Many years ago I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of Azazellos’ third album, ‘Black Day’ and I was mightily impressed. A while later I was sent a copy of their seventh album and again I really enjoyed it. So when I saw that Kerry Kompost had guested on their newest album then I knew that I had to grab a copy. Unfortunately drummer Vladimir Demakov, passed away in December of 2011 so he never got to hear the fruits of his labours, but he would be pleased to know that his mates had done him proud. Led by multi-instrumentalist Alexandr Kulak, along with Vladimir Kulak (keys) and Yan Zhenchak (vocals), this is a band that apparently have no understanding of boundaries and are happy to play whatever pleases them, so if that means coming across as Metallica on one song then all power to them. These guys can really riff when they want to, with more than a hint of Voivod about them, but they are way more than just a fancy metal band and bring in folk and more overtly progressive influences to create something that isn’t quite Western, not quite Russian, but always interesting and compelling, much in the way that Dream Theater used to be, but with more instrumentation (the violin is particularly effective).
Kerry is not the only guest on the album, with Misha Ogorodv (Pierre Moerlen’s Gong) and Bill Berends (Mastermind) also making their presence felt. I was fortunate one night to catch Mastermind in concert, and by the end of the gig my jaw hurt as it had been hanging open most of the night in awe. Those guys can play, really play. That is the same for all those involved here, as we morph and move all over the place, but a special mention should be made of “Run In Parallel (Leo)” which is the first time I have heard a happy baby over the top of an acoustic guitar! This is an album with real depth, and the more I have played it the more I have enjoyed it. Yet another outstanding album from Azazello, well worth discovering.
To hear a sample or to download digitally then visit melodicrevolutionrecords.com/album/megadream
