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SHALASH BAND

Symphonic Prog • Russia


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Shalash Band biography
Founded in Moscow, Russia in 2016

SHALASH BAND is a duo of keyboardist Dmitry KARAVAEV and drummer Maxim SMIRNOV, playing instrumental symphonic progressive rock.

Despite the minimal line-up, the band plays on the stage "enchanting symphonic progressive rock" with the sound and drive of full format band.

The band was formed in Russia (Moscow) in 2016 and released its debut album «Shalash» («Шалаш») in 2018. The album was presented at the stages of Moscow and Saint Petersburg and got positive feedback from musical experts and listeners. For fans of ELP and ARS NOVA

Bio by Shalash band

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SHALASH BAND discography


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SHALASH BAND top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.52 | 20 ratings
Shalash
2018
3.98 | 4 ratings
Kabyokh
2022

SHALASH BAND Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

SHALASH BAND Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

SHALASH BAND Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

SHALASH BAND Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 2 ratings
V.S.
2018
4.00 | 1 ratings
W
2018
4.00 | 1 ratings
S
2019

SHALASH BAND Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Kabyokh by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2022
3.98 | 4 ratings

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Kabyokh
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars Here we have the second album from Russian duo Shalash Band who comprise Dmitry Karavaev (keyboards, wind controller) and Maxim Smirnov (drums and percussion). I was quite a fan of their 2018 debut, 'Shalash', so I was intrigued to see what this would be like, and I am very pleased indeed to report that it is a logical progression from what they were doing before, yet they have moved on and, in many ways, this is quite different. They have been working together for more than 20 years although they only formed this outfit in 2016, and there is no doubt they have a very solid understanding of how the other works. The use of a wind controller on this album allows Dmitry to provide plenty of synths which sound like brass or woodwind instruments, which often gives the music a jazzlike tendency, while never really moving into fusion.

As before, here is a prog band with a sense of humour and there are far too few of them around, and they see nothing wrong with suddenly moving in a totally inappropriate direction such as on "We See Them" which suddenly has the guys rock and rolling around the joint. There are no rules, or if they are recognised, they are there to be broken. It is certainly a very interesting and also different approach to many bands from Russia, who often follow classical, folk or avant-garde norms, whereas here we have a duo who are incredibly melodic yet see no reason to sit within any given music boundaries and instead keep switching up. Both Emerson and Wakeman, especially the latter who has always appeared to have more fun with his music, are obvious influences on Dmitry while Palmer is the very obvious influence on Maxim who is doing far more than just keeping time and is very much an equal partner in this relationship.

I have been fortunate enough to hear a great deal of Russian progressive rock music over the years and yet again Shalash Band demonstrate it is possible to have fun and produce prog which is totally accessible yet still driving forward. One never knows the path they are going to take but know it is going to be a fun ride wherever they lead.

 Kabyokh by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2022
3.98 | 4 ratings

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Kabyokh
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by felonafan

4 stars Kabyokh is the second album released by Shalash Band, still consisting of two musicians, with composer and keyboardist Dmitry Karavaev being the leader. The new release includes only six tracks and lasts about 40 minutes, that is, it does not have time to get bored. Emerson's influence is still clearly felt, but at the same time, a stronger jazz bias can be noted, the sound in some moments has suddenly become dominated by the saxophone - or, to be correct, the wind controller. Perhaps the compositions have become more elaborated, especially in this regard, the opening track can be distinguished. The sound of the fifth track with a dominant piano stands out noticeably, here Emerson's "spirit" is especially noticeable. To all fans of keyboard-oriented progressive rock, I recommend listening to this album. This release is one of the important achievements of symphonic prog music from post-socialist countries for 2022.
 Kabyokh by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2022
3.98 | 4 ratings

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Kabyokh
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by Kempokid
Collaborator Prog Metal Team

