From.uz - Sodom & Gomorrah (2013)

Uno de los grandes discos del año 2013 y último hasta el momento de esta banda. Estos excelentes músicos nos siguen mostrando toda su musicalidad en este nuevo álbum. Les dejo un pequeño adelanto, y mi comentario. En definitiva, ¡un discazo! como todos los de estos tipos.

Artista: From.uz
Álbum: Sodom & Gomorrah
Año: 2013
Género: Rock progresivo
Duración: 52:30
Nacionalidad: Uzbekistán

Lista de Temas:
01. Intro
02. Prologue
03. City
04. Lot
05. The Capture
06. Black Feast I
07. The Orgy
08. Folly of Mob
09. The Blindness/Wife's Prayer
10. Black Wedding
11. Black Feast II
12. Procession of Dead Stars
13. The Escape
14. To the Flames

Alineación:
- Vitaly Popeloff / Guitars
- Albert Khalmurzaev / Keyboards, Guitars, Vocals, Harmonica
- Vladimir Badirov / Drums
- Andrey Mara-Novik / Bass
- Evgeniy Popelov / Keyboards, Vocals

La banda de Uzbekistán se viene en el 2013 con un disco conceptual con temas que fueron compuestos originalmente por el multi-instrumentista Albert Khalmurzaev (tocando teclados, guitarras, voz y armónica en este disco) como banda sonora de una producción musical teatral del mismo nombre. La reinterpretación de la historia bíblica de "Sodoma y Gomorra", como una base conceptual, cuenta la historia de nuestro mundo moderno, asolado por las adicciones mundiales y vicios dañinos que sólo pueden ser resueltas por un cambio desde dentro el corazón de la humanidad.
En su cuarto álbum de estudio, la banda se presenta con sus 5 miembros originales junto Albert Khalmurzaev, el compositor de los temas, mientras que en el disco hay una variedad de estilos, haciendo de éste un disco épico y majestuoso, cerrando la brecha entre prog, jazz- fusión, y música sinfónica.

Sodom & Gomorrah was originally composed by multiinstrumentalist Albert Khalmurzaev as the soundtrack for a theatrical musical production of the same name. Reinterpreting the Biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah as a conceptual foundation, it tells the story of our modern world, ravaged by global addictions and harmful vices that can only be remedied through a change from within the very heart of the human condition.

Hace tres años, los From.Uz trabajaron activamente para interpretar en vivo el "Sodoma y Gomorra", que los llevaría a realizar actuaciones en prestigiosos festivales de teatro en San Petersburgo , Rusia, el Festival Internacional Chéjov (Moscú), entre otros.
La banda grabó la banda sonora durante este plazo de tiempo , pero no fue hasta 2012 que se tomó la decisión de terminar de grabar las pistas, y razlizar la edición, mezcla y masterización para el lanzamiento oficial.
Este es un fino y elegante rock progresivo moderno, mezcla de estilos de que realmente es un placer escuchar, que le encantará a cualquier amante de la fusión, músicos-acrobátas realizando desarrollos exquisitos, explosiones de guitarra frenética, melodías pegadizas, climas y atmósferas, todo a disposición de la historia que se lleva adelante. Hay que escucharlo para saber lo que es. Pero con mucha atención, sólo así puedes entender de alguna manera cómo están compuestas estas obras, llegando al extremo culminante de la definición de rock progresivo, complejo en grado sumo pero sin dejar de lado la melodía, el sonido depurado y el buen gusto.

El disco pareciera estar dicidido en dos, la primera parte bien al estilo ecléctico de la banda, mientras una segunda parte lleva adelante la parte trágica según la representación de la naturaleza sombría de la historia.
Da sierta pena que el desarrollo melódico de la primera parte del álbum no se podría haber continuado a lo largo de todo el álbum, ya que casi parece como dos discos separados, pero en cualquier caso, el talento musical de la banda y Khalmurzaev en las composiciones salvan la situación. En todo caso, el conjunto del disco es una muestra de creatividad, imaginación y musicalidad puestos a la orden del desarrollo de una idea o historia.

Vamos con algunos pocos comentarios sobre el disco, por las dudas de que no me crean. Y no copio pocos comentarios porque yo lo quiera, sino porque somos uno de los primeros en realizar un comentario sobre este disco... ejem... no es por alardear, pero el blog cabezon se va para arriba.

