KROBAK

Most of the older members of PA know that between us there are several people that besides reviewing and debating about progressive rock, also are musicians, and one of them is Igor Sidorenko alias prog-jester. Since he shared with us his Diary of the Missed One I felt interested in his music, and Ive been especially following each new Krobak effort: Full-length album, EP or split, now its the turn of his 2010 released entitled Blind Parade.

To be honest, Ive wanted to review it since at last two or three months ago, when Igor kindly enlightened me to it, but there was something that stopped me: I was not that enthusiastic, so I wanted to listen to it more and more, to see if my love for it increased, but that did not happen.

Blind Parade features three long compositions and a total time of 4' minutes. The first song is the title track and also the longest one. It starts softly with some far voices that will vanish seconds later; then some kind of funeral drums appear and mark the rhythm, while guitars are playing different tunes as both, back and foreground. The music is repetitive, which does not mean it is boring, not at all, actually I enjoy listening to the different figures and elements he produces with the guitars. Before minute five there is a change and the sound is more friendly and joyful.

Another change appears at minute eight where the previous mood fades out and a new guitar appears. I recognized it since the first listen, this new passage had been used as a part of Marching for the Freedom we have Lost, a track featured in the Gdeva split. This part is pretty good because of its gradual progress, I like the game that the different guitars play, while one sounds delicate and far, other appears strong and near.

The second track is Slow Train, to be honest, the first thing that came to my mind when I heard the first seconds, was that Bjrk song called Ive seen it all, I dont know if Igor is aware of it, but it sounds too similar. Anyway, it is just for some seconds, because later some male voice appears (I ignore the language) and keeps talking for a minute, then some tense atmosphere is created, seems to be wind in a dark and lost place. Later, the sound of the train re-appers for a couple of seconds, opening the road to the guitars. Now with the guitars, a new structure is being built up with a constant rhythm that all of a sudden is broken at minute five, when the voice appears again.

That voice speaks again for a minute, until a delicate guitar starts, this is the kind of soft but emotional guitar sound that one can appreciate in several post rock bands. After minute eight the song takes a heavier way, however, it is stopped again by that voice, here I have a problem because I have no idea of what is he saying, actually I cannot even imagine it, as much as Ive tried, Ive failed. After this last appearance the song produces a sad and desolate atmosphere.

The last song of the album is Fading Flow. In this track I can hear some Talk Talk reminiscences, at least in the drums, and I know Igor like them, so they might have influenced him. Some minutes later, disarming strings appear and produce a slightly sad atmosphere, and then when keyboards appear you can imagine a new scene, a new place with different images and characters walking or flying. Then it suddenly slows down, seems that it will end, but no, it starts again

This is not the typical Krobak song, full of emotional guitars, this is a soft and peaceful composition whose textures might appeal to the listener, but you have to be patient, otherwise, you may get bored after some minutes. It happened to me, actually, and to be honest this is not a song that really caught my attention, despite Ive listened to it several times.

Well, this is a good album, the talent of this Ukrainian man is evident, the compositions are complex and of high quality, the problem here is that despite I tried, it never convinced me as much as I wished. Now I can say I enjoy much more his Diary of the Missed One album, and after all it is a matter of subjectivity. Anyway, I am proud of Igors works and I recommend you to listen to Krobak, you will have a good time for sure. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!

That "only" word, means that here you will listen to Igor Sidorenko's compositions under the name of Krobak, and nothing more. I say this because the last three Krobak related albums I have reviewed were released with the collaboration of other musicians (Gdeva, Somnolent, Monocube), those so called splits.

This time, Krobak offers four short but nice elaborated songs. If you are familiar with his music, then you know that most of his compositions are long epics, I already knew it, but that thing made me actually feel interested in this EP. Released in 2008, Vorkoma shows a slightly different face of Krobak.

"They are all Shot this winter" opens the album. Dreamy guitars make a tranquil but at the same time sad atmosphere. While the seconds pass, new elements are building up the song's structure and maintain you expectant, waiting for what is happening next. This is a beautiful composition that can make Igor proud, the emotions and feelings he created are awesome. It is great to see that the use of only one guitar can completely change the song, I said this because of minute 4:30 where an intense electric guitar appears.

Before reading the previous reviews, I really felt that the second track called "Three Tired Hands" could work as a soundtrack. Now that I know that this was inspired by Badalamenti's music, I understand why. This song is not really the clear example of Krobak's music, but anyway worth listening. It has repetitive bass notes and a particular guitar sound that reflects his film experiences (part of).

"As Fresh as the Air of the Night" returns to that post rock sound particular of this project. He likes using as much guitar notes as he can, he likes playing with sounds and reflecting in his music. I like the way he puts ten different sounds (ten is just a number) in a second, and you can still appreciate all of them.