4 stars Despite overall having enjoyed what Shalash band had put out with their 2018 self-titled album, with the way it fused elements of progressive electronic in with its more simplistic, melodic instrumental prog sound, I still did find it to be appealing more in the sense of it being an intriguing blueprint that could lead to greater results in the future if the potential had been fulfilled. Glad to say that even though this ends up going in a pretty different direction to what I expected, it nonetheless sounds like a really engaging evolution of what was done well with the band's debut, being able to bring a set of more varied, complex compositions to the table while still undoubtedly leaning into their more immediately ear-grabbing, melodic edge that gave the debut a lot of its flavour. The big notable difference this time around is that rather than being so deeply invested in electronics and synths as the accompanying aesthetic, there's a distinct jazz element to a lot of this, something which is immediately introduced in the opening track, which a variety of brass instrumentation as its central driving force. These solos and interweaving melodies are backed nicely by the percussion giving a strong sense of uplifting energy to the whole song, which is something that quickly is established to be a vital theme to the album as a whole, this bright, hopeful sound that persists no matter what's going on.

I also appreciate the added emphasis on this atmosphere through the playful attitude that the band approaches a lot of these songs with. This doesn't just surface with the frequent switch ups or the way that the band always sounds like they're having the time of their life with the way they're playing a bit loosely while maintaining a tight grip over the direction of each song, but also with stuff like the brief deviation into a rock n roll groove on We See Them. Moments like this often come a bit out of nowhere while maintaining enough cohesion to contribute to the album's feel on the whole as well, helping to further contribute to that carefree, uplifting sound that is perpetuated. With this said, I don't fully adore this either, though I know that this is more of a personal taste thing as opposed to anything I can specifically pick out that's wrong with this album. I think that a couple more moments in the vein of Kalinka where the band would go all out with a more intense sound in places would do wonders for this to further break up the sound, or at the very least more sparingly choosing to implement everything at once to further differentiate one song from the next, but for what this is going for, I still enjoy it and think that it's a neat way to further refine an already promising set of concepts into something more full formed. Looking rather forward to seeing what happens next with Shalash band, because this was a pleasant surprise.

 Shalash by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.52 | 20 ratings

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Shalash
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by FragileKings
Prog Reviewer

4 stars From time to time, I'll find a message in my mailbox asking me to review an album. I'm both pleased and honoured to be asked and at the same time I feel the burden of responsibility to give a fair listen when I might actually be totally into something else at the time. Something about this request made me want to lend my ears, however, and soon I found myself thinking, "You know, I need to have this album in order to properly enjoy it."

At least one reviewer has mentioned a similarity to Emerson, Lake and Palmer, surely because Shalash are a keyboard/drums/bass band with there being no bass guitar credit, so I must assume the bass parts are created with keyboards. My first impressions though were more like some tracks sound like the weird electronic music that's in those bizarre videos by Cyriak only recorded using real instruments. Other times, the music reminds me of a Quebec seventies band who were called Incubus in the day but after reforming had to change their name to Ex-cubus because a metal band had since taken the name. Ex-cubus is also a keyboard/drums/bass band but with a sound like Italian prog, not English. So there was this familiarity about Shalash's music.

This is not prog for everyone. It's quirky, it's fun, and quite cheerful at times. If you've ever heard the kind of music by the (not) surf band Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet you might detect that spirit here, even though the musical styles are quite different.

All the tracks are instrumentals, though some include spoken Russian such as the first track, "54321", which is about a rocket launch so you hear the radio communications between cosmonauts and ground crew. It makes for a great introduction to the album. The next track "12/8" has that Cyriak beginning before settling into a very pleasing slow-tempo organ solo instrumental that reminds me of some Quebec prog bands again. The closing track, "S" is also one that stands out for me as is, "S.Z."

One thing is that most track titles are given as letters, such as "V", "R.N.", and "P". These letters represent the alphabet letter at the beginning of the track titles, which are actually in Russian. Perhaps knowing that many of us out there don't read Russian (as unfortunate as that may be), they traded their Russian titles for letters and numbers. Given the peculiar nature of the music, this adds some mystery, but I feel something amiss not to see the actual Russian text.

Because this is such an interesting and, let's say uncommon album of music, it's not one you're likely to play at wedding parties or while cruising the seaside strip. Then again, a lot of prog isn't. Still, it's an album that is for those special times when you just gotta hear something special and unusual.

