ECHOES FROM WITHIN DRAGON ISLAND

Antony Kalugin has again pushed the boundary of his symphonic works. This tenth album of his Karfagen project is high in style and class. The theme of this album is based on poems from the classic author Robert Louis Stevenson. Antony brings in many musicians which feeds this wonderful composition to be ecstasy for the ears. Echoes from within Dragon Island contains 4 tracks. 'Dragon Island Suite' is broken into three parts. All three tracks extend beyond the 15 minute mark, with 'My Bed is a Boat' being the shortest track at just under three minutes.

These tracks all flow with depth and melody. Max Velychko again brings his guitar mastery to the fore. Especially about 6.30 minutes in Dragon Isle Suite Pt1, where he plays a riff that would make Ritchie Blackmore proud. Then nearly 11.00 minutes in, a beautiful tune he plays reminiscent of Dave Gilmour. All this interspersed with violin, flute, accordion, french horn and of course Antony's keyboard. The whole album like the bed in 'My Bed is a Boat', flows up and down on the water of musical notes.

Antony shows how unselfish he is, his guest musicians shine with their particular instruments like a spotlight in a dark room. He places each instrument where they best perform which delivers a more full rounded piece of music. A complex piece this is, but not self indulgent. This is symphonic prog rock at it's richest and best. Any music that takes you on a journey to another place is a treasure worth revisiting over and over. I plan to play this album over and over, in fact I already have.

Take advantage of the limited edition while you can. A second cd of extra tracks. The first four, Flowing Brooks, Winter Rooks and Incantation Parts 1 and 2 worthy of a place in the original album.

I can say it's a brave album - proper symphonic rock statement. It's beauty is hidden in its atmosphere.. it's not a collection of songs, it is an epic or rock suite with its story line, mood, so well crafted sound. It hooks you right from the first bars, first notes - symphony of light fills your life with joy! It's a mixture of vivid melodies and virtuosity of musicians. Real pleasure to hear bassoon and English Horn in rock music. And of course knob accordion! All 3 parts of a "story" are the highlights of the album - it's a journey into the world of a child dreams and imagination, based on a poetry of a great man - Robert Louis Stevenson. But I did enjoy the 2nd cd as well - first 4 tracks are more traditional Karfagen pieces - Flowing Brooks- with it's nice alto sax theme , was recorded during Messages from Afar: first contact album. And Winter Brooks was recorded during Lost Symphony- Aleatorica sessions. Antony also wrote, that incantation part 1-2 were outtakes from "7" sessions. So nice to here this material anyway. Across the Dark We Steer - was performed by Antony in 2013 in Belgium on the fest as the curtains opening - intro theme. Alight Again- studio version sounds powerful, it has longer synth solo in the middle and more Pink Floyd ballad taste - I like it. "Brave" solid album has an outstanding artwork- what a gem for PROG rock fans! I have a poster from Yes Fly from Here Japan edition album, it's in my room, so I can say that Konstantin Kanskiy work looks fab as well and this limited edition of the album has this sort of poster! Fro A to Z , solid album- music, Robert Louis Stevenson poetry, artwork. 5 stars indeed.

Karfagen X, Echoes from within Dragon Island 2019. A wonderful new concept album based on Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry... This package is a 4 track compilation with 3 epic Dragon Island suites and a beautiful interlude nestled in between the second and third Dragon Island suites entitled "My Bed is a Boat"... This symphonic art rock masterpiece is highlighted with 19 highly gifted musicians and plethora of instruments... this is a brilliant musical journey through the mind of musical genius Antony Kalugin... Karfagen, a Ukrainian band is the subject behind brain child Antony Kalugin's keyboard wizardry and musical intellectual complexities, which all began in 1997... As a young child Antony was introduce to Pink Floyd's Animals by his father and this was the beginning of his musical journey, In addition to this wonderful album for a limited time, you can purchase the limited edition which includes a bonus cd that has 7 additional tracks and a live studio track of their song "Alight again" from their album "7"... I highly recommend this outstanding performance of one of Prog-Rocks best an innovative bands ...

