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Review Summary: War And Peace is an excellent debut and represents a new light in the Russian prog scene. It makes a right balance between nostalgic reverie and optimistic upbeat parts. “War And Peace” is the debut studio album by Pandora Snail and was released in 2015. The line up on the album is Ulyana Gor (keyboards and vocals), Oleg Gorgadze (guitar, electric guitar, noises and vocals), Artem Gareev (violin), Kirill Klyushin (bass guitar and contrabass) and Igor Cheridnik (drums and percussion).
Surprisingly, a few days ago I received a contact from a new and unknown band, Pandora Snail, asking me to review their debut studio album “War And Peace” released March 15, 2015. I must confess that I was completely taken by surprise by that request. However, I accepted and despite some reluctance because it involves some risks, risks to me and also risks to the band. Risks, because Pandora Snail trusted on me and I can fail the task entrusted to me and also because the album could doesn’t impresses me that much, and because of that, I could do a negative review of it. So, here I am, trying to do a good work and not disappoint the band, the readers and above all, myself.
Pandora Snail is a Russian band native based in St. Petersburg. It was founded in 2008 but only became a solid band in 2010. The group had a settlement process of stability a bit long, but finally they managed to make their first musical work, in 2015. However, according to their official page, their debut album was recorded already back in 2010, but has only now seen the light of the day by the hand of the Moscow based record label ArtBeat.
Pandora Snail is composed by five professional musicians. Their music is based on compositions by Gor, a classical trained pianist, and also by Gorgadze. The musical influences we can find are most of the progressive rock of the classic era of the 70’s, especially King Crimson. We can also see strong influences from the classical music, for instance, Sergej Rahmaninov. This isn’t properly nothing strange due to the classical school of Gor.
“War And Peace” is a concept album about the theme of the war. Even thought that this is an instrumental album, the name of the tracks like “Submarine”, “Mother’s Tears”, “Red Rivers”, “Stone’s Names”, “Dance Under The Bullets” and “After The War”, signals that probably all the tracks illustrate several parts of a concept, touching of the different aspects of the war. Despite I think that directly it has nothing to do with the Leo Tolstoy’s romance, I can assume that probably this classic of the 19th century Russian literature must have left its traces in the composition of the album.
The band’s sound is heavily based on the piano and keyboard skills of Gor, although the other musicians also leave a deep impact in the music, especially their violinist Gareev. When I listen his work on the album, fatally it become to my mind the names of some of the best violinists of the classic prog era, such as Eddie Jobson of UK, Roxy Music and Curved Air, David Cross of King Crimson, Graham Smith of Van Der Graaf Generator and Jean-Luc Ponty of Mahavishnu Orchestra. It also comes to my mind the name of the classical violinist Paganini, probably the most virtuoso violinist ever. However and as I mentioned before, the performances of the other musicians also leave a deep impact on the music, like the guitar work of Gorgadze which is very nice and the bass lines of Klyushin are also great.
Pandora Snail, on this album, practice rather progressive rock with hints of fusion and instrumental jazz, brought by the bass and the violin and it has also some touches of the classical music. So, we can say that their music is a kind of a revival of the traditional progressive rock music. The folk rock tinged violin does that the music will actually moving between lyrical music and progressive rock where folk music and metal music also interfere with the general musical atmosphere. So, the tracks on the album are sometimes melodic, sometimes dynamic and in other times quite rock or even heavy. The pieces can be very short, some with about 2 minutes “Red Rivers”, “Satori” with about 8 minutes and to the epic lengthy track “James Pont”, with more than 16 minutes. It’s on the longer tracks that the band shows more their prog side, even though that the all instrumentation is always interesting whatever the duration of the tracks.
Conclusion: “War And Peace” is a very good and interesting musical work. It shows us a new light in this new Russian progressive rock scene, establishing an effective resource for good rock music worldwide. The album has the presence of groomed and complex musical arrangements by virtue, especially of striated range of the style influences treated on it. Of course I know that instrumental music isn’t for everyone. Unlike people that have a deep past with the progressive rock or the classical music. However and despite that, in the case of Pandora Snail, this instrumental album works very well. With “War And Peace” Pandora Snail have put out a very nice and original work that should really check this band out. So, “War And Peace” is sufficiently convincing to provide all the requirements to Pandora Snail go ahead. Cheers.
Best tracks: “James Pont” and “Satori”.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
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Album Rating: 4.0
Criticism is welcome as always, especially in this case.
I informed the band that I put this review today, here, on Sputnik. So, it will be important and interesting, mainly to the band, to know the largest possible number of opinions about the album during the next days. Especially because I told them that we have a good community here, on Sputnik.
So, I count with you guys to rate the album and put some comments, too, if you want.
Thanks.
