Fromuz - 2022 - The Asymmetric Rules

(68:03; SOE Records)

Track list:
1. Overture 3:11
2. Round and Round 8:25
3. Air Dance, Part 1 0:36
4. Universe 7:50
5. Air Dance, Part 2 0:58
6. Darling 10:02
7. Air Dance, Part 3 1:22
8. No End 12:14
9. R-and-G Time 4:07
10. Wings of the Fast Lane 19:18

Line-up:
Vitaly Popeloff - vocals, guitars
Evgeniy Popelov - vocals, keyboards
Al Khalmurzaev - vocals, bass
Vladimir Badirov - drums, percussion


Prolusion.
Uzbekistan band Fromuz have been around for the better part of two decades at this point, but they have been fairly silent for around a decade or so now. But after a nine year long hiatus as a recording band they have a new album out. The album is called "The Asymmetric Rules", and is released on a label called SOE Records.

Analysis.
Fromuz is a band that I recall as more of an eclectic oriented unit that draws in impulses from many different aspects of progressive rock, and even after almost a decade of silence this is a quality the band still has a desire to explore.

While this album has ten tracks on the track list, three of the songs are short, atmospheric laden pieces and one of the other cuts is also a more experimental, ambient/industrial creation that isn't really a part of the core album experience as such. All of these, alongside the opening 'Overture', are creations whose role is more to set the mood than anything else in my opinion.

All the long compositions on this album revolve around a similar set of qualities. We will have, to a lesser or greater extent, some passages with more of a compelling neo-progressive or symphonic progressive rock orientation. Sequences with a quirkier, more challenging orientation will be a part of the totality too, some harder edged with a borderline progressive metal intensity and others more loose, open and careful, both of these varieties may also come with jazzrock impulses as a part of the experience to a lesser or greater degree. The main parts in just about all of these creations will be longer passages with harder guitars with and without keyboards on top exploring a harder edged variety of progressive rock.

One aspect that gives the different songs a bit of a different character are the vocals. On the first two of the longer songs we have a rough, powerful vocal style that isn't as good fit to the music from a harmonic or atmospheric perspective. For someone like me to the point of this being a detrimental aspect, and one that lessens the overall experience of the song. As taste isn't a universal thing everyone will obviously not respond in the same manner for the vocals here, but for me they signify that for these two songs at least, the vocals will be a bit divisive and will possibly give these two songs more of a niche appeal.

For the final and massive song 'Wings of the Fast Lane" the rough vocals return, but this time around in a setting that is more appropriate. As this epic length creation develops, it shifts into a slide guitar driven blues orientation and sticks with that for an extended period of time, and the rougher vocal style is employed in this section and now with a fair amount of success. If this is a case of different vocalists or different vocal styles I do not know, but this rougher style is a very good fit to the extended blues section here at least. Another facet of this concluding song that is also an exception for this album is the extended electronic part that makes up the final few minutes of this last song, concluding the album at the very opposite part of the musical spectrum as the opening classical symphonic music oriented 'Overture'.

Conclusion.
It is good to see that the band Fromuz is back in action again as a recording unit. Besides their slightly exotic status in the world of progressive rock with their geographical location, as the progressor website was formed and still is driven from Uzbekistan we obviously appreciate that one of "our" bands have new music out. For this album my opinion is that it is something of a hit and miss affair though, with some of the shorter interludes feeling a bit superfluous and some of the vocals at best having more of a niche appeal. But when the band is firing on all cylinders the end result is solid, like on the cuts 'Darling' and 'No End'. And while not really representative of the album as such, the opening 'Overture' is for me one of those rare creations that I'll mark down as brilliant in my book. Apart from those observations, those with a taste for the more eclectic side of progressive rock are the ones that probably should take note of this album for further inspection.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, February 2022

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Fromuz-108623125341/