Every record of Antony Kalugin's bands has got his own peculiarities, altough always in the area of prog: everytime is a kind of surprise. So when I received the parcel I did not know what to expect. I had to wait until the evening to listen to it at home, but as soon as I saw the CD I realized it was something special for different reasons: the cover is wonderful as usual, but this time it was drawn down by the artist Konstantin Kanskiy (off-topic: if you like paintings take a look at his opus). On the front page it is stated "Symphonic art rock suite based on Robert Louis Stevenson's poetry". In the two booklets there is a complete list of the involved musicians: they are eighteen! The instruments are including also violin, flute, French horn, English horn?there were all the possible clues for a new masterpiece.

Finally I managed to listen to it and the first idea was confirmed. The record consists of three long suites ("Dragon Island" pt.1, pt.2, pt.3) and a short track called "My bed is a boat". Every suite is composed by different parts. As soon as I played the button "start" I felt the music was majestic, with a very epic mood. It describes in a very realistic way the story it is intended to tell; it is like to be immersed in a world apart. It does not make sense to speak of every single track, because the whole record is like a stream that overwhelms you, and I think this is the characteristic line of many prog concept masterpieces...

If I have to describe the music I would say that it is very folkish, and in a delicious way. Obviously there is a lot of intricacy, perfectly balanced by the great musicianship of everyone of the artist. All the folk instruments are masterfully driven by the wonderful Antony's keyboards patterns. I am also a big fan of Karfagen guitarist: I think he can choose the right tone for every situation with a great ability, alternating delicate sounds, Sabbath-esque riffs and whatever in the middle. All the record is so heterogeneous that it reminds me of some Italian prog rock opera from the '70s!

In conclusion I would suggest to buy the limited edition with a second CD. It includes eight songs and at least one gem called "Alight again".

Karfagen, a Symphonic Prog group from Ukraine, has been around making studio albums since 2006, and released their 10th album, "Echoes from Within Dragon Island" in early 2019. The band started out as a project from Antony Kalugin, and he has used several different musicians to support him on his albums through the years, but this time around, he uses 19 musicians to help bring about this album, which is based on the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson. There are various vocalists and instrumentalists used throughout the album.

The "Dragon Island Suite" is the main feature on this album, divided up into 3 parts, each one lasting over 15 minutes. The first track is Part 1. The music starts off very upbeat and sounds like a rock symphony with all types of instruments playing a happy sounding track that has a folk vibe to it with a traditional sounding sea gigue. Vocals start up after a few minutes, with a melody following the lilting feel and harmonies between male and female vocalists. Music is led by most every instrument involved here, keyboards, guitar, violin, xylophone, etc. After 5 minutes, things calm down as the track moves into a slower section before a surprisingly heavy guitar riff and keyboard solo cuts in. In fact, things change as the music continues to sew the main theme to various other sections. It would be difficult to explain everything going on here because it is so dynamic yet cohesive at the same time, but the overall feel is a symphonic-folk sound with both rock and orchestral instruments.

Part 2 continues in the same style, it finds its own theme, based more on progressive rhythms, but keeping with the symphonic style as the first part. The moods, meters and tempos always changing, but in a fluid manner. Remember, the title of the track has "Suite" in it, and the entire song works as a suite with many different song styles knitted together in the same manner as Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick", but even more cohesively. Part 2 is more instrumental, but there are vocal sections. The relatively short "My Bed is a Boat" serves as a quick interlude and is an acoustic guitar and a flute playing together. Vocals come in later. This is a simple folk-style pastoral song. After this, Part 3 of the suite begins. The track is once again in the same suite style. Vocals don't come in until after the 7 minute mark. Overall, the entire suite with the interlude lasts about 55 minutes.

"Flowing Brooks" is an instrumental starts immediately with either a French or English Horn that establishes a melody and a more standard rhythm. Just before the 2 minute mark, things get more intense and progressive. Things calm after a while returning to the original feel. "Winter Rooks" is a nice acoustic track with various guitars and a synth. It is a lovely track also remaining instrumental throughout and has some nice effects towards the end.

Next up is a 2 part instrumental called "Incantations". Part 1 begins simple with a soft percussion and keyboards. Atmospheric guitars join in and things start to amp up a little, but it remains quite mellow. At 3 minutes, things definitely get heavier with louder guitars and excellent synth/guitar solos. The music gets much more expressive for a while, then things suddenly brighten up when a flute takes over with a more complex rhythm. After a while, the flute moves to the back and guitars and synth. Part 2 again starts with soft guitars, but moves into a steady beat quite quickly and guitar and synth take turns improvising on a slower andante rhythm. As things continue, we get a more sweeping feel for a while and then the music turns atmospheric in a Floydian kind of way before returning to the thematic element.

