Fjodor are
fromCroatia and been around since 2005 in various line ups and with quite a few
different instruments going in and out but the core of bass, drums and guitar
are pretty stable. Sometimes they have a synth player or sax or violin. I have
had the pleasure to see them live twice here in Denmark Christiania , Denmark
Riding
through the Black Hole is the new record and quite different from their record
from 2009 simply called 1. The album starts off with a long 13min and very cool
track called Astral Erection and this one reminds me a bit of old Ozric
Tentacles (at least the guitar style) and then the synths pad sounds build up
and float in and out of the mix as the bass really starts to build. They have
an excellent drummer live but this track has some very thin programmed drums to
start and then the real drummer comes in (at least I think so?). This long
groove repeats over for a long period of time and at 10 mins the guitar player
really starts to intensify his playing with wah and delay and gets a really
cool spaced out sound as it really flys! Drugs and Dragons starts off very
intense and very much like the Croatian band, Seven that Spells. This track the
drums sound real and not programmed but still very thin. It is a pretty complex
track this one with lots of different parts. Cool stuff. The synths don’t come
flying by until half way through. Dzinovi is next and is a more melodic track
to start and then the riff changes and the energy really increases and builds
in intensity and then the guitar player really takes off with a cool solo at 2
mins. The bass player is really pushing it as well. Pity the drum sound is so
thin and distant. The synths also float in later. The Black Hole starts with a
complex like jazz rock beginning and then it comes down and a guitar solo takes
us to the next section and the synth sounds (he does not play lead stuff, just
sounds, pads, floating textures) enter in as the bass and drums keep the
intensity high. They revisit the earlier riff as well. Tsunami is the 18 min
closer of the record and starts slowly with the band finding their space as a
freakout guitar fades up from the left and water sounds flow over the
soundscape before the drums and bass really kick in at 3½ mins and the ozrics
like delay guitar starts off. The band really flies at times on this track.
Very cool band, I just wish the sound of the recording was better as this does
not really represent the band based on the live shows I have seen. We made a
multitrack recording of their show from Kildemose Festival this summer and they
played all of these songs live. Lets see how that comes out when it is mixed. Check
the band out on the web. They plan to tour all over Europe
in 2012.
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