I'd love to give this album four stars simply for all that went into it. But I don't want to mislead the casual viewer who might mistake this for the next Triumvirate. The band is certainly on the right track, however, and I expect we'll be hearing more eyebrow-raising music from them in the future. Consider it a fascinating delight for the adventurous of taste but not something for everyone.

 Shalash by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.52 | 20 ratings

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Shalash
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars Shalash are a Russian duo comprising Dmitry Karavaev (keyboards) and Maxim Smirnov (drums, percussion) who released this their debut album "Shalash" ("Шалаш") in 2018. Just a few things to note even before starting the review, in that they have an informative website which is in both Russian and English, and this is a self-released digipak which they sent all the way down to New Zealand for me to have a physical copy even though I had said I was happy with the digital files. Dmitry also sent me loads of links to different sites, as he wanted me to have as much information as possible ' given that some bands seem to deliberately it make it hard for reviewers, it is a refreshing change.

Dmitry and Maxim have actually been working together since 2001 in the band Aurum, Argentum and Skumbrium (who have also released numerous albums), but they decided to record and perform as a duo in 2016, taking the name Shalash which apparently is Russian for Hut. There is something really enjoyable about this album, which is uplifting, fun and a bloody good time all at once. There are times when it is quite bombastic, almost in an ELP sense, but even when it is not quite at that scale there is still a driving force behind it. One of the reasons for this is that what we have here are a series of rock songs, not just keyboard meanderings, and although Maxim does let Dmitry have his own space here and there it is normally only for a few bars and then he is back driving it all along. Dmitry uses sounds and styles which are certainly dated, and if I had been sent this and been told it was a reissue, I would have pegged it between 1968 and 1974 in terms of original release date. Keyboards are used to emulate the bass, but here in terms of what a bassist would do with complex runs as opposed to something being produced just with a left hand, such as used to be the case by Vincent Crane. Given they gig as a duo I presume this means they use sequencers as I can't see how Dmitry can provide what needs to be done unless he has at least three hands and given the additional layering of keyboards he probably needs four.

They bring in folk influences here and there, Russian speech at others, psychedelic at yet others, and overall the result is an incredibly easy album to listen to, and one I have really enjoyed playing. The band have also made it available through Bandcamp so why not give it a try?

 Shalash by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.52 | 20 ratings

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Shalash
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by Windhawk
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Russian band SHALASH is a fairly recent venture, and was formed back in 2016 by keyboardist Dmitry Karavaev and drummer Maxim Smirnov. The two remains the sole members of the band at this point, handling all instrument roles themselves. They self-released their debut album "Shalash" in early 2018.

Instrumental symphonic progressive rock isn't the largest subset of progressive rock, even if we are talking about a band with a strong focus on the first half of the 1970's in terms of direct inspiration. Still, those who tend to find music from that era and this particular subset of progressive rock to be of interest should feel right at home with this album, and then in particular those fond of this specific kind of music honing in on positive and uplifting moods and atmospheres.

 Shalash by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.52 | 20 ratings

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Shalash
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by jamesbaldwin
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Also, like Kempokid and others, after receiving (with a private message) the request to review "ROZMAINSKY & MIKHAYLOV PROJECT - Adventures at the Babooinumfest 2017", published in last month, I received the request to review this album (Shalash, 2018) by the group keyboard player Dmitry Karavaev. And so, flattered, now I'm willingly willing to this burden. Notwithstanding, I am not an expert in Russian music, nor am I a lover of instrumental symphonic prog.

What do you listen to on this record? A drum and keyboard music, then with only two instruments, and without singing (apart from some recitative voice present in a few songs). It's therefore minimalist music, somewhat homogeneous, and ambient: halfway between EL & P and Brian Eno. In fact, I have listened to it as film music, or background music, that isn't very demanding music.

To please, to be appreciate, such minimalist music, which can't count on the arrangements or the voice, must have some ingredients: 1) good composition 2) good creativity / originality 3) good performance

The music of the Russian duo has all three qualities, in particular the second and the third. Of course the keyboard player has talent and creativity. The compositions (and melodies) are not memorable, but they are quite good.

