AUGUST IN THE URALS

Dan Britton tends to be the US equal to Italy's Fabio Zuffanti.He is a man with an esoteric lust for creativity and originality in music,which have lead him to form a number of projects along with his own Emkog label.Dan was a member of Cerebus Effect,where he met founding member drummer Patrick Gaffney,with whom he decided to form a new band,DELUGE GRANDER (a pun on "Delusions of Grandeur'') in Baltimore in 2005.The two musicians were supported by Dave Berggren on guitars and Brett d'Anon on bass.Next year finds the band releasing the 70-min. prog journey ''August in the Urals'' on Britton's own Emkog label.

STYLE: Complicated prog with retro influences to say the least,performed in a very unique and personal way.Five adventuruous cuts ranging from 7 to 27 minutes with very limited vocals,focusing on intricate,complex,tight and challenging musicianship.Britton is a guy with an education both in Jazz and Classical music,a fact taped almost in every composition of the album.Describing the album track by track would be useless,as everyone of them has so many twists,it's almost impossible not to write a sum of over a thousand words for all of them.I will generally that if you want something trully complicated with a sound approaching Classic 70's Prog this is the album for you.Main characteristicts: Dominant and grandiose use of mellotron,trully heavy and dark bass lines,alternating use of keys,a guitarist changing his style from smooth HACKETT-ish playing with jazzy overtones to heavy intricate parts and a style twisting constantly between Symphonic Rock to fast and furious Jazz-Fusion with endless interplays and tightly connected themes.

INFLUENCES/SOUNDS LIKE: Mix 1/3 of classic period smooth GENESIS/YES with the darkness of mid 70's-period KING CRIMSON or early VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR along with the complexity of GENTLE GIANT or the jazzyness of CAMEL.A symphonic side of CEREBUS EFFECT would be quite accurate also.Am I the only one to hear some of early 70's Italian Prog influences also?

PLUS: Of course with so many influences the sound is not 100% original,but this band is definitely unique in their approach.Despite the long tracks,all of them are as tight as they can get with an unstoppable flow and a fast tempo generally.Mellotron sounds tend to almost avant-garde at times and that is original.Jazz-Fusion parts are absolutely fascinating and among the best to be heard in the modern league, I guarantee that. Britton's playing is also awesome,atmospheric mellotron parts give their place to non- boring professional solos and delicate piano passages.The guitar playing is a highlight too,despite to obvious HACKETT-ish influence.One of the most adventuruous releases of modern prog.

MINUS: Vocals are fortunately limited,as they are distorted and could fit more in a Gothic band than a Prog Rock one.A very difficult album which is not for any part of the day.

WILL APPEAL TO: ...anyone without exception!

CONCLUSION/RATING: ''August in the Urals'' is great music experience,which requires numerous repeated listenings to be fully appreciated.One of the top albums of 2006,which dramatically blends Symphonic and Jazz Rock with a hard to desribe atmosphere.Worth its money,purchase at any reasonable price.4 or even 4.5 stars!