LIVE AT BABOOINUMFEST

I was lucky enough to be introduced by Nikolaj to Pandora Snail's music almost a couple of years ago, when this amazing Russian band released their War & Peace album (a personal 5-star album, by the way), which surprised me positively due to its variety of sounds and genres, creating a solid sound that reflects the musicians' likes and talent. A great progressive-fusion journey I had with that album! Early this 2017 they released their first live-album, which let us know that they are not only awesome in studio, but also they have a lot to offer on stage, which is why I cross my fingers and hope to see them live someday soon. This released is entitled "Live at Babooinum Fest", features 6 songs and a total time of 48 minutes.

The first surprise when I saw the setlist is that out of the six songs, just one was taken from that acclaimed War and Peace album, the rest I assume will belong to their second studio album, which I understand, is on the making nowadays, and can't wait to see its release! Well, this album opens with 'Way Up' and since the very first seconds violin appears, just as in studio, its role is very important in Pandora Snail's sound. After a couple of introductory minutes now the song changes and a structure begins to be built up with extraordinary bass lines, great drums, amazing classical piano notes which later turn into proggy keyboards, cool guitar riffs and that already mentioned violin. The sound is kind of folkish, kind of jazzy but in the end, exquisite progressive rock.

'Epsilon' is a very nice 5-minute piece that has a slow beginning but while the minutes pass more and more ingredients are being added to the saucer, creating a delicious boiling point in which a kind of nervous sound appears. Then it vanishes little by little until only keyboards sound. 'The Breath of Life' has a vertiginous piano & violin start, then several changes on time and mood appear, giving us again a nice journey. 'Moment of Eternity' has the addition of a trumpet, which together with piano and violin create a beautiful yet disarming sound. Something happens with their music, in moments I think I've been listening to them for several minutes but then I realize only one or two minutes have passed, which is why I adore their richness of sounds, textures and nuances.

'Watching the Earth' has a somber piano-bass-drums start, later guitar joins with a distorted sound creating a tense atmosphere that seconds later vanishes because a new feeling begins. It is great to see how they manage to change their sound and what that sound shares to the listeners in a split second. After 3 minutes trumpet appears again in a moment of relaxation. This live release finishes with the extraordinary 'James Port', a 16-minute epic that belongs to their debut album. My god, just as I wrote in my review of that studio album, this song is simply amazing and their live performance let us know how capable they are as composers and performers. This song is a monster, a great example of what progressive rock is, and why prog rock is still live and kicking asses.

Congrats to the band for this release, now I am eagerly waiting for their upcoming album. Enjoy it!

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