Seagall
Hidden Ego

Before I read about this band just some minutes ago I thought they might be from some eastern place and having spelled seagull the wrong way. It would however seem that though they are from russia which is in the east, they seem to have some method their spelling error. The founder of this instrumental rock band is named Elena Seagalova, as you can see the clue is in the name there. Clever, very clever (in a german accent). And they have a cool cover artwork as well, but it is an instrumental piece and I am generally not a fan of those. Instrumental rock tend to be delusional from grandeur or just plain boring. So which is this?

It is guitar driven, which is hardly a surprise. Complex melodies rather than verses and choruses builds the songs, which can’t be surprising either. The melodies are the driving force and they are varied through the songs and the eight tracks of the album, I don’t think it gets stagnant anywhere but has a flowing feel all the way through. It flows free. It is quite varied throughout as well so you don’t get the sense that it all floats together into a thick grey mass, the songs and melodies are easily recognisable for which they are. The production is definitively top notch and the guitar playing is great, it reminds me of the sound from Rage guitarist Victor Smolski who in my opinion is one of the absolute best rock guitarists out there. I wonder if he, being from the part of the world, has been a big inspiration for Elena and the band, the odds would not be against that. The question is though, do they manage to keep any listener interested?

Definitely, there is proof that they do as I like this and I must be counted as any listener so at least one person likes this album. And likes it a lot. It is exciting, it has depth and it is one that takes you places. I love music which triggers the imagination and makes you dream of places and events, it is an enjoyable album amidst the ocean of mediocrity I seem to be wading right now. They take me on their wings in the sea breeze and takes me exciting places just like instrumental rock music is supposed to, but very rarely does. Excellent work I would conclude, the question is though: what is in the hidden space? is it a boat?

The answer is that nobody really knows, it could be anything, even a boat and you know how much you want one of those. But even if it is a space ship or a finger nail, it is an album that is fascinating and great to listen to be it for background or for dreaming yourself away from your boring life for a while. Strongly recommended and it breaks two conventions, it is a good russian album and a good instrumental rock albums, neither of those is common from where I sit.

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