FOLLOWING THE UNKNOWN

Although labeled here as jazz rock/fusion, Jam it - an instrumental band from St. Petersburg, Russia - has much more influences than just that of jazz and fusion, even if those two are definitely very strong here. You could add heavy metal, symphonic prog, avant guard and even neo prog melodies to the mix. The result is one of the most interesting and exciting all instrumental groups I have heard in a long time. There are only four musicians here (guitar, bass,drums and keyboards) and it´s hard to believe that they did it all without any other addition than a friend who played a bass solo. What really impress me the most are the terrifci songwriting skills and their great tightness as a band. Their dynamics are simply awesome, with a kind of energy and brightness that even non fusion fans will love to listen. I think they should have been labeled eclectic prog,for eclectic they are!

Following the Unknown is their third CD. A very well produced album (every instrument is right on spot and you can hear everything crystal clear). There are seven tracks providing a little less than an hour fo great music, but you´ll think it´s much shorter, for the songs are all excellent and they won´t bore you a single moment. It´s hard to compare than with any other band I know, but it´s obvious King Crimson is a big influence (Avalanche, for instance, is pure King Crimson around the time of Starless and Bible Black). Still, they did a fine job in both respecting their roots and producing a very personal sound. My favorite track is the 9 minute Mountain Of Mist because of their symphonic rock traits, but the whole CD is a joy to hear.

Rating: 4.5 stars. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Nikolaj for advising me about Jam It!