Vespero - 2026 - Tej 6.7

(48:24; Vespero)






















Over the years there have been a few changes in the core line-up of Vespero, and recently they said goodbye to violinist Vitaly Borodin  who has been a major part of their more recent albums and have now moved to more of a guitar-based quartet with founders Arkady Fedotov (bass, noises, synths) and Ivan Fedotov (drums, percussion, wavedrum) plus long-time guitarist Alexander Kuzovlev (guitars, saz, mandoline) now being joined by Vladimir Ryabinin (acoustic & electric guitars). For this album they have also brought in guest Alexander Koryukovets, a highly acclaimed St. Petersburg-based musician, composer, and virtuoso bayanist (button accordion player).

In many ways this album reminds me somewhat of the one I first heard by the band, namely 2017’s ‘Shum-Shir’ in that it is bringing together a great deal of ethnic influences in a very different way that one would expect from a Russian outfit. It does have a lot of eastern European tendencies at times, as if it is coming to us from the Balkans, but there are also African and Indian styles as well, as they bring together a hugely diverse and complex set of influences into something which I could only ever imagine as being by Vespero. They have moved away from the more overt Ozric Tentacles tendencies, and it is interesting just how much more ethnic they have become with the use of button accordion as opposed to violin, and the way they mix folk tendencies with progressive rock is truly something.  

The result is an album which is incredibly impressive and inviting, and yet again does not necessarily conform to what people may expect from the Russian music scene. One can imagine lovers of Gong also getting a great deal from this as the band continue to expand and change their sound, continuing to truly progress along a journey for which there is no roadmap. In many ways this is their most exciting and innovative album yet, and as always, I look forward to hearing what the future holds for them as this needs to be in ever prog lover’s collection. 

Kev Rowland, August 2026

Links:
https://vespero.ru/

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