Those tracks are 'Smile' and 'Something for You'. I think the difference there is that the band doesn't really play with the same energy. They slow everything down for those songs. They're still nice to listen to, but both aren't really up to par with the rest of the album.

Recommended to anyone really, especially fans of fusion. Fans of the band Mindflowers will surely find something to like here.

Here is an interesting collaborative project between two Hungarian virtuosi, Zsolt Daczi and Tamas Angyan. Right from the first track we hear the difference between the two guitarists, one of them has a crunchy tone and uses a jazzy harmonic language while the other has a creamy tone and has more of a standard shred/neoclassical soloing style. If you think that's incompatible, think again; there is fantastic synergy between the players and it sounds like they are communicating with ease. Based on the first track one would think that this is a rather straightforward instrumental shred cd, along the lines of Satriani or Malmsteen, after all it's distributed by a shred label, Guitar Nine Records. However, the second track features a violin riff, with a distinct balkan flavor, with rhythmic alterations of groups of 2 and 3. With each new track a completely new flavor can be heard, some pieces have a latin flavor, others suggest slavonic highlander influences with the use of the lydian modality, and yet others fall into the boundaries of typical modern fusion (there is a track here named "Fusion"). Each track has something new to offer that one wouldn't expect, and the tunes themselves are strong enough that the album has a good listening longevity. It is not clear to me if this was a one-off project or if there's a possibility of another one, but that would surely be a treat, as this is one of the best of its sort that I've heard.