|
Review:
|
In 2007 the progrock world was pleasantly surprised
with the instrumental debut album Rokus Tonalis by the Russian
musical project Aviva, led by Russian keyboard player Dimitri
A. Loukanienko who played Grand piano, keyboards, bass,
samples and programmed drums and percussion. The music on
Rokus Tonalis has strong echoes from bombastic keyboard
driven prog in the vein of ELP and Japanese Gerard featuring
a powerful Hammond sound, fluent piano runs and flashy synthesizer
flights, very spectacular. The song The Valse At The End
Of Times delivers a guest-musician on guitar, he gives a
very powerful touch to the music with raw and propulsive
guitar work. Some tracks sound quite experimental with soaring
keyboards and weird voices. That about the first album.
On his new album Nutracker In A Fury (2008) Dimitri
has changed the name into Aviva Omnibus and he is accompanied
by two guitarists, a bassist/drummer and a second keyboard
player who also plays violin. The sound is similar to his
debut-album but even more bombastic and spectacular and
the compositions are more elaborate and balanced. I am absolutely
delighted about the exciting propulsive rhythms with spectacular
work on synthesizer and guitar like in the tracks Overture
In Fury (lots of flowing shifting moods, a varied keyboard
sound, fiery guitar and sensational synthesizer flights),
Dance Of The Tea Giants (very dynamic interplay, sensational
sounding keyboard runs and guitar riffs that alternates
between prog metal and King Crimson in the Red-era, how
propulsive!) and Coda Cold (swinging and propulsive rhythms,
ELP-inspired keyboard work and a heavy guitar solo). The
track Heavy March includes organ runs that are paying tribute
to ELP’s Nutrocker (based upon Tschaikovsky's Nutcracker)
and exciting bombastic keyboard play and heavy guitar work,
simply sensational! Although it’s obvious that Dimitri is
inspired by Keith Emerson, he succeeds to sound original
with his varied and modern souding keyboards and the use
of many samples (like singing African people, steel drums
and lots of voices). Some songs sound mellow like Flower
Fever (sound collage) and Apotheosis (great final part with
sumptuous classical orchestrations) but in general Aviva
Omnibus their sound is bombastic with lots of exciting propulsive
rhythms and spectacular work on keyboards and guitar.
What a thrill to listen to Nutcracker In A Fury, highly
recommended, especially to the aficionados of keyboard-driven
progrock!
www.progwalhalla.com
|