And this short EP finishes with "Everyday I set my Gaze towards the East waiting for the Sun", is a very interesting track where one can enjoy the different colours and textures provoked by the instruments. The atmosphere may be darker than the previous songs, and the piano may be guilty for that, which does not mean it is bad, not at all. There are some moments here of apparent silence, but guitars are always there.

A very good four-song EP that can be listened and enjoyed anytime, but which in a certain way lacks of Krobak's essence, which in my opinion are his long and complex compositions. Here, none of these tracks explode, I was really waiting for that, but maybe Is because I am used to it thanks to previous Krobak experiences. Anyway this is just a slice of Igor's music. My final grade is three stars.

Enjoy it!

The music of Krobak caught my attention since I first listened to "The Diary of the Missed One" a couple of years ago, Igor's talent impressed me and invited me to listen to more of his music. Since then, I have been interested in knowing more of his releases, and thanks to him, who kindly shared his music with me; I've been in touch with some of his split albums.

In 2008, "Long Forgotten Road" was released. This split was done with Monocube, who was (or is) an unknown project to me, the only thing I can say is what Igor said in his own review; Monocube is a one man band from Odessa. So, pardon me if I cannot add anything else about it. What I can comment, is about his song in this split, which is the first track and it's called "21 Grams", I immediately thought about the movie with that name, but I don´t know if the title was inspired by that. The music here can be relaxing, thoughtful but even boring if you are not in the mood. Eleven minutes with the same slow style, bass notes with a melancholic feeling that are accompanied by some soft noises as background. It is not bad, and in this case I enjoy it, despite its repetitiveness.

The second track as you can imagine, comes from this Ukrainian one man band called Krobak, the title is "The Secrets of Stagnation" and lasts over twelve minutes. The first moments are very calm, notes that sound far but that gradually progresses. After a minute drums appear, the mood is the same but a few seconds later the electric guitar arises with power. The song little by little is becoming stronger with the addition of instruments and guitar figures, so despite its repetitiveness (as the previous song) you can truly enjoy this because of that slow but constant progression.

In minute four, the song slows down, some instruments fade away and all of a sudden the sound of a rain appears, announcing that something new is coming. It is a very nice passage where the synthesizer effects help a lot, they create a fresh atmosphere that is filled with some guitar noises. Everything was good (of course to me) until minute the song makes a drastic change some seconds before eight minute. Igor describes it as Funeral Drone Doom, I have no idea of what it is but what I can tell you is that I don't like it at all. The song was pretty, but with these noises it was ruined. So I prefer not to listen to the final four minutes.

This is a good split with a couple of nice songs, the only thing against it is what I just said, those last four minutes. However I am pleased once more with Krobak's works. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!

Since at least a couple of years ago, I have followed some of Igor's works; he is a very talented musician whose creativity can be appreciated in several projects, Krobak is my favorite.

His debut full-length album (Diary of the Missed One) was a pleasant surprise and a constant and enjoyable listening. He has also made several splits with other talented musicians from his land, which I believe are their friends.

Last year he released a "Krobak ? Somnolent" split, that offers one song per artist. That Somnolent band was unknown to me until this time, so I didn't really know what to expect, last.fm tags them as "funeral doom" or "doom metal", only god knows what that is. The Krobak song is called "Park Luny", which is included in his first material, but as I read from prog-jester's review, this is the first demo version, so it is interesting. It is a dreamy song at first, some very gentle sounds and a charm atmosphere. After minute 3 the song takes another direction, the entrance of those bass lines adds a different feeling, along with the guitars which are gradually progressing until they turn very emotional, that moment is precious. The last two minutes are very calm, again charm and dreamy.

The Somnolent song is called "Visible Word Eraser", ten endless minutes to my ears, the guys are talented of course, but I believe the kind of music they play is not my cup of tea at all. The music is too slow and the raw vocals does not help, after minute six it becomes a bit heavier, but the rhythm is still slow the final part is a bit more interesting due to the guitar work.

My final grade will be 2 stars, like Krobak's song, dislike Somnolent's one, but anyway it is a nice split, good luck for these guys.

Enjoy it!

The album begins with an almost Asian-inspired tune before moving into the song proper. The first three minutes or so are very peaceful-- sounds like a lullaby. Then a very lovely, soft lead guitar section comes in. There are obviously a lot of influences from much better known Post-Rock acts, here. but there is still a lot to like, as well. The music found here is very simple, effective and emotional. I just love stuff like this. Always makes me drift off into very peaceful states of mind, and god knows we all need those peaceful times in our lives. I would say this is my favorite song on the record. It's just the right length, and has an eery sense of calm that really speaks to me. Just gorgeous.

