LIVE TILL TOMORROW

Mother Russia continues to produce quality progressive rock and though Theory of Affect don't push the artistic bounds like some of their peers, this quartet that describes its approach as "musical traditions of progressive rock and energy of rapcore" do bring something fresh to the table, and their 2004 release demonstrates that with a good production to boot. Rhythm-oriented but in an entirely hard rock manner, first cut 'Topic of the Day' is a midtempo chord grind with some very nice bagpipes serving as background, Dmitriy Kotin's tough guy rap a bit off-putting. 'Caffeine' is more interesting with Kotin's buzzsaw chunkage and classic mellotron & organ walls from Farkhad Saidmuratov's keys, canned electronicisms and unwieldy arcade nightmares, and 'Visions' is an unplanned meeting of a 90s metal band and an angry mob. The album improves as it goes, 'Till Tomorrow's hot riffs and Hammond arpeggios, drummer/leader Eugene Tartsus showing his skill handling an excellent, wide-roving arrangement highlighting just how far the group has come since their debut in 2003, and the album climaxes with the monstrous and fantastically intricate 'Commanders'. Not everyone's cuppa tea in Prog Country but a fine band nonetheless.