There is a reprise of the track "My Bed is a Boat" but in an instrumental version this time that has an even more pastoral feel to it this time. Then there is a single version of an edit from the Dragon Island suite cut down to almost 6 minutes. It mostly takes edits from some of the more upbeat sections of the suite but surprisingly leaves out any vocals. Following this is "Across the Dark We Steer". This track has a darker symphonic feel and remains "orchestral" through the track. Finally, we end with a live studio performance of a song called "Alight Again". It is the first track to have vocals since the last part of the Dragon Island Suite. The song is simple and soft and is quite straightforward, but it is still pleasant.

The obvious main part of the album is the Dragon Island Suite, and everything else is pretty much supplementary, yet there are some great parts in there that make it all worthwhile. The overall album is still an excellent example of Symphonic Prog at it's best, and the folk undertones that are quite apparent through the suite make it even better. I highly recommend this album, mostly for the suite, but while you are here, listen to it all, because it is all quite well done. This album will definitely be a highlight for the year 2019 and I can see it in the running for best album.

Karfagen - "Echoes from within Dragon Island" (2019) Limited Edition (2CDS)

A new edition of the project of Antony Kalugin, Karfagen, is present very early in this 2019, in its two versions: a single CD or the limited edition in double CD. "Echoes from within Dragon Island", is the tenth album of Karfagen, a work more than generous by where you look or listen. It is a work of concept, based on the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson. The beautiful cover elaborated by: Konstantin Kanskiy, makes the first positive contact with the work. Of course, not everything comes through the eyes, that's true. But when you start to hear it, it hits, bluntly, the suite: "Dragon Island Suite" divided into 3 parts, the first 2 of which total more than 30 minutes and start this magnificent work. After a brief and beautiful acoustic track adorned with subtle winds, "My Bed is a Boat", which is achieving an increasing emotionality, gives way to the third part of the suite, Dragon Island ... to again exceed 15 minutes. The complete suite already gives the plate an absolute magnificence, leaving the listener imperiously trapped. In the company of 18 guest musicians, Antony, we stroll through wonderful and pompous musical moments where keyboards, and wind instruments (French horn, Whistles, Basson ...) combined with cuts with good electric and acoustic guitars plus vocals and choirs, achieving a perfect progressive symphonic combination of great beauty. So far, the entire first CD. After this immense and delicious first musical part and already entering in the second CD (limited edition), a series of instrumental short pieces follow one another, like "Flowing Brooks", with predominance of the wind instruments; "Winter Rooks", another beautiful theme played on nylon guitar in counterpoint with the keys. Further on, there is a new suite divided into 2 parts that total about 14 minutes, the charming "Incarnation", with a memory of Pink Floyd, a pleasant and relaxed trip. Repeat "My Bed is A Boat", this time in its instrumental version. This second section contains the single "Dragon Island", being the first section of the previous disc suite. The film, "Across the Dark We Steer", closing this edition and the work, we find a song recorded live in the studio in 2016, which is "Alight Again", limited version, which appeared on the album "7" of Karfagen (2015). Concluding this comment, do not miss this undoubted Masterpiece, created by the excellent musician, Antony Kalugin. I encourage you to say that "Echoes from Within Dragon Island" will be among the best 5 albums of 2019. Enjoy!!!

Daniel Perez

I will not go into detail of this opus, because other fellow reviewers already did it. I just want to say that Antony Kalugin and his excellent team of collaborators did it again! His uplifting and bright sympho-rock, as usual, is full of great melodies that will stuck in your brains for days, clever arrangements, smart solos, excellent male and female vocals and interesting lyrics. And don't forget an excellent artwork! I don't buy too much CDs these days, but Anton's projects are autobuy for me, not only because of quality of music, but also because of great artwork and inserts, based of fantasy and sci-fi themes. One piece of advise: go to Bandcamp and buy his CDs there, not on Amazon, guys!