The Uzbekistan band Fromuz is back with Sodom And Gomorrah (2013), a concept CD that features the acclaimed original Fromuz line-up of Vitaly Popeloff (guitars), Albert Khalmurzaev (keyboards, guitars, vocals, harmonica), Vladimir Badirov (drums), and Andrey Mara-Novik (bass), plus Evgeniy Popelov (keyboards, vocals).
Sodom And Gomorrah (2013) was originally composed by multi-instrumentalist Albert Khalmurzaev as the soundtrack for a theatrical musical production of the same name at the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan. Reinterpreting the Biblical tale of “Sodom and Gomorrah” as a conceptual foundation, it tells the story of our modern world, ravaged by global addictions and harmful vices that can only be remedied through a change from within the very heart of the human condition.
This concept is conveyed through the well-established passion and incendiary musicianship that has become the hallmark of Fromuz.
Fromuz originally performed this material live over the course of three years, starting in 2004, actively working with the theater, performing “Sodom and Gomorrah” not only on stage, but also at prestigious theater festivals in St. Petersburg, Russia, the International Chekhov Festival (Moscow, Russia) and more. The band recorded the soundtrack during this timeframe, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the decision was made to return to those tracks, editing, mixing, and mastering them for an official release.
“We are so excited to be able to bring this great piece of conceptual music to the public,” says 10T Records president, Steve Carroll. “The fact that it features the original lineup that introduced Fromuz to the world on their debut release, Audio Diplomacy (2007), just makes it all the sweeter.”

Diego Camargo

From.UZ is a progressive rock band that hails from Tashkent in Uzbekistan, hence the origin of the name. The band was formed back in 2004 and this current release, Sodom and Gomorrah, is the fourth studio album following Overlook (2008), Seventh Stay (2010) and Quartus Artfactus (2011). Sodom and Gomorrah was composed by multi-instrumentalist Albert Khalmurzaev as the soundtrack for a theatrical production of the same name at the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan. “The production re-interprets the biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah in a modern world, ravaged by addictions and vices that can only be remedied through a change from within the very heart of the human condition” (a quote from the record label).
The band present on this release, contains the 5 original members, Vitaley Popeloff (guitars), Albert Khalmurzaev (keyboards, guitar, harmonica and vocals), Vladimir Badarov (drums), Andrey Mara-Novik (bass) and Eugeniy Popelov (keyboards and vocals). The album, Sodom and Gomorrah, is a 14 track effort with a total playing time of around 52 minutes. Track 3, “City,” is the shortest with a running time of 2:06 minutes and track 8, “Folly of Mob,” the longest, lasting for 6:45 minutes.
There is a variety of styles in evidence on this release, with some scorching guitar work and burbling keyboards, as shown on “The Capture” but mainly the more atmospheric soaring melodic blend shown on “Prologue” and “The City.” There are even bits here and there that hint at the quirkier side of prog, more in the Gentle Giant style.
The first part of the album I definitely found the more interesting, and upbeat, part of Sodom and Gomorrah, with the second half certainly matching the bleakness of the original story, but losing the tight grip that the first part had on the listener. I do find that concept albums tend to be either amazing, and pull the listener into the story, refusing to let go until the album finishes, or the journey can be a bit haphazard and requires terrific staying power to last out till the end. Sodom and Gomorrah sits firmly astride these two scenarios with the first and second parts to the album, and another obstacle with this particular release from From.UZ is that the album is mainly instrumental, so thereis no narrator to carry the storyline.
Sodom and Gomorrah is, without doubt, a work of intensity and the band members “work their socks off” throughout, but there is no disguising the dichotomy between the first half of the album and the second. Followers of From.UZ will be eager to aurally digest Sodom and Gomorrah, but I do prefer the previous release from 2011, although that blistering first part to the album, hopefully, will be the direction the band move into, and that could make the next release, “the one” that lifts From.UZ several more rungs up the prog ladder

