AL-BIRD  

“Sodom & Gomorra XXI”
(Musea FRGB 4435, 2002)

Impressive! The best adjective that I find for this intriguing and fascinating conceptual work composed by Albert "Al-Bird" Khalmurzayev, member of the group uzbeco X Religion. 
The disk is compound only for a suite of approximately 50 minutes, divided in four parts, which stroll for diverse shades and styles where are very defined the different stages for where the atmospheres lapse, those that achieve in the one that listens a whole immersion in this musical trip. The sound walks us from “space” floydian ambient, going by clear sounds that make us remember to ELP, industrial, classic music, hard rock, some vestiges of the Canterbury, and several other textures excellently achieved through very well decorated bridges. Mostly instrumental (to exception of voices that can be heard of bottom that they are more as an atmosphere generator that main voices), the sound is clearly driven by the keyboards of Al-Bird but without subtracting importance to the other instruments. 
The concept of the album is based on the biblical history of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well you can appreciate reading the title. 
He also stands out Vitaly Menshikov's participation, the webmaster of the acquaintance place of Internet of progressive rock ProgressoR of Uzbekistán, in under and guitars (in the part I) and of X Religion's members. 
This is a work that probably makes us see that not everything is made neither overdraft in the progressive music, be possibly a sample of what is to come. To finish this comment it is only to repeat what I said at the beginning: Impressive!

 Fernando Belich