That causes no surprise that Antony Kalugin makes good symphonic rock albums. This is known. But it is always a matter of surprise how good each of the new ones is. After the "Messages from Afar" dilogy I was quite intrigued about the new Karfagen album. I wondered if Antony manages to make "Tales from within Dragon Island" on his high level of prog rock music creation. And by now I'm really happy that Karfagen tenth album is even better than I expected. It is true that it reveals rather a combination of Karfagen and Sunchild music than the pure Karfagenic sound. However, it collects all the advantages of the two projects sound leaving all the redundant behind.

The key part of the album is the "Dragon Island Suite". Part 1 and 2 is the monolithic structure that shows the best of symphonic rock epics. It can remind you about the "Thick as a brick" or "Tales from topographic oceans" by the similar structure, composition and concept. A lot of musical themes develops during the "Suite" and forms number variations that finish with the classical for the prog-rock epics reprise. Antony is very inventable about the composition, references and reprises, so all the 35 minutes of "Suite" are very intriguing.

The third part of the "Suite" contains even more unpredictable variations that are quite worthwhile to listen, although parts 1 and 2 are much more cohesive than the rest of the album. They divided from the part 3 by the short lyrical track "My Bed is a Boat" that is a great interlude and sounds like a simple melodic song.

Besides the accordion motives that remind about the "Magician's Theater" movements, an album turns back to the "Gnomon" sound. Organ and keyboard solo, interesting rhythmic syncops and similar vocal movements bring us back to this album from 2007. In my oppinion, potencial of the "Gnomon" sound manner wasn't exhausted by "Gnomon" or even by "Tales from within Dragon Island", so I like the idea to develop these sounds and concepts. A variety of transissions between the different themes in the new album (especially comapring with the previous one) also worths mentioning. By the way, it was interesting to find a few motives from the early Karfagen and Sunchild CD's.

The feature that brings the atmosphere to this symphony of sound is the lyrics, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. They are very inspiring and melodious and perfectly fit the mood of the album. The spirit of Romanticism that reflected in the Stevenson's poems fills also the music of the album and corresponds well to the Antony's style.

While there are still space for some compositional improvements and developments, "Tales from within Dragon Island" is the awesome example of monolithic album that deserves to be an unavoidable addition to any good progressive rock collection. It is really coherent and cohesive text that is interesting to explore. Besides, Antony is true to his habit of the optimistic and bright music creation. This makes his album an important exclusion from other novelties of 2019.

Limited edition of the album includes also CD2. Five previously unissued tracks recorded in different years are placed there. "Flying Brooks" and "Winter Rooks" catches the mood of this album very well and fits the sound of "Suite". At the same time, they are much closer to the traditional Karfagen music than the content from CD1. "Incantation"'s have a lot in common with some movements from the "Messages from Afar" and even from the "Seven" and probably were recorded during 2015?2018 period. This songs are not the essential part of the album, yet they are very interesting and quite worth listening, especially if you like Karfagen. I would like to notice the studio live version of "Alight Again", that touched me even more than the original one. "Across the Dark We Steer" also shouldn't be forgotten. This is very atmospheric song with the special mood that can be unnoticed because of his place on CD2. Missing it would be a mistake.

What's left here is to sum up that this album is one of the 2019 highlights and deserves to be marked as the wonderful fragment of the great progressive rock map.

Who can tell this formula of great art rock opus!? I have asked Antony to reveal the secret of its creation.. how it develops and turns from raw sketches into the bright ambitious statement. I know Antony for some years now and always been his fan , his way and style of composing inspires me. I'm keyboardist as well (own a lot of synths) and can say Anton has cool sound of his keys always ) by the way he did some recordings of my good old Kurzweil k2500 and Roland fantom on his latest recordings . I really appreciate the fact that I can be involved in this process with 'maestro' to share with him my synth arsenal )) has With this album I was blown away by the arrangement and sound- production. Symphonic instruments and moog leads, mellotron and guitars placed perfectly into the musical landscape. And Viktor Sirotin is good on drums - fits album perfect as well! Nice vocals, especially I like a few vocalize sections. I will agree with all positive reviews regarding musical material of the album.. and there was no clear answer from Antony.. Magician?! Hard work?! Inspiration?! I think all components are there. And I'm glad to know him personally, to see and enjoy Anton's talent. Support his team. With 20 albums under different names, Antony without a doubt is a bright figure on the Prog rock Horizon! Ps. I'm not all time musician like Anton, but I do understand how much energy, time and yes, money needed to produce such album. So I'm outraged by those ones who rate this opus with 2 or even 1 star !! If it's not your music- just walk away.