Jim Lawson

Majestic. Powerful. Grandiose. Melodic. Epic. These are just some of the words that describe what you are in store for when you first pop in the latest CD from Uzbekistan prog rock/fusion act FROMUZ, Sodom and Gomorrah. This new concept album, originally composed by Albert Khalmurzaev (keyboards, guitars, vocals, harmonica) as the soundtrack for a theatrical musical of the same name, reinterprets the Biblical tale of Sodom and Gomorrah and puts it into the modern world. Joining Khalmurzaev are the rest of the original FROMUZ line-up; Vitaly Popeloff (guitars), Vladimir Badirov (drums), and Andrey Mara-Novik (bass), along with Evgeniy Popelov (additional keyboards & vocals).
Mostly instrumental, Sodom and Gomorrah runs the gamut as far as musical styles and textures go. When this band wants to cook with some fierce progressive metal, as on "The Capture", they can sure get down and dirty with crushing Dream Theater inspired bombast, complete with searing lead guitar & beefy riffs from Vitaly Popeloff and loads of bubbling keyboards. However, more often than not, the band opt for soaring, melodic flights here that bridge the gap between prog, jazz-fusion, and a World/classical mix that really is a joy to listen to, as on "Prologue" and "City". FROMUZ even approaches Gentle Giant styled quirky, majestic prog on the engaging "Black Feast I". Fusion fans will love the acrobatic bass from Mara-Novik and frantic guitar explosions of "The Orgy", while "Folly of Mob" contains some catchy melodies that wouldn't have been out of place on an 80's hard rock album.
As good as the majority of Sodom and Gomorrah is, the back end of the CD loses a bit of steam. It's here where Khalmurzaev really takes control, as most of the second half of the album is dominated by eerie, keyboard drenched themes that coincide with the story the band is telling. Unfortunately, these tracks are not as engaging as the first half, but work well in depicting the bleak nature of the story. It's a shame that the uptempo, melodic nature of the earlier part of the album couldn't have been continued throughout, as it almost comes across as two separate albums patched together. Regardless, the musical talents of the band and Khalmurzaev's brilliant writing & arranging shine throughout in what is ultimately another winner from FROMUZ.

Pete Pardo

The amazing musicians from Uzbekistan are back with “Sodom and Gomorrah,” a concept CD that features the acclaimed original FROMUZ line-up of Vitaly Popeloff (guitars), Albert Khalmurzaev (keyboards, guitars, vocals, harmonica), Vladimir Badirov (drums), and Andrey Mara-Novik (bass), plus Evgeniy Popelov (keyboards, vocals).
“Sodom & Gomorrah” was originally composed by multi-instrumentalist Albert Khalmurzaev as the soundtrack for a theatrical musical production of the same name at the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan. Reinterpreting the Biblical tale of “Sodom and Gomorrah” as a conceptual foundation, it tells the story of our modern world, ravaged by global addictions and vice that can only be remedied through a change from within the very heart of the human condition.
This concept is conveyed through the well-established passion and incendiary musicianship that has become the hallmark of FROMUZ. This is modern progressive rock at its very finest.
FROMUZ originally performed “Sodom and Gomorrah” live over the course of three years, starting in 2004, actively working with the Youth Theater in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as well as performances at prestigious theater festivals in St. Petersburg, Russia, the International Chekhov Festival (Moscow, Russia), and more. The band recorded the soundtrack during this time-frame, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the decision was made to return to those tracks, editing, mixing, and mastering them for an official release.
“We are so excited to be able to bring this great piece of conceptual music to the public,” says 10T Records president, Steve Carroll. “The fact that it features the original lineup that introduced FROMUZ to the world on their debut release, “Audio Diplomacy,” just makes it all the sweeter.”
“Sodom and Gomorrah” by FROMUZ is available for immediate shipping and download through the 10T Records online store. Additionally, all tracks from “Sodom and Gomorrah” are now available to preview in their entirety on the FROMUZ artist page at 10T Records.
After September 17, “Sodom and Gomorrah” will be available through your favorite retail outlet for immediate purchase.

10TRecords2

En definitiva, un disco fino, depurado, prolijo, detallista, virtuoso, melódico, bello, son su propio sello... en definitiva, brillante. Todo lo que uno puede esperar de un disco de los geniales From.uz. Solamente les falta un ingrediente para terminar de encumbrarse: sorprender. Porque con todo lo bueno que es, este álbum no sorprende, es un excelente álbum típico de estos increíbles músicos. Si pudiesen llegar a sorprender, definitivamente serían de otro mundo.
Así y todo, un verdadero discazo, como todos los de From.uz. Traten de conseguirlo (repito que en este blog no se compartirán estos links de descarga) que no se van arrepentir. Se los aseguro.

http://www.fromuzband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/FromuzBand