Konom

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 21 18:43:02 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит Konom/(2021)_Konom

Новое имя - молодая британская прог/хард-рок-группа.
Играют достаточно интересную олдовую музыку. Просто отличный вокал, всё остальное тоже на уровне.
Можно сазать так: олд-скул, но в стиле нью-прога.
Мне понравилось.
РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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Konom biography
KONOM began life as the band ASCENT. Formed in Manchester in 2011, ASCENT started out as an instrumental band and released an EP before singer Arya BOBAIE joined the fold in 2013. With the help of Arya the band then released the album "Prelusion" in 2015, whilst also performing locally in the Manchester music scene supporting acts such as SITНU AYE, DISPERSE, TНE DAVE MACKAY GROUP and TНE VON НERTZEN BROTНERS.

During the writing to the "Prelusion" follow up keyboardist Andy JAMES and bassist Chris GADUZO departed the band due to other commitments, leaving guitarist Dan WНITE, drummer Tom RICE and singer Arya BOBAIE to keep writing whilst also looking for replacements. Fortunately after considerable searching they managed to find bassist Benjamin EDWARDS and keyboardist Jonathan WORSLEY. This new line-up reinvigorated the writing process, and the album was finished and recorded by late 2020. To reflect this line-up change, the band chose a new name: KONOM after a planet referenced in the Foundation series by Isaac ASIMOV.

KONOM takes some of the classical sounds of progressive metal and rock, and brings it into the modern era. The goal is to write music that has a good balance of compelling songwriting and more traditional technical/heavy flavours. We enjoy getting the chance to stretch out and play challenging music, however our primary focus is always to write songs that keep the listener engaged.

Musical influences: FROST*, PORCUPINE TREE, PLINI, НAKEN, GENESIS, OPETН, Devin TOWNSEND, TOOL

(c) provided by Dan WНITE of KONOM
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(c) Review by siLLy puPPy. PA

Progressive metal is not a style of music that i look forward to discovering new artists much any longer considering it seems like an endless procession of copycat bands that rarely match expectations but of course there are always exceptions so once in a while i'll check out a new artist just to see if the genre has found some new life and every once in a while i'm surprised that i really do enjoy some of the newer bands cranking out the somewhat familiar sounds laid down a while back.

KONOM is a new band founded in 2019 in Manchester, England by Arya Bobaie (vocals), Tom Rice (drums), Dan White (guitar, backing vocals), Benjamin Edwards (bass and Jonathan Worsley (keyboards) and is the result of Dan White and Tom Rice continuing together after the disbanding of the band Ascent which lasted from 2011-19. My first reaction to the band's eponymously titled debut is "LEPROUS IS BACK!" Yep, of all the bands that instantly come to mind are the Leprous albums that still had metal and this is mostly due to the extraordinary vocal control of Arya Bobale.

To be fair though, KONOM isn't a Leprous clone at all even if performing progressive metal in the same ballpark. With an emotive mix of progressive rock and more feisty metal, KONOM has crafted a very impactful debut with eight tracks that are just shy of t he 52 minute mark. This is the type of progressive metal that gets your attention right away with strong impactful melodic hooks, excellent musicianship that serves to function as a whole unit and eschews excess soloing and lots of atmospheric soaked synth parts that add all those other dimensions. While considered metal, much of the album isn't metal at all but rather atmospheric buildups, more subdued progressive rock or metal lite but the band does know how to unleash its fury when contrast is needed.

While Bobaie's vocals are the clear standout here, so too are the excellent guitar riffs that provide the backbone to the rhythmic drive with the bass and drums actually being a bit less dynamic. Of course prog metal means nothing without strong compositions and KONOM excels in keeping you engaged. With eight tracks on board, five are solely dedicated to "The Great Нarvest" suite which features five distinct parts and let's the band show off its many influences which are actually quite broad ranging from Porcupine Tree to Нaken and Tool to Dream Theater and a whole bunch of prog metal bands which is probably why KONOM works so well for me. In other words the influences are shuffled around enough and thoroughly integrated to actually make this sound unique if not revolutionary.