The first thing to attract me to this album was the cover art .... I'm a sucker for a great bit of cover art and with this one Antony Kalugin has exelled in his choice of Konstantin Kansky has proved to be the right one and it really completes the package for me ... the limited edition double cd is well worth getting. The music is stunning , in many ways it's classic symphonic Prog ... but it is indeed symphonic in nature with many acoustic instruments accompanying and complementing the usual keyboards. There is definitely some influences from Antony's native Ukraine in the form of some local folk instrumentation and arrangements . Though classic prog in concept and execution, this album is ,by no means derivative... this is a sonic adventure which is quite irresistible. Put on your best headphones, pout yourself something nice and enjoy the 3 long (and one short) pieces of fantastic, accessible, melodic prog from a great group of phenomenal musicians.

Dragon Island. Amazing artwork that hooks you straight away.. I have huge collection of vinyls and can say to me it's a privilege to hold lovely looking sleeve. Say, 'Octoberon', 'Tales from Topographic Ocean ', 'Trick of the Tale' just to name a few. Honestly now, sometimes I give 'extra points' to the album with great artwork. Remember 'colors' by Eloy - wow. Unfortunately, There are not so many good covers nowadays.. how it's nice to see lovely one - 'hand made'. Overall, art rock starts from a cover that continues the mood of music. Prog lovers like to have real Cd, album, instead of modern pop culture where the 1 song rules, where the idea and meaning of an 'album' is almost vanished. That's why when you hold artwork like this, with fantastically gorgeous booklet and listens to the music it's multiple the effect! ) you dive into this fairytale world, so perfectly created by the author. Of course it's a matter of taste, there can be some pros and cons but particularly this album 'rocks'. It has its highs and pastoral 'lows', it leads you through the world where symphonic grace organically meets classical poetry. And it has delicious sound, not so over compressed like most of the modern bands produce. If you've never heard Karfagen, it's the right album to start with. And then return to 'lost symphony ', 'messages from afar' , 'magician's theater' , they all deserve your attention.

I'm probably a fan of other sounds, but after reading a dozen reviews that talked about a masterpiece, I'm wondering where the error is? What I feel is a typical, very clean prog, keyboard sounds too modern and ringing, with an excessive dose of new prog, and an impressive group of guests, which however cannot be recorded. After listening to the CD a couple of times I can't remember a single melody, and this is very serious for me mostly boring music and without flashes of genius: Their technique is not bad (even if the voice is rather anonymous ..), simply fails to impress me. I expected more from an acclaimed group with many years of experience behind me, but I can not quite understand what is so brilliant about it. two and a half stars just because I want to be realistic ...

From the first opening notes this starts with the sound of ocean waves, and then we're off in true rocking Karfagen form. These guys (and girls) have NOT gone soft, although there are the softer moments that are built on strong melodies.

The standard of playing is their usual high standard that we all have come to expect from the band. Lovely string section from time to time, and what a change to hear a bassoon in a rock band! There was a band here in UK called Gryphon (I think they reformed recently) that used bassoons and crumhorns and I've liked that reedy woody sound they have since I first heard Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerto.

And then there's Max's guitar, which is played in great harmony with the keyboards. They compliment each other perfectly. Interesting lyrics too; "spider and the fly watching ants marching by" - I love it! The lyrics remind me of a fairytale book I had as a kid. Still got it actually! There is also nice harmony between guitar and flute on My Bed Is A Boat. Amazing musical skills on display here! Dragon Island Suite 3 starts with mellow electric piano, then in comes the guitar accompanied by accordion. They've really "pulled out all the stops" on this album! But the pace picks up and we're rockin' again!

So is this album a masterpiece or a mistake? I'm very happy to say MASTERPIECE. The band have delivered another album of truly amazing Prog, and Antony Kalugin shows once again why he's the best keyboard player Yes never had!

Kharkiv, Ukraine based Antony Kalugin can be described as nothing less than prolific with scores of albums released with the bands Hoggwash, Sunchild, Antony Kalugin's Kinematics Orchestra and his most productive of all KARFAGEN (which means Karthagoa symbol of glory and wisdom and also it is a never-ending journey into the world of the forgotten past and un-predictable future) which after only having formed in 2006 has just released its tenth album ECHOES FROM WITHIN DRAGON ISLAND on 11 Febr 2019. Returning with his unique mix of art rock and symphonic prog that evokes the majesty of bands like Camel, Genesis, UK, Pink Floyd and most of all The Flower Kings, KARFAGEN continues to ratchet up the intensity and ambitiousness as if the end of the world was near and cranking out one bloated prog project after another is of the utmost urgency.

