Review: Gleb Kolyadin – The Outland

Style: Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion, Contemporary Classical (Instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Tigran Hamasyan, Joe Hisaishi, Frédéric Chopin
Review by: Christopher
Country: Russia
Release date: 4 November, 2022

I love a great prog metal record as much as the next Progressive Subway reviewer, but one of the real pleasures of reviewing is uncovering the hidden gems that don’t easily fit in any box, and today’s review is a great case in point; a record that blends progressive rock, jazz fusion and contemporary classical. Fans of Iamthemorning will already be familiar with such a sublime combo, but for the unfamiliar, Gleb Kolyadin is one half of the aforementioned Russian duo, a piano-driven prog rock outfit, which blends the delicate vocals of Marjana Semkina with Kolyadin’s versatile piano, jazz fusion flavours, and classical currents; she and Kolyadin comprise one of modern prog rock’s most wonderful underground marvels. 

Naturally, Kolyadin’s solo work follows in the vein of his main project, except without Semkina’s lovely vocals, instead upping the instrumental intensity and adding a small battalion of additional musicians. The Outland is his third solo release, and it’s a tour de force. A pianist of classical training, Kolyadin is an astonishing talent and his compositional flair for different modalities is captivating; his thick chords feel like crushing riffs, his wild soloing flits from jazz fusion to something akin to shred, and yet those classical roots are always lingering just out of sight. All of these genre influences flow through the music like a teeming ocean reef. 

Virtuosos recognise virtuosos, and Kolyadin has surrounded himself with them. Long time collaborator Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree) handles drums once more, while Vlad Avy returns to deliver understated yet vital guitar contributions. A fourteen-piece string ensemble accompanies, and a range of guest musicians provide flute, marimba/vibraphone, upright bass (contributed on one track by, of all people, Tony Levin), and bodhran and additional percussion (provided by the wonderful Evan Carson). My favourite personnel listing, however, has to be from a ‘Mr Konin’ who is credited with ‘clapping, cheerful dancing’.

As a result, when Kolyadin isn’t wowing you, someone else is. The flute work of Eliza Marshall soars high throughout the record, playfully duelling with the piano on opening number “Voyager”. Meanwhile, Ilya Gindin’s clarinet solo on “Ascension” is one of the album’s highlights, and with the bodhran in tow it briefly segues into klezmer territory. The mark of a great composer is one who knows when to hold back and let his peers take the lead for a while, and Kolyadin is as humble as he is talented. 

Nevertheless, we’ve come here for Kolyadin, and he doesn’t disappoint. “Cascades” proves to be his personal showcase, a solo piano sonata which sees him on firmer classical pianist ground, channelling Chopin and Lizst into the appropriately cascading track as he flits up and down the keys. He’s just as brilliant when accompanied: “Mercurial” opens with Beethoven-esque proto-Romanticism before the rest of the band rise up and take us into more urgent jazz fusion territory where both the vibraphone and a rare foreground moment for Avy’s guitar work completely alter the track’s intentions. Meanwhile, “Apparatus” sees Kolyadin’s thunderous left-hand chords reverberate ominously under peregrinating lead lines before guitar and keyboard break into the album’s rockiest movement. On closing number “Hermitage” Kolyadin and Avy face off while the strings cavort in the background like swallows in the cobalt sky of summer while a choir joins to elevate us to rapturous heights. 

The Outland is an utter delight, an energetic fusion of multiple styles into an infinitely listenable brew that will appeal to a diverse audience. Kolyadin is an incredible talent—not just as a master of his instrument but also as a band leader. A guerrilla campaign of niche prog fans is needed to get this wonderful record the listenership it deserves: sneak it into the CD collection of your local cafe, have it on in the background at your next dinner party (I know our readers are a classy bunch), show it to your other prog-loving friends so they stop listening to the new Ne Obliviscaris single on repeat, play it quietly when your grandparents visit. Give people an opportunity to hear it, and they’ll delight in it too.

Recommended tracks: Voyager, Cascades, Apparatus
You may also like:  Iamthemorning, Evan Carson, Clement Belio, Smalltape
Final verdict: 8.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Gleb Kolyadin is:
– Gleb Kolyadin (grand piano, keyboards)
– Vlad Avy (acoustic and electric guitars)
– Gavin Harrison (drums)