Really cool harmonics start off ''By The Music of the Autumn Trees'', and soon a very sorrowful, dreamy tune comes in, and my heart soars. It's really great how Sidorenko is able to create all of these layers with guitar sounds. I'm very impressed by all the emotions and sounds he has managed to convey through just a single instrument. Despite the beauty to be heard here, I have to admit I feel the song stays a little too stagnant for a tad bit too long, but only barely so. By the six minute mark, things have finally changed again. and the song progresses forward.

A slow-paced middle section then leads into the first prominent movement with drums featured. Simple stuff happening there, but it gets the job done. Just before the song hits eleven minutes, things start to get a bit heavier. Things then briefly die down before finally the most powerful, hard-hitting moment on the record yet comes crashing in, full-force. There is then a rather nice, 'bouncy' movement of music featuring what sounds like sampled drums, but they are very tastefully handled. This particular musical direction continues until the track's end.

''The Fried Bull's Blues''. I love the intro. It's very avant-garde, and undoubtedly the most 'proggy' moment on the album yet. A lot of the first three minutes of this track is based on atmospheric soundscapes rather than actual music, but it also helps make this the most interesting moment on The Diary for me. It reminds me of the middle section of Pink Floyd's ''Echoes'' quite a bit, and serves the same purpose; to emotionally stir and upset the listener in a way no traditional piece of music ever could. Finally, at around 3:21, we get our first glimpse of real instrumentation.

The double guitar harmony section in this part of this song is quite lovely, but soon a very intrusive (but intentionally so) sound sweeps in out of nowhere at 5:15, and the first time I heard it, I actually removed my headphones, because I thought the sound was coming from somewhere in my house. Quite effective, I must say. Of course, that is not the only instance on this album in which environmental noises invade the calm of the music, and sometimes it works better than others, but overall it helps give a slight sense of unease underneath the otherwise placid soundscapes.

I wonder if perhaps this track also doesn't get a bit long in places. Overall, it's a decently paced piece, but I think some trimming here and there may have benefited it a slight bit. But if there are any slight lulls, they don't last very long, and at nine minutes, things are changed up again, this time making way for a very trippy, spacey guitar lead at around 9:23. Then at ten minutes, the distorted guitars come in again, wiping away the shiny veneer. This song is only halfway finished.

At near 11:40, a very groovy drum beat takes center stage while the distorted guitar slides its way into what could possibly be the record's darkest moment. It isn't particularly pretty or reassuring, and instead is quite angst-ridden and urgent in its attitude and presentation. I suppose that was the idea, and it does work, but I think perhaps it could have had a little more direction. But by fourteen minutes in to this, things seem to be back on track. More soaring guitar can be hard blanketing the roughness of the star guitar, which is still quite grungy and distorted at this point. This makes for a very nice contrast of styles and emotions.

More noisemaking that begins at 16:40 ends up being the remainder of the song, all the way to the 20:52 mark. It's truly bizarre how so much of this is coming from the guitar itself, and not additional pre-recorded noises. Obviously the latter is present on this record, as well, but on the whole, a lot of what you will hear that sounds like a synthesizer is most likely just a guitar being run through some sort of effect. Pretty inventive stuff, really.

So, it's a really solid effort. Nothing groundbreaking per se, but said it has to be? If you want some really cool Post-Rock stylings with heavy emphasis on atmosphere and mood, I think you'll be happy with Krobak's first studio album. I very much look forward to hearing a second full-length studio release in the future.

Happy (yet noisy!) listening.

1. They're all shot this winter (6:12) Beautiful guitar begins this piece, slowly building with patient ambience. Serene waves of sound broken by sudden blasts of shrilly guitar with jagged rhythms and metrical patterns. Minimalist approach at times with a lonely guitar plucking gently in the silence.

2. Three Tired Hands (4:00) This has a quirky rhythm 'click' effect that echoes while a western guitar twangs out of sync. A very off kilter and effective approach to the music and very atmospheric. Reminds me of the music from a Tarantino film, a western genre, and highly evocative and pleasant. For me this music was inciting images of a plain desert and a man wandering aimlessly as the sun beats down.

3. As Fresh as the Air of the Night (4:06) A strong bass line begins this and the influences of Godspeed You! Black Emperor shine through. Probably not as meandering and subtle as that band but still as effective. Music to tune into on headphones. The swirling seascape sounds are overlayed with the off kilter rhythmic guitar tones. It feels like a night atmosphere and as if something is creeping slowly towards someone. The rhythm gains momentum and becomes estranged until it locks into a strange metrical pattern. There are no drums on this track again unnecessary. The ending is very creepy.

4. Everyday I set my Gaze towards the East waiting for the Sun (6:38) Terrific title for a track. A violin sound begins this track. Perhaps inspired by GYBE's East Hastings, though not as good as Godspeed You! Black Emperor's track. This one sounds most like Godspeed You! Black Emperor of all tracks as it feels very minimalist and shrouded in mystique. The creepy sound is ethereal due to the use of plucking strings out of sync with low bell tones. Sounds like a horror movie soundtrack but never overbearing. Some sections are ambient and others are unsettling. The low drones and low fi instruments are balanced beautifully to create the sense of isolation.