ECHOES FROM WITHIN DRAGON ISLAND is perhaps the most ambitious project yet that tackles a grand concept albums based on the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson and graced by the stunning fantasy cover art of Konstantin Kanskiy. KARFAGEN went the extra mile to craft a pompous slice of modern symphonic prog that finds mainman Antony Kalugin conducting a massive army of 17 musicians with Kalugin himself playing keyboards, percussion, penny flute and handling all arrangements and programming. The album comes in two versions. The single CD which clocks in just under an hour's playing time and a limited deluxe edition that contains an extra CD that contains an extra eight tracks and slightly over 38 minutes playing time. Some are new tracks and others reworked versions of disc one.

Lush and flowing with melodies the primary disc of ECHOES FROM WITHIN DRAGON ISLAND contains three lengthy 'Dragon Island Suites' each which tells the tale of fairies and thoughtful little creatures in magical forests in a Tolkien-like setting. While the music plays out mostly in wending and winding instrumental technicalities, there are moments where the various vocalists have a turn to both sing and recite the poetic prose but overall the musical constructs are much more geared to a series of progressively delivered jaunts through the medievally tinged universe that seems to be more based on folk than any classic symphonic prog such as Yes, but it's not exactly the Slavic prog one would expect from a band from Eastern Europe and rather a Middle Ages type of folk that's somewhat Mediterranean and perhaps a little Celtic.

Plaudits to the superb production job on this one as every little sound is mixed perfectly in the greater scheme of things and despite the largess of instrumental representation it never feels like there are too many chefs in the kitchen. In fact the overall soundscape is rather sparse with instruments taking their turns in a rather civilized manner. This is dreamy prog, the very kind initiated by Flower Kings and happy bands like Moon Safari but most of all i get a Neal Morse vibe from this album as KARFAGEN take a similar approach of taking melodies to their utmost logical conclusion with plenty of proggy curve balls thrown around in the sprawling breadth of the 16 minute plus trilogy of suites. For the most part this is symphonic overload with more atmospheric counterpoints than actual rock instrumentation. Despite the heavy load of players on board, this one remains rather nonchalant and cruises by like a feather floating in the air.

For such a long album this one seldom really picks up steam as far as dynamics and tempos are concerned as the diversity is expressed through the timbres and tones of the various instruments as well as the time signatures and ambient backdrops. The harder rock segments that do occur are basically power chord moments and truthfully sound a little like progressive AOR even when the radio friendly guitar solos emerge. If you have the desire to go all the way with this one and find yourself with the two disc version then the second installment will bring you a few shorter instrumental pieces such as 'Flowing Brooks' which showcases the nylon guitar in tandem with lush keyboards as well as the single version of 'Dragon Island' and live and alternative versions of tracks from disc one.

If dreamy and airy fairy prog is what you crave then you can't go wrong with ECHOES FROM WITHIN DRAGON ISLAND as it delivers a crisp clean modern sounding prog sound that evokes the reverberating echoes of the past but clearly brings into context that of the modern era. As much as i try to love this, the album escapes my complete admiration for two main reasons. First is the lack of dynamism displayed throughout the album's run. For a near hour experience that are too few points of contrast as the entire shebang seems to take place in the clouds on a low energy chilled vibe sorta way. The album clearly lacks enough key moments of a energetic crescendoes. Secondly this is the sort of music that demands a talented vocalist or more to really step up to the plate and match the divine wizardry of the music itself and i find the vocalists on display to be a tad limited in their abilities to really weave their vocal magic around the tapestry of instrumentation. There is much to like about ECHOES FROM WITHIN DRAGON ISLAND as it captures the vibe of another distant reality but certain elements keep me from being reeled in completely and in the end derails my embracing fully its attempted magnificence.

How many people really have the time (not to mention patience and ability to focus) to really get to know a 53-minute piece of music? Though I've owned this for a while, it's taken me a long time to pull together a review. I had begun, in my now-usual style, to put together a minute-by-minute report by keeping notes from various partial listens, when frustration and time brought me to my wits end. So, instead, this is what you get. Impressions and comments.

