Betlemi (Georgia) for Heavy Prog

Betlemi (Georgian for Bethlehem) were among the most important Georgian bands that were born around the time of USSR collapse. Created in 1987, band explored a very engaging mix of heavy metal and progressive rock, spicing it up with a lots of Georgian folkloric and brilliant western melodism. Unfortunately their main activity coincided with the times the most turbulent. They managed to release their only album, "Khavsmodebuli Zarebis Eqo" ("The Echo Of The Moss-Grown Bells") in 1992, when Georgian was in the middle of the civil war. It is a cassette release, because vinyl industry had just collapsed and nobody manufactured CDs in Georgia before around 99/2000.

In this album you can find a mixture of Rainbow, Iron Maiden, Queen, heavy neo-prog ballads, with sometimes ELP-like touches of keyboards (their key-man was a big prog-rock lover), with this all mixed with characteristic Georgian folkloric three-piece polyphony and melodic feels that makes it all unique. Here's the Youtube link to the full album.