The first song "54321 (3:51)" is pleasant, cheerful, well-marked. In the melody you hear something Slavic. Vote 7. The second, "12/8 (7:59)" eight minutes, begins as a slow ballad, but then has a sudden speeding up, the keyboard player enters a tour de force and then returns the ballad, at a faster pace than the initial one. Vote 7.5. The third one "V.S. (3:52)" has a rhythm and a pop mood, it seems like a nursery rhyme. The rhythm continues to change, the musicians do their best in virtuosity. Acrobatic. Paradoxical. 6.5.

"S.Z. (6:59)", seven minutes is one of the best songs of entire Lp: Vote: 8. Start and end psychedelic, central core very well rhythmic and engaging, great work of the drummer Maxim Smirnov. The fifth: "V (4:00)" is less convincing, too syncopated, Vote 7+. The sisxth piece, "R.N. (5:17)", opened by spoken words in Russian, gives a folk flavor to the song, which has some rhythmic passage similar to the polka. The voice returns in some situations to give a very characteristic Slavic folk dance color. Psychedelic final. Vote 7,5/8. Also the next song ("R.T. (5:23)") has a Slavic folk dance rhythm, then the song takes another direction, going towards an almost epic space rock final. Vote 7+.

So far Shalash Band have managed not to get bored while adopting a keyboard / drums music. Their music is listened to with pleasure.

"P (3:25)", is shortest but engaging. Vote 7,5. "W (4:44)" opens at a samba rhythm, then comes a noise piece, then samba come back. Very strange. Vote 7. The last song, "S (6:00) is more solid. It's like a miz between Pink Floyd and New Order. Spoken words, space rock atmosphere, and a heavy pulse. Vote 8.

Good music. Good creativity. Good ability to keep the listener's attention high without asking too much effort but also without giving him food made of too banal rhythms or melodies. Good balance between demdanding music and light music. It is made to listen with pleasure. Recommended for lovers of rock instrumental with psychedelic and folk inflections.

Medium quality of the songs: 7,375. Vote album: 7,75/8. Rating: Three Stars.

 Shalash by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.52 | 20 ratings

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Shalash
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by Matti
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Thank you, Dmitry Karavaev, for asking me to review this album. Moscow-based Shalash features just Karavaev on keyboards and Maxim Smirnov on drums. I don't know how the bass sound is produced, but it sounds like a real bass guitar to me, even though that instrument is not mentioned. So, for the sound this duo is on a high level of a so called power trio, in my honest opinion. The eponymous debut album contains ten tracks of instrumental prog rock, naturally very centred on organ and other keyboards; since the music is mostly in a happy mood and in a lively tempo, Keith Emerson easily comes to my mind, why not also Rick Wakeman as a solo artist (e.g. Journey to the Centre of the World), for the overall impression.

One thing I have to criticize as a non-Russian-speaking listener is the fact that all texts in the CD are in Russian only, also track titles. Seemingly the capital abbreviations presented here were the artist's own idea, but I would have appreciated some kind of English translations. I asked my workmate who has studied Russian to translate the titles, and I do feel that I "understand" many tracks better after having a faint idea of the composer's own ideas behind the pieces. There may be some misinterpretations, and the word for track No. 5 we couldn't figure at all. The word Shalash itself probably means a humble dwelling place such as wigwam, and the sticks leaning each other on the cover would confirm that.

The opener is titled '54321' and features voices of astronauts throughout the joyous piece starring Emersonian organ. Also the the second track's a numeral, '12/8'. The 8-minute piece -- the longest in the set -- features a nice, and to my ears rather Wakemanesque, multi-level synth work. During No. 3, meaning something like "Reputation", one may start feeling worried for the whole album being more or less the same joyful stuff. Unfortunately for the most part things tend to be that way, which is the main reason my rating is no more than three stars for this very well produced and played album.