P.S. You can listen to the album on Pandora Snail official website: http://pandorasnail.bandcamp.com/releases.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
link isn't working dude :/
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
With me works. Appears the message: "Sorry, that something isn't here". But above it appears: "Please start at the beginning and you'll certainly find what you're looking for". "Start at the beginning" is in blue and you must click over there. Try it.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
duh, silly me. Checking now
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
there's some awesome moments in here, nice dig man
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
One could compare the violin sound to Jerry Goodman's. James Pont is a great track. But as a whole, after one spin, I find album is sounding like some demos. Music is not dense enough or it sometimes sounds ''empty'' or something. And I feel that the violin is too high in the mix. Maybe it's just me. I usually like the violin laden bands/artists. But here, there is missing something. Maybe not enough guitar and too much violin. Candy is too sweet. Addition of cello here and there would have been a plus too.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I actually think the same as you regardin the "emptiness" of the album but unlike you I think it is the violin the one that fills that flaw
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
On the other hand, keyboards and most of the guitars are too low in the mix compared to the drums and the violin. The bass is if not repetitive, a bit bland. It's effectively like if they tried to hide their flaws thanks to the violin. And like I said, the candy is too sweet. Ultimately, cello would be welcome instead of that flat bass. Not a bad bassman by any means, but he plays more than safely and it's like he keeps on quietly hiding behind the other instruments.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks, SirLord. I'm glad you liked it.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Jethro, I don't agree with you. Probably you are right when you feel some "emptiness" on the album. Probably it lacks to the album some linking between the tracks and the mixing isn't perfect. However, I don't agree with the critics about the violin. The music on the album is driven by the the violin and by the keyboards, and it isn't certainly by chance. By the other hand, the album has really great musical moments almost in all the tracks. The composition is also very good. It has also great tracks with very beautiful moments, especially James Pont and Satori but all the tracks are in general very good. Finally, you mustn't forget that this is the debut album of the band.
So, I think probably you must listen to the album a couple of times more. I think, that the more often we heard the album, more we like it.
Anyway, thanks for your critics to the album dude. Probably they can be useful to the band.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I like the violin driven sound, it is like criticizing Van der Graaf for been sax/keys driven instead of guitars but I agree with Jethro a cello is always a cool add to any band
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I would give the album a 4, but I feel the musicians could have used of more variations, of more depth composition-wise, and I would not complain if there were more memorable melodies. When it comes to these things, they barely scratch the surface. It's a good first effort, but I couldn't give more than 3.5/5 (which means great after all).
They have good potential to make awesome music, and we find some interesting stuff here, but it's not enough exploited. I feel that they sound too linear. Not enough variation, and too often at the same speed. It's my impression after couple of listens.
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Pretty much agree with Jethro about the music and the production. I liked "James Pont" and "Dance Under the Bullets" best.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Agree on the potential, there is actually some pretty cool talent hidden here that just needs more exploration
if the band ends up reading all of this just like you said e210013, I'd give the same advice as jethro on the "memorable moments", the songs really could use some climaxes or more epic parts, specially for longer songs
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
@SirLord
About Pandora Snail: I agree with you and Jethro that a cello is always a cool add to any band. However We don't know if any of the band members know to play it. As you know, the cello isn't properly a common instrument on any rock band, even if it's a prog band or a band with a more classical education like this. Anyway, the use of any kind of instrumentation is always a decision of any band.
About Van Der Graaf Generator: That is true about the sax/keys, but you mustn't forget the massive use of a violin on The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome, when Graham Smith substituted David Jackson, what was also great on that album. However, the band begun gradually to have a more guitar sound all over the time, which was particularly evident on Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild on World Record. What I always thought that was a little bit missed on their sound was the absence of a truly bassist on the most of their albums. It's true that we have the bass pedals of Hugh Banton, but as we know, it isn't the same thing. It always was a pity to me that Nick Potter has never been a permanent member on the band.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
@Jethro
No problem man. I see your point of view perfectly well. And as you said, 3.5 is a great rating. I myself, in the beginning was tempted to give the same rating as you. However, the general quality of the tracks and especially James Pont and Satori made me change to 4.0.
And as you mention, as a debut, the album is pretty good and the band have good potential to make some awesome music. And above all, and I know that the group is seeing regularly Sputnik, our point of views about the album are certainly very useful to the band. Probably is more important to them the negative things than the positive things. In fact this has always been my initial intention when I requested some comments about the album.
So, many thanks dude. You did a good job.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
@SirLord
Sorry but I didn't saw your other comment in a first place.
Yes, I know the band is reading our comments on Sputnik. They contacted me yesterday. So, as I said, our comments are important to them.
So, and as I said to Jethro, many thanks to you dude. You did a good job.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
@TWIGtheWONDERKID
Many thanks to you man. I appreciate your appearance on some of my reviews. It was very special, particularly in this case, because the comments are much more importance to the band that to me.
So, once more, thanks dude.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
As I promised here I am. As you, I think War And Peace is a very interesting album and the band has some pretty cool talent hidden here, and has all the conditions to pursue their musical career. However, I also think it has some weak points. In the first place it could be a better album if the link between all the tracks and the final mixing of the album was better done. However and fortunately, the quality general of the all album and the highlights of it, are perfectly sufficient to give to it 4.0. So, I hope the band has a brilliant future into their musical career.
About the review, sincerely I liked it. The only repair is that you put on the review some things that were put on the biography of the band.
Anyway, you did a good job, so have a pos.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
@TheIntruder
After all I must thank you your participation on this review. I'm sure that for the band it will be very pleasant your participation on this review. So, in my name and the name of Pandora Snail, our sincere thanks.
About what you said about the biography, its very simple. When I made the biography of the band I have already made the review. Sincerely, as a beginner on Sputnik, I didn't know if I could do a biography of a band. This was the first time that I created a band on this site. So, when I discover that it was possible, I needed to use some topics of my review. As you know, as Pandora Snail is a new band, it wasn't properly simple to made the review and the biography, because the resources were really scarce. So, here it is my explanation for that.
So, thanks once more dude. I count with you for my future reviews.
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