PRINCIPLES AND THEORY OF SPEKTRA

It is quite astonishing to hear from contemporary progressive rock band that it is capable to produce more than good album per year (in fact, it would be perfect to have at least one per year). So when Antony Kalugin announced the third album of him in 2020 it became quite questionable if someone can produce this amount of good music in long-term prospective. Well, the answer is yes. The "Principles and Theory of Spectra" is not worthier (or somewhere better) than excellent "Birds of Passage" and "Marshmallow Moondust", though at the beginning this wasn't obvious for me. What you should know about this album: 1. You should give it a chance! Indeed, Antony made a great piece of music again! 2. The album sounds close to the "Spectra" from 2016. In fact, most records have been made by Antony and his team during this time. On the one hand, his is not the great news for me because I'm not a huge fan of "Spectra". On the other hand, this fact assures us that the team of musicians is great again and the symphonic sound is of highest quality. 3. You will feel that the tune of the music is quite different. Though the sound in general is similar to recognizable "Spectra-like" sound, the mood is completely different. Moreover, album is not bounded to the pathos of antiquity in the way "Spectra" was and I consider that this is good. The only thing that left from the concept of "Spectra" is the division of six songs into two "Phases". 4. Even with the compilation of previously recorded songs Antony managed to conceptualize the album into clear prog-rock frame. So you will be pleased by the number of references, reprises, quotations and other 'smart' things that are important to any prog-rock listener. 5. All tracks are well-balanced and help each other to do their best. The most dynamic and aggressive "Hunter" is changed by the harmonic and accurate "Phantasmagoria". Btw, these are the most interesting part of the album for me, though all of it sounds quite great. 6. Indeed, I prefer more complex and monolith storytelling, more vocal and some composed rock-suites. I'm waiting for a new Sunchild album... But the "Principle and Theory of Spectra" is still awesome. Long story short: Antony did it again; he is a true master, even in a complicated 2020, when many legends screwed-up. His albums sound great and definitely worth to be listened and estimated by any prog-rock fan.