No. 4, with a title meaning something like "Wall of Sound (for the Truth)", starts with a hollow Moog sound reminiscent of Wendy Carlos' soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange, and also the rest of this highlight track brings a little of the wished variety, thanks for the relatively versatile soundscape and at places almost a jazzy groove. Of No. 5 I haven't much to say, the usual up-tempo organ-centred stuff. No. 6 features some narration in Russian and also an accordeon sound in the beginning; the title may mean "Russian Folktale". Quite many not-so-interesting and rather samey compositions this far, but the album improves a bit towards the end.

The 7th track is probably inspired by duelling knights and is another highlight, featuring more details in a progressive sense than this album averagely. 8th: "Dance" or "Ball". Again, a fairly good piece in its own right, but a sense of tiredness starts to set in. Too much of that Emersonian merriness for my taste. Track No. 9 sounds like rather straight-forward vintage jazz-rock. Some sound collages add a feeling of a rock festival, and yes, the title clearly refers to Woodstock! This track brings nice variety variety. The final title track is among the highlights with its determinate voyage-like atmosphere and the lack of the usual merriness.

'Good, but non-essential' is pretty precisely what I feel for this well made album. Sincerely recommended to friends of instrumental keyboard-centred prog rock in mostly Major key.

 Shalash by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.52 | 20 ratings

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Shalash
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by felonafan

4 stars The debut great album of the new Russian prog rock band! No singing, no strings. A lot of keyboards. The influence of Emerson, the Russian and other classical music. Two musicians - a keyboard player and a drummer - can substitute for the full-blown rock band. This music is very enjoyable and pleasant, especially in tracks 2 and 7. An addition of grand piano and some other acoustic instruments can contribute to the improvements in the future. More diversity in sound, tempo and mood can lead to more influence on the listeners. These musicians should not be afraid to take the additional risk of engaging into the experiments! Highly recommended for all lovers of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Triumvirat, and other keyboard-based symphonic progressive rock! This album is very good addition to any prog rock collection.
 Shalash by SHALASH BAND album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.52 | 20 ratings

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Shalash
Shalash Band Symphonic Prog

Review by wiz_d_kidd

3 stars Quick, name a two-man band consisting of keyboards and drums... Did you think of Zombi? Well, here's another: Shalash, from Russia, with Dmitry Karavaev on keys, and Maxim Smirnov on drums. Even though it's just the two of them, they supplement their music with other recorded audio (or MIDI) to produce a fairly full sound.

Sometimes progressive music can be (for me, at least): dark, brooding, complex, dense, serious, obtuse, and angular. Shalash is refreshingly the opposite: bright, happy, straight forward, light, fun, familiar, and melodic. Shalash provides a good break when the prog music you're listening to becomes too challenging.

The compositions and music are quite enjoyable. Both musicians appear to be more than competent with their instruments. The album has well conceived compositions with nice chord progressions, toe tapping rhythms, surprising (but not awkward) changes, and forward-leaning grooves that maintain your interest. There are no vocals, aside from some recorded spoken passages in Russian.

There's obviously a creative mind behind this work. I think that inside Dmitri's head are complex compositions which he struggles to fully convey to the listener because he is limited to his 10 fingers and some recorded MIDI/audio tracks. These compositions really beg for more players -- perhaps a real bass player and guest guitarist or violinist. The synth substitutes are somewhat disappointing. And a little bit of production polish (stereo separation, reverb, mixing levels, etc.) would help to add some much-needed depth and spaciousness.

Most of the track names have had their Russian words replaced with abbreviations. Discogs provided the full Russian names, which I passed through Google Translate to get the following track listing (approved by Dmitry via private correspondence):

1. 54321 2. 12/8 3. For Glory 4. Wall of Sound (for Truth) 5. Vremiri 6. Russian Traditional 7. Knight Tournament 8. Dances 9. Woodstock 10. Shalash (Hut)

The highlights of the album, for me, are tracks 7, 8 and 9 in which you'll hear some fine keyboard work (some reminiscent of Keith Emerson), and even some Santana-inspired passages complete with cow-bell! Overall, it's a refreshingly upbeat debut album. Three stars -- allowing room for growth.

Thanks to rdtprog for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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