Vespero - 2025 - Lost Stories of Kilgore Trout

(42:18; Vespero)






















I have long been a fan of Russian outfit Vespero, and now they are back with their latest album, where their inspiration are stories that could have been written by Kilgore Trout, who himself is a literary construct by Kurt Vonnegut (although based originally on a real person and writer, Theodore Sturgon). Vespero have had an incredibly stable line-up over the years, but I notice that keyboard player Alexey Klabukov is no longer involved and given he has been there since the debut all the way back in 2006, that is quite something. The line-up now is a quartet comprising  Ivan Fedotov (drums, percussion, wavedrum), Arkady Fedotov (bass, noises, synths, sampler, recorder), Alexander Kuzovlev (guitars, saz, mandoline) and Vitaly Borodin (violin, synths) plus a couple of guests.

There is no doubt that Russia is a hotbed of progressive rock music if one is prepared to look, and while I have previously reviewed five albums by this band, this is actually their 16th studio release. However, I doubt anyone could say what country they come from by just listening to their music as they blend in lots of different influences, and continue to evolve, making music which is fresh and exciting. When the violin is in play there is a fresh folk feel as it lifts over the top, at others it is almost psychedelic and Sixties in style, with elements of the likes of Gong and Hillage in their music. Consequently one is never quite sure what one is going to get from Vespero, except it is generally always going to be a very interesting experience, with the band looking back to the early Seventies and UK for much of their influences, far removed from much of the scene in Russia itself.

This album was released at the beginning of May and I am somewhat surprised to see this is the first review for PA, as one would expect a band with this much longevity and pedigree would have people clamouring for new music, but it looks like yet again I am in a small category of those who wish to seek out music wherever it can be found. Yet another incredibly enjoyable release from the Russian proggers.    

Kev Rowland, September 2025

Links:
https://vespero.ru/

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