Ichthyander Dad's Only Dolphin: One Music Fest 2014 (CD/DVD)

The best part of being a music reviewer is getting the opportunity to hear bands you would otherwise be unfamiliar with. Such is the case with the Ukrainian band Ichthyander Dad's Only Dolphin. The band formed in 1994 and after a number of lineup changes they disbanded five years later. Fifteen years passed before the band decided to give it another go with the original line up intact. The musicians are:

Dmitry Dorosh (guitar)
Oleg Vorona (bass)
Viktor Sirotin (drums)
Sergei Kadenko (keyboards)
Olena Yeremenko (violin)

There are also nine special guests rounding out the roster.

This is the band's reunion concert recorded on Dec. 6, 2014 in Kirovograd, Ukraine. If you like progressive fusion like the Mahavishnu Orchestra you might find plenty to enjoy here. These guys are top notch musicians with formidable chops and more importantly they present the listener with some excellent melodies and arrangements. The violin work of Yeremenko and guest musician Elena Smotrenko is featured heavily throughout the disc.

"Through the Gates of the Universe" opens the disc with furious violin rhythms and sweet drum fills as well as biting lead guitar and tastily drifting keyboards particularly in the softer section where the music takes on a spacey vibe. The saxophone work of guest artist Viatcheslav Burtniak is also featured and he does an excellent job. "Biometry" follows suit with a Middle Eastern tinged melody and definite Eastern European flavourings with tasty interaction between lead guitar and violin. The band ease off the gas pedal with the balladic "Castles of Birmingham" featuring pretty violin and acoustic guitar while "Unmeasured Spaces" has angular guitar work ala King Crimson and fine solo saxophone and keyboards.The most intriguing track just might be the album ending King Crimson epic "Starless", the only tune to feature vocals, courtesy of Jason Offen and he does a stellar job. It's a lovely rendition and worthy of the Crimson tag with soaring guitar and emotive vox.

The package also comes with a DVD of the same performance but doesn't include the Crimson number. The video quality is quite good considering this is a self-release. The video close ups give you an idea of just how talented these musicians are. This set is about the music and doesn't include a lot of extras.

Ichthyander Dad's Only Dolphin is certainly a band progressive music fans should keep an eye out for. Hopefully a studio album will be in the works sooner rather than later.

Track Listing:
CD
1. Through the Gates of the Universe (11:48)
2. Biometry (5:18)
3. Opus 16 (4:35)
4. Castles of Birmingham (3:18)
5. Unmeasured Spaces (7:36)
6. Countdown (2:39)
7. Epiphany (8:07)
8. Comeback to Life (8:17)
9. Starless (12:11)

DVD
1. Through the Gates of the Universe
2. Biometry
3. Opus 16
4. Castles of Birmingham
5. Unmeasured Spaces
6. Countdown
7. Epiphany
8. Comeback to Life
9. The Boys in the Band

Added: August 24th 2015
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Facebook Page
Hits: 2372
Language: english

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