ECHOES FROM WITHIN DRAGON ISLAND

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.

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.