CONTINIUM

A new progressive band from Ukraine that should have your full attention for the shear beauty of this their first album. Filled with awesome keyboards and a bunch of strange instruments.

I first heard of Karfagen through my dear friend Will of Caerllysi Music. "Continium" is a very powerful release filled to the brim with keyboards, strange instruments used with great power, to make it an even stronger release. And makes it very different from other releases I've heard in a long time***

"Continium" is mostly an instrumental album, with only few vocals added. It's a very dreamy, catching, melodic release, that have all the power and ingredients "lovers" of instrumental progressive music should track down (NOW). Not many Ukraine bands we get to know these days. "Continium" holds 10 tracks clocking in at 42 min. I read somewhere that this was an ambient, new age release. But to me, there is more to than that. It holds to many breaks, passages and melodic themes to be considered (only) an ambient release, to me. The use of flute, accordian, harmonica and some great female sounding vocals, in the interplay makes it kind of unique. Not many of those ingredients in an ambient sounding album. Also the use of acoustic/electric guitar (though no one credited?? Is it actually keyboards sounding like guitars?), makes it "not ambient" to me. Sure it holds some great moments that makes your close your eyes, relax a little and fell really good. But the main thing here is the use of fat sounding keyboards, organs, written and performed with great skills. Alongside some powerful and beautiful (grand) piano parts. In fact 4 out of the 10 tracks starts out with some outstanding(grand) piano parts, which I simply loves and adores so much***

The final track, which is a bonus track" Close To Heaven", is exactly how I fell about "Continium". "Close To Heaven" is a mix between a fantastic female vocalist, acoustic guitar, cello (sound) and Anthony's deep voice. Very emotional and amazing. So to sum "Continium" up, I think it's a really great and "liberating" release because they sound like so many progressive bands we all know and yet they sound like no others!?! Make sense? I guess not, but I promise you one thing; You will not regret getting this album nor find many bands that have the same "fell" to their music as Karfagen. This is a mix between my beloved Camel, my beloved Sebastian Hardie. And I think a touch of Floyd added in somewhere. The great musicians on "Continium"; Anthony Kalugin, keyboards-sampler-percussion and vocals. Oleg Polyanskjy, piano, keyboards and organ. Sergei Kovalev, bass. Kostya Shepelenko, drums. The cover art work fits the music perfect, amazing and beautiful. Thanks to Will, of Caerlyssi Music fame, for sending it.