Antony Kalugin has to be one of the most prolific composers of progressive rock on the scene, and, released earlier this year, OMNI is one of his finest creations to date. Karfagen, his ever-morphing collective of outstanding musicians and guests, is the vehicle for this release, and it sees Kalugin really hitting his stride.
OMNI is described as a ‘symphonic art rock suite’, and whilst that might sound a tad pretentious, it’s actually pretty accurate. It is presented in two parts, with each part subdivided into discrete tracks, but each piece flows seamlessly into the next, giving the album a delightful and satisfying flow. Part 1 opens with a brief overture, introducing a theme which will recur, and at once the scene is set. It is barely two and a half minutes long before it gently slides into the first proper song, Storyteller (Part 1), sung distinctively by the first stellar guest, Richard Sinclair, who also plays some beautiful fretless bass. This jaunty Canterbury flavoured piece boasts some fabulous flute courtesy of John Hackett, who appears throughout the record.
We then segue into the serenity and atmospherics of Whispers From The Past before the rockier The Spark, featuring Per Malmberg (Salva) on guitar and vocals. Kalugin himself picks up the vocal reins on Masterplan, before Part 1 ends beautifully with the instrumental Mirror of Souls, a magical symphonic concluding piece, featuring just Kalugin on keys, Hackett on flute and Daniel Ilyin on electric violin. This opening half of OMNI has to be one of the strongest suites Karfagen have achieved, with an ebb and flow, and majestic sweep which many bands would envy.
Part 2 is almost as good, with more special guests appearing. Jean Pageau (Mystery) sings lead on Unchained, which also features Karfagen stalwart Max Velychko on guitars, and Aleksandr Murenko on drums to great effect. This slips seamlessly into another of the highlights, The Cards We Play, featuring the excellent Marco Glühmann (Sylvan) on vocals, supported by Olha Rostovska on ethereal backing vocals. Again, John Hackett shines brightly on flute as Kalugin weaves a musical spell on keyboards on this lengthier track.
You And I follows with some lovely fluid guitar from Mystery’s Michel St Pere before we finally return to where it all began, with the second part of Storyteller with more of Richard Sinclair’s silky fretless bass and down to earth vocals.
Antony Kalugin has a large and bewildering discography of numerous bands and countless albums, but I can honestly say that with OMNI, he has surpassed himself and created a piece of work which I’m sure will stand the test of time and be well regarded for years to come. His regular fellow musicians have excelled, and some of the guests have been truly inspired. Thoroughly recommended!
TRACK LISTING
– OMNI (Part 1)
01. Omni Overture (2:37)
02. Storyteller (Part 1) (4:29)
03. Whispers from the Past (3:28)
04. The Spark (5:45)
05. Masterplan (5:18)
06. Mirror of Souls (1:24)
– OMNI (Part 2)
07. Unchained
08. The Cards We Play
09. You and I
10. Storyteller (Part 2)
Total Time – 45:45
MUSICIANS
Antony Kalugin – Keyboards, Vocals, Percussion
~ With:
John Hackett – Flute (2,6 & 8)
Richard Sinclair – Vocals (2 & 10), Fretless Bass (2,7,8 & 10)
Michel St-Pere – Guitars (2,8,9 & 10)
Aleksandr Murenko – Drums (1,2,4,5,7,8 & 9)
Max Velychko – Guitars (1,3,4,5 & 7)
Per Malmberg – Vocals (4)
Olha Rostovska – Backing Vocals (2,3,5,7 & 8)
Jean Pageau – Vocals (7)
Marco Glühmann – Vocals (8)
Bartosz Kossowicz – Backing Vocals (3,4 & 5), Vocal (9)
Daniel Ilyin – Electric Violin (5 & 6), Electric Violin Soloist (8 & 10)
Viktor Syrotin – Percussion (1,2 & 4)
Sergii Kovalov – Accordion (2)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: Ukraine
Date of Release: 7th March 2025