1. "Dragon Island Suite (Part 1)" (17:17) Nice sound--very nice sound engineering despite the participation of many, many performers, many, many instruments, many, many themes, and, thus, many, many tracks.

Sometimes exotic instruments or nuanced inputs occur so fleetingly or subtly that I am sad to see them go while I keep distracting my attention by looking for their return. Many of the vocal appearances strike me in this way.

What is this story about? There are very few lyrics to give me any leads. Should I have to have a companion guide?

How many themes, motifs, and movements are necessary to tell this story?

The sound is really good! The instruments and voices, in their many, many layers, are recorded and mixed better than any other project that Antony Kalugin has put together. (Has he upped his keyboard selection and/or recording equipment?)

The vocalists have a great command of English! Very little accent--and sounds a bit like young Roger Waters. There is a lot of familiarity in this music to many of the themes published by Colin Tench over the years--and one of the main male vocalists to the narrative voice stylings of one of Colin's main men, Peter Jones. There's even a little of the best of Andy Tillison in the lead male vocalist as well. (31.5/35)

2. "Dragon Island Suite (Part 2)" (18:41) Very symphonic in a Tchaikovsky kind of way rather than Italian operatic (I think I'm being influenced by the strong Nutcracker themes in the second part of the Dragon Suite.

Beautiful lush theme in the 21st minute before going back to Nutcracker/Swan Lake melody themes.

22:00 - Ant Phillips' 1984! Wonderful!

Anton is doing a magnificent job of mixing the modern/electric instrumentation with the acoustic/traditional (like accordion).

26:50 - Genesis with accordion base?! Excellent Tony Banksian section from here into the 29th minute--beautiful--becoming more and more Genesis-like (even with accordion) into and through the 30th.

The group vocal in the 31st minute sounds so STRAWBS-like! The music builds, helped by the use of full choir, before then dropping off for a brief pianissimo piano part and then exploding back into a full-on whole group denouement with electric guitar solo to help cap off the end of Part 2 of the Suite. (38/40)

3. "My Bed Is A Boat" (2:45) is a beautiful classical guitar-supported flute and oboe piece that serves as a nice interlude before Part 3 of the Suite. (4.5/5)

4. "Dragon Island Suite (Part 3)" (16:32) Here is where we finally get into the syrupy New Age-y stuff that I'm used to hearing in an Anton Kalugin project. The guy could write great soundtrack music for children's television.

In the sixth minute a soloing electric guitar gets cooking before being joined and supplanted by some keys. At 6:50 there is a break as solo synth sets another, more mysterious mood before male voices join in with a chant about ancient stars. This is the beginning of the "Valley of the Kings" section. Eventually the chant is drowned out by a continuously thickening layering of fast-moving instruments. Sounds very, very much like THE PSYCHEDELIC ENSEMBLE here with many instruments trading the spotlight and many solos overlapping or seeming to "talk" to one another. Silly chase theme in the thirteenth minute is highlighted by brief flourishes of Keith Emerson-like Moog. At 13:52 the pace changes as if some resolution has occurred and the army is collecting itself into a cheering march formation. Two themes are carried forward and echoed off one another until a slow down ushers in a calming outro in the sixteenth minute. (26/30)

Overall, there is very little that I dislike about this album--not even one theme--nor are there many deficiencies in awkward instrumentation choices or sound mix. I only wish I didn't feel that Part 2's main themes and form weren't lifted from Tchaikovsky and that the Part 3 opening and foundation weren't so syrupy.

Total time 55:35

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music and my favorite Antony Kalugin product in a long time.

Antony Kalugin from Ukraine is without a doubt among the best progband leaders and composers whose music I've found recently. Be it Hoggwash, Sunchild or Karfagen, I seem to enjoy them all. This album is the latest one by Karfagen that offers marvelous 24-carat symphonic prog. I'm having the 1-CD edition, which probably doesn't lose much compared to the limited (and now sold out) 2-disc version of 94 minutes in total. The disc consists of three 'Dragon Island Suites' between 16½ and 19 minutes in length plus five shorter pieces. All the lyrics are drawn from a poetry work "Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of The Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These slightly naiive, narrative verses praising the children's flights of imagination form a charming entity together with the lively symphonic -- and, definitely in a good sense, romantic -- progressive rock.

