ICHTHYANDER DAD'S ONLY DOLPHIN

Ichthyander Dad's Only Dolphin have made themselves a nice debut album with this live CD and DVD package. Just how much of a fan base the band does have is something I'm unsure of, but the quality of the band as they come across here indicates that it most likely should be larger than it is. Those who like their progressive rock to be instrumental and eclectic in scope should find this production to be an interesting one, and in particular if bands like King Crimson and Gentle Giant are among your favorites.

The band on this album includes three founding members Dmitry Dorosh (guitars), Oleg Vorona (bass) and Viktor Sirotin (drums) along with newbies Olena Yeremenko (violin) and Sergei Kadenko (keys). The influences are long but includes many of the usual suspects of eclecticism such as Gentle Giant and King Crimson along with healthy doses of jazz-fusion compositional approaches with saxophone workouts woven in with electronic ambient elements, psychedelia and even heavy rock often all within a single track. The feisty opener "Through The Gates Of The Universe" is a Voivod inspired rocker that not only breaks down the doors but literally crashes the gates with full rock fury. "Biometry" takes on an 80s King Crimson vibe that adds an ambitious violin that will remind the listener of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with that Jean Luc-Ponty virtuosity in full effect. They skillfully cranking out track after track alternating between heavy complex rock workouts with softer more subdued segments.

IDOD do tend to lack the originality that clearly separates them from the influences they infuse in every cadence of their compositions but they do manage to weave it all together in an interesting way that when taken with the fiery spirit of their performances and tight quirky ability for the band to play together at uncanny speeds incorporating dangerous frenetic time signatures makes this a very compelling listen. The arrangements are quite varied and outdo their influences and in many cases as they have upped the game in terms of eclecticism as well as stage performances. For a live album, the production is quite good and the unison of the band to play in tandem is impeccable. I'm usually quite underwhelmed by live albums but this one has all the elements that make it as good of a listen as a studio album. It is rumored that a true non-live album is in the works and i must say that "PLAYING LIVE AT ONE MUSIC FEST" has truly whetted my appetite for more of IDOD's music as they sound like truly seasoned musicians that have taken the long road to blossom but have finally reached the promised musical garden of delights. Another promising band to emerge from the Eastern outposts of Slavic nations.

IDOD is almost the definition of eclectic prog; their hour-long setlist never sits still, flipping between symphonic prog, jazz rock, prog folk, and new age, with these genres often weaved together into the same passage. Some common referential cores can be picked up, with the jazzier side of King Crimson shining through quite often, but there's really a lot more nuance to these guys' sound than can be conveyed just by listing influences. Indeed, these guys have a remarkable depth to their sound. The music is rich in timbres, with the typical "prog quartet" of keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums being spruced up by violin, flute, and saxophone. And the band is equally compelling at pulling off any number of moods or ambiences, whether it's the uptempo rock exhilaration of "Countdown", the sombre, contemplative "Castle of Birmingham", or the nostalgic, yearning "Comeback To Life". Add in the virtuoso performances and headspinningly intricate rhythmic arrangements that grace much of the material, and these guys have a real hit (by prog standards at least) on their hands!

Having said that, there's not much on this album that's wildly innovative; IDOD don't have anything up their sleeves that some other eclectic group hadn't thought of 30 or more years ago. But what tips the scales in their favour is the fact that they've so masterfully consolidated their influences into something that's not only consistently strong in terms of composition and performance, but they've captured some of the magic that makes all the prog classics so wonderful. When you hear that first crashing opening of "Through The Gates of The Universe", you know that you're in for a musical joyride and a true sonic adventure. And what a journey it is. After repeat listens, the music - and the experience - hold up remarkably well. So here's a band that gets down to business. No gimmicks, just great music, plain and simple - even if the music is anything but. 4 stars for a memorable, professional, and ultimately stunning display of talent.

performed a reunion concert in their home town of Kirovograd, and they have now made a recording of this available through Bandcamp. The more perceptive would have noticed that there isn't a singer listed, which is because this is an instrumental band, and to be honest there just wouldn't be any room for vocals. To say that every person is a master of their instrument is something of an understatement, and this strange, eclectic music is completely enthralling. They are often likened to Frank Zappa combined with classic King Crimson (the only cover is a version of "Starless"), but there are also sections that could be classic Beatles, while Ozone Quartet also springs to mind. There are times when the music is in standard 4/4 time and restrained, while others it is mixing and melding at great speed and intricacy, taking melodic leaps that one thinks will never make sense but somehow always does. Sometimes classical, sometimes eclectic art rock, sometimes compelling, but never boring, I look forward with interest to hear what these guys can do in a studio.

"Opus 16" starts out kind of New Wave symph prog, then gets more funky before becoming more symphonic. "Unmeasured Spaces" begins as a kind of avant-fusion featuring mallet percussion. Some good synth soloing and sax soloing. "Epiphany" is the highlight of the album for me (and you can listen to this track on PA). Opens with a funky synth riff and fast guitar picking before an awesome groove drives the music forward. Love the fast fusiony guitar playing in parts. Great melodies in this track. Nice unison runs between guitar and violin at one point. In the middle goes symphonic before returning to the funky synth riff.

"Comeback To Life" has sitar and flute making a very New Age beginning of this track. Gradually gets more symphonic and orchestral with additional instruments being added. Really great synth soloing dominates for awhile before ending with a symphonic finish. This release has very good sound and the musicianship is superb. You can purchase this album on Bandcamp. For fans of Eclectic Prog in general. I will give this a solid 4 stars.

I started out with the CD. My very first reaction was "What The F***": some low-fi dialogue in Russian. The subtexts of the DVD explains that it's the dialogue that Yuri Gagarin had just before his space travel. The roughly 11-minute opening track 'Through the Gates of Universe' shows quite openly where the music draws its strongest influence from: the John Wetton -era KING CRIMSON, or the instrumental side of it, to be more exact. The core line-up features a female violinist, and additional musicians play e.g. saxophone, flute, violin and viola. The band is skillful, but the compositions or arrangements were not as varied as I hoped. The Crimson influence is often heard, another good reference is Mahavishnu Orchestra. The music is not very emotional, it's mostly rather serious-minded. I can't say it would sound all the same, for example 'Castles of Birmingham' is more delicate than the rest. 'Comeback to Life' is perhaps the most colourful in sound, starting with a guitar lead reminiscent of 'To One in Paradise' by The Alan Parsons Project, and later at times reminding me of Mike Oldfield's Killing Fields soundtrack.

Eight original compositions are followed (in the CD) by the glorious King Crimson classic 'Starless'. Jason Offen does a pretty good, Wettonesque vocal job. Clearly this tracks is the highlight, simply because the composition itself is so marvelous and beloved (also by me) for decades. Sadly 'Starless' is not contained in the DVD, instead the set ends with the Gentle Giant instrumental 'Boys in the Band'. This track choice also tells something of the band's style. To some extent, the visual side of the concert was a let-down for me. The lighting looks, well, rather terrible to be honest. The large wall is filled with little lights in rows as in the electric billboards. I don't think it looks very good at any moment, whether there's circulating words (One Music Fest I think it was) or spacey movement effects. At least it leaves the musicians in minor roles visually. A good thing is that on DVD mr. Dorosh introduces most tracks (in Russian, with English subtitles) and on CD these are gracefully cut off. The package itself gives no artist information. For the music my rating is 3½, but for the visual level I round it downwards.