BLACK DAY

I have followed this album from the first private cassette release to finished CD. I received a private cassette release called "Cherniy Den" in 1998 by the Russian band AZAZELLO. It was the first time I heard a Russian Prog Metal band, and I still haven't heard any other Russian bands since then either.

In 1999 I received a promotional preview CD of this album. The American label Moonchild Records had signed them, and Brian Hirsch had done some digitally re-mastering before the CD-release. The original recordings were made in a cheap studio, so the sound quality wasn't the best. However the band wasn't satisfied with the new mixing so Moonchild had to do a new re-mix before the final release. Now I finally have the finished CD in my hands. This is basically the same album but with a much better sound than on the original cassette release on Volos Rec.

AZAZELLO are quite good musicians and their compositions are very good with complex rhythm changes and instrumental passages. The song titles are presented in English on the cover, but AZAZELLO's album has been recorded with Russian lyrics. This is because Russia is a very big country, and it's probably there they have their biggest market. The band is lead by Alexander Kulak who besides playing guitar also handles the vocals. He's also responsible for the main part of the compositions. Their biggest influence seems to be DREAM THEATER, but also bands such as SYMPHONY X, KANSAS, MARILLION, QUEENSRYCHE and GORKY PARK to name a few. The highlight is the +10 minutes "Night Before The Christmas".

I thing that AZAZELLO has a good chance to be recognised even outside their native country. If you're into Prog Metal bands such as DREAM THGEATER, and are brave enough to try out the Russian alternative, I recommend you to give this album a try.