AZAZELLO

I don't know how Brian managed to hear about them in California, but this intriguing release is out on the Moonchild label. And a bloody interesting release it is as well. It is very rocky in places with the guitar being very much the lead instrument, while at others it is the keyboards, but what is so interesting about the whole album is the way that the guys keep switching styles many times, even within the same song. They have also brought to bear some Russian touches as well as the more obvious influences such as Dream Theater and Qüeensryche. It is an album that has a definite sound all of its' own and is one that many progheads are going to seek out just because it has a novelty which is all too rare in these days of progressive soundalikes.

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this most progressive of releases

Feedback #58, May 2000

In 1999 I received a promotional preview CD of this album. The American label Moonchild Records had signed them, and Brian Hirsch had done some digitally re-mastering before the CD-release. The original recordings were made in a cheap studio, so the sound quality wasn't the best. However the band wasn't satisfied with the new mixing so Moonchild had to do a new re-mix before the final release. Now I finally have the finished CD in my hands. This is basically the same album but with a much better sound than on the original cassette release on Volos Rec.

AZAZELLO are quite good musicians and their compositions are very good with complex rhythm changes and instrumental passages. The song titles are presented in English on the cover, but AZAZELLO's album has been recorded with Russian lyrics. This is because Russia is a very big country, and it's probably there they have their biggest market. The band is lead by Alexander Kulak who besides playing guitar also handles the vocals. He's also responsible for the main part of the compositions. Their biggest influence seems to be DREAM THEATER, but also bands such as SYMPHONY X, KANSAS, MARILLION, QUEENSRYCHE and GORKY PARK to name a few. The highlight is the +10 minutes "Night Before The Christmas".

I thing that AZAZELLO has a good chance to be recognised even outside their native country. If you're into Prog Metal bands such as DREAM THGEATER, and are brave enough to try out the Russian alternative, I recommend you to give this album a try.

AZAZELLO is playing Prog Metal with great harmonies, complex compositions and lots of changes in rhythm, mood and tempo. The DREAM THEATER influence, which was very present on their debut, is now less obvious. They have come closer to their own originality on this release with the addition of female back-up vocals, flute and a guest appearance of the folk band "DIVO". Due to all of these things, they have come closer to their roots. When I'm hearing the Russian female choir and the flute I instantly start thinking of Russia. The interplay between guitar and keyboards has become even better on this album too, and it's now one of the most exciting things in AZAZELLO's music.

Once again, the guitarist Alexandr Kulak has written all the songs. He's also responsible for all the arrangements. Alexandr have been very kind and he has sent me his and AZAZELLO's work continuously the latter years. The song "Wake Me Up" is one of those. I received a demo cassette of this track in 1999, and it's one of the highlights on this album and perhaps also the most complex thing they've ever recorded. "Pulse?" is another really interesting track, which shows the drummer in full performance. On this track it becomes obvious that the drummer is a highly technical master on his instrument.

"Upstairs" is showing a band that has matured and become a lot more experimental since the debut. Keep in mind that this is only a cassette copy. And although there's some dropouts on my cassette and the fact that the sound quality isn't all-professional, this is an astounding example of high-quality Prog Metal from a land we don't often hear any music at all from. I hope I will get the chance to get this album as a proper CD- release some day. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

(The song titles is written in English in this review to make it understandable for the reader, but the vocals and the original song titles are all in the Russian language.)