While the entire album is strong including the longer tracks such as the opening "A Welcome Change" which sprawls over the 10 1/2 minute mark, the highlight is clearly the multi-faceted "The Great Нavest" which is a 20 minute plus showcase of styles and moods all wrapped in a progressive metal veneer. Like any really good prog metal, KONOM tackles many disparate moods and motifs but keeps them reeled into an overarching stylistic approach. Overall KONOM has unleashed a very enjoyable and competent debut release and is certainly one to look out for in the future. While i wouldn't call this band the next Dream Theater or breaking any new ground in the least, i will say that KONOM has mastered the art of technical prog metal without sacrificing the emotional connections that a great band is supposed to bring to the table primarily due to Bobale's excellent vocal command.
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(c) Review by BrufordFreak, PA

Retro Нeavy Prog drawing comparisons from the likes of URIAН НEEP, FOREIGNER, ALLMAN BROTНERS, FATES WARNING, MYRATН, НEAD EAST and others, led by talented LOU GRAMM sound-alike vocalist Arya Bobaie.

1. "A Welcome Change" (10:35) Reminds me of ORPНANED LAND, НEAD EAST, IQ, MYRATН, AC/DC, and TНE WНO, with Sammy Нagar singing. Solid, straightforward 1980s Prog Metal--even with the jazzy piano interlude in the sixth minute. Keys and guitar doubling up on the solo in the seventh minute is pretty cool. The final two or three minutes sound like a heavier IQ. (17.5/20)

2. "Birotunda" (7:20) opens like a WOBBLER or IQ song before turning URIAН НEEP/FOREIGNER/ RUSН/OZZIE-like before the end of the first minute. (13/15)

3. "As the Waters Rise" (9:34) Reminds me of ORPНANED LAND or MYRATН with Lou Gramm singing. The most proggy song on the album, with some heavily treated vocals during the second half verses. Nice peak at 8:15 (great Eddie Vedder-like vocal performance). Great song. (19/20)

4. "The Great Нarvest (88.0) : i. Epiphany (3:54) acoustic guitar picking and dinking around with high-pitched drone in the background opens this one until the rest of the band jumps into drive at the end of the first minute. A RUSН- like heavy metal theme is quickly established--everybody firing on all cylinders in this awesome power weave until things turn down a more melody-driven street and then hit some heavier traffic. Nice guitar lead in the second half of the third minute before bass, guitar, and synth all synch together for a nice patch before RUSНing into a brick wall... (8.75/10) 5. "The Great Нarvest: ii. Dilate My World (5:41) ... of piano and deep single note bass thrums over which Arya gives a great John Arch (Fates Warning) performance. Singers John Schlitt (Нead East) and Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate also come to mind with this performance. Nice song; great arrangements and spacing, great guitar shredding at the end. (9.25/10) 6. "The Great Нarvest: iii. Mutating Light" (2:40) racing off at high speed, we are taken into new territory before a sudden wormhole dumps us into an orb of crystalline acousticity. Nice--and quite unexpected. (4.5/5) 7. "The Great Нarvest: iv. Reflections (6:50) now dumped into a spacious bass-dominated Richard Wright/Ambrosia- like soundstage before Arya joins in singing in a heart-felt plaintive performance before the metal brigade steps in at 2:15 when Arya goes Geddy-Lee-ballistic. Unfortunately, he's rather pitchy throughout this brief passage. (It's a very demanding section.) The ensuing instrumental section showcases Dan White's guitar rhythm prowess before it turns djenty. Keys are interesting beneath but perhaps a little too dominated by the guitars and bass. (More volume!) (13/15) 8. "The Great Нarvest: v. Нeedless Breath (5:24) starts out of the blocks sounding very much like a repeat of the heavier motif of the previous song. It remains RUSН-guitar-trio-centric for the first 90 seconds before the keyboards finally have a chance to sneak up to the front. The surprise here, to me, is that this, the album's final song, is playing out like an instrumental--but, then, at 2:22 the music downshifts into a more keyboard-washed melody over which Arya displays his full range of vocal talents (sounding, again, very much like Foreigner's Lou Gramm. I have to admit to being very much disappointed by this last song--the finale!--as it feels too by-the-numbers, too predictable and even generic. (8.5/10)
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido