Kurgan's Bane - The Future Lies Broken


Year of Release: 2000
Label: self-released
Catalog Number: n/a
Format: CD
Total Time: 54:33:00

Imagine if a garage rock band suddenly decided to play prog - that's what Kurgan's Bane is all about. The foursome from Baltimore's healthy progressive rock scene does things the simple way. It's all a raw mix of guitar, bass and drums, with the occasional keys and very little overdubs.

The Future Lies Broken is a 50 minute mix of gritty hard rock tunes of lengths varying between one and eight and a half minutes. There are reasonably complex time changes and decent song writing though the melodies are patchy in places. The first few times I heard the CD I did not like it at all. However, the simplicity of approach grows on you with each listen and the album's second half is decidedly better than the first, thus making the CD appear poorer than it really is.

The band features Jeff Laramee on drums, Pete Laramee on electric and acoustic guitars, Lisa Francis sings and Luis Nasser of Sonus Umbra on bass, keys and vocals. The musicianship is far from brilliant and suffers greatly from poor studio production. Perhaps that raw sound is what the band wants but a prog album without sonic articulation requires absolutely astounding song writing and it is not found here.

Perhaps the nicest thing about Kurgan's Bane is the husky, rich voice of Lisa Francis, which carries the weight of every song.

Stand-out tracks are "Just Look At Me Now," the ethereal "Headless Mice" (which at 2:30 is more of a bridge between the better half of the CD and the poorer), and "Bad Blood." Those in love with the early bluesy sounds of Trapeze, Pink Fairies, The Trip and Jane will like Kurgan's Bane. They sound at times like a post grunge band, but the material is infinitely better and more complex.

The Baltimore progressive rock scene is thriving but a lot of the bands that exist seem still young in their development process. Kurgan's Bane is no exception.


Tracklisting:
Through The Camera (7:09) / Just Look At Me Now (6:35) / Warm Winter Nights (4:38) / Frankie Five Angels (4:12) / Headless Mice (2:30) / Feudal Tourniquet (3:50) / Nap In E Minor (1:18) / The Curtain And The Rose (4:56) / Bad Blood (5:44) / Regina (8:21)

Musicians:
Jeff Laramee - drums
Pete Laramee - electric and acoustic guitars
Lisa Francis - vocals
Luis Nasser - bass, keys and vocals

Discography:
Search From Sea To Sea (1997)
Future Lies Broken (2000)
Camouflaged In Static (2003)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: April 10th 2001
Reviewer: Richard Zywotkiewicz

Artist website: www.kurgansbane.com
Hits: 2549
Language: english

  

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