The vast list of guesting musicians includes several vocalists as well, but if I'm not mistaken it's Anton Kalugin himself who handles most of the vocals. He has a pretty pleasant voice, something that would suit to CAMEL, and the softness of his voicing reminds me a bit of Roger Waters's half-spoken intimacy (think of e.g. the beginning of The Final Cut track 'Southampton Dock'). The album's music never gets very vocal-oriented: there are lengthy instrumental sections, and the vocals always function as a natural part of the music's emotional impact and the overall architecture. The other vocalists, both male and female, ensure the dynamic variety in the vocal department too. And the pure instrumental approach dominates the final quarter of the album.

The two suites that start the album are simply superb, as is the third one as well. Melodic and easily digested and yet highly adventurous in their full-blown symphonic approach. I love the way additional acoustic instruments such as violin, bassoon, flute, English horn and alto saxophone enrich the sound here and there. The production is faultless. In between the massive suites comes a charming little song 'My Bed Is a Boat' starring acoustic guitar and flute, joined by other reeds and tender vocals. A perfect way to balance things down in order to avoid being too pompous -- not that you'd get any ELP-like over-the-top carnivalism within the long pieces either.

The remaining tracks -- placed on the second disc of the 2-CD editions -- are instrumentals. On 'Flowing Brooks' the reed instruments (especially alto sax), synths and electric guitar carry the soaring melodies beautifully. Fully comparable to FOCUS on their prime time. 'Winter Rooks' is a more modest piece centered around acoustic guitar and delicately played synths. And finally the two 'Incantation' instrumentals combine spacey melodicism -- at times slightly PINK FLOYD-like -- and some dynamic changes. Excellent arrangements. Sonically this music is a bliss to me. No hesitations: five stars!

Karfagen is the project of the Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Antony Kalugin. Together with a long list of guest musicians his 'Echoes From Withing Dragon Island' album of 2019 has made quite an impression on the progressive rock community.

Karfagen is a symphonic rock project with folky and world-music undertones and some major jazz/fusion influences (though hidden in layers of folky and proggy instrumentation). With this release the band successfully added a layer of authenticity by creating a work in which the artwork, the title and the music (with its island and French seaside charm) really come together beautifully. Though the music of Karfagen is as typical for symphonic progressive rock as it can get, it is actually quite hard to name bands that sound much like it. Furthermore, the variety of instrumentation - sometimes evoking chamber music - can be linked to many bands; Gryphon (wind- instruments and chamber music), Focus (symphonic jazz-rock and overall 'lightness') and perhaps a bit of Solaris (because of its non-English'y vibe). In the folky bits the music can sometimes get a bit airy-fairy like, but then again - is has a sort of authenticity about it that makes it easy to swallow. Sometimes I'm also a bit reminded of Pat Matheny's 'The Way Up' album. Though the often light hearted vibe can take some darker and more dissonant turns, the music never sways from its happy romantic adventurous feel for long. The album has three fifteen minute plus tracks and one shorter song, yet it plays like a single long track. The music is ever in motion, hardly ever repeating the themes it introduces for more than once. There are some instrument solo's , but most of it composed and well though out. The vocals are handled quite well by the guest performers, but the music would still benefit from a performer with a little more of personality to it. I guess my main complaint would be that Karfagen sounds a bit anonymous. The one shorter song 'My Bed is a Boat' is a good example of a song that does benefit from some personality. The production of this album is top-notch. Full-bodied, detailed and not overly compressed.

Though this record does not appeal to my personal tastes like some of my favorite 2019 releases, this surely belongs in any top 10 list of this year. Well composed and recorded chamber music infused symphonic rock that comes without a single weak moment. It is, simply put, quite easy to let your thoughts sail away to Karfagen's Dragon Island. A warm four stars for this one, this is a charmer.

PS. Would love to buy this record on a double vinyl.

After listening to this album I can definitely say that Antony Kalugin is one of the modern progressive rock geniuses. This album just blew me away. The atmosphere on this album is fantastic. Along with the keyboards, guitars, vocals, drums and bass. There are some moments on this album that just gave me goosebumps. All 3 parts of the album are well done and ( in my opinion ) are equally as great! The array of music here on this album is truly incredible. If you haven't heard this album yet I would definitely recommend it. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!