In summary, there is a collection of ominous, foreboding unsettling music in sections and yet it is restful in other places with heavy influences of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Very funereal and bleak at times, while there are moments of bliss and serenity. Close your eyes, turn up the headphones and let the music transport you to another place.

The music is slow building instrumental post rock which is clearly influenced by Godspeed You! Black Emperor ( at least to my rather untrained post rock ears) and if I´m not mistaken I also hear a bit of Mike Oldfield in the music even though I´m not sure it´s intensional. Normally I crave more busy music but for a thoughtful quiet time this melancholic and beautiful music is very suiting. The songs have both long atmospheric parts and more intense climaxes. A powerful dynamic mix. As mentioned there are no keyboards on the album so the dominant instrument in the music is guitar. Often multilayered and melodic. Not commercial melodic though. The drums which I´m sure are programmed are not the most interesting part of the music and a real drummer could have worked wonders here IMO. The 20:52 minute long The Fried Bull's Blues is my favorite on the album. It´s also the most experimental song of the three.

The production is a bit too lo-fi for my taste, but still enjoyable. It´s not comparable to professional productions though. This sounds like it´s been recorded on Igor Sidorenko´s computer and not in a professional recording studio. It´s probably an aquired taste if you´ll enjoy this kind of production.

Igor Sidorenko is a good musician and composer IMO. His playing is pationate and his love for the music shines through clearly.

The Diary of the Missed One is an interesting album but I have to be honest and say that I´m not the right target group for it. I don´t seem to have the patience for music this slow building, but on the other hand I do enjoy it when I´m in the right mood. If you enjoy slow building melancholic post rock I would recommend that you check it out though as there are many good qualities in the music on this album. For me personally this album is somewhere between a 2 and a 3 star rating. The production drags my rating down a bit but I greatly respect the one man effort and the emotions put into the adventerous compositions. Therefore this is a 3 star album for me. Before I end my review I would like to mention the beautiful cover art. I don´t know why but from the first time I saw that picture it just sucked me in. A good and interesting choice for cover art.

So it is good to see that inside ProgArchives forums there are not only members who write reviews or help the site in a different way, but there are also members who have a musical talent which is shared to all of us. One of PA members is the man behind this project called Krobak, a man from Ukraine who i am sure will give something to talk about in the next years.

The Diary of the Missed One is his first CD (not EP or split) and was released last year, i knew this album via lastfm, and i enjoy it every time i listen to it. This album has only 3 but long songs and a total time of almost 47 minutes full of excellent post rock oriented stuff.

The first song is entitled Park Luny which lasts 11 minutes and is actually the shortest track, the album is completely instrumental and is played all by Igor Sidorenko, so it is a one man project which shows more the talent of Krobak. This is a very nice opening theme, the music is progressing gradually, it has a great introduction and after a couple of minutes some bass lines enter, followed by those experimental and clearly post rock guitars, as background there will be always a sample programming, and the emotional element is always shown in some moments, mainly with the guitars, reminding me a bit to EitS. The second part of the song shows a louder guitar playing and maybe a heavier style, pretty good song.

The second track is By the Music of Autumn Trees, with a total time of almost 15 minutes, and it is not the longest track yet. Ite begins with a soft and delicate guitar playing, which actually is what predominates in the first part of this track, the music may be labelled as soft post rock, or even ambient due to the sound and atmospheres created here. You can close your eyes and feel relaxed, you are listening to some calm, tranquil and nice music. Then, there is clearly a kind of an interlude and the song changes a little bit, though the calm atmosphere prevails and continues, after minute 9 it begins to progress and it raises until minute 11 when the music is louder, bass , guitars and drums appear and make great music with an emotional ending.

The longest track and last one of the album is named The Fried Bull's Blues and lasts 21 long minutes, a true epic of post rock music. The first minutes show only some ambient/electronic noises that reminds me a bit to Biosphere or Schulze's moments, then guitars appears making a repetitive but hypnotic sound that will last several minutes but during those minutes some other instruments and noises appear, the song is progressing little by little, then those guitar lines become bass lines and the song goes on the same way until minute 8 where it becomes heavier, like post-metal, some may say. Then at the half of the song it changes again, it slows down and the work of a distorted guitar begins and then drums get on the song too, and it is like a new song that again begins a bit simple but throughout the minutes it progresses and some new noises or effects appear. The last part of the song, simply fades out. To be honest, this is my least favourite track of the album, i believe there are some moments that may not be as interesting as on the previous 2 songs, anyways is a nice song.

Congratulations to Igor for this album, which is great without a doubt, but i believe as the years go by, he will find his magnus opus.

My grade is 4 stars! Enjoy it!