Fromuz – Audio Diplomacy

This has the face of Progressive Rock that only a fusionist’s father could love. With that said, I was turned onto this one by a friend, an aficionado, and I stress, a purist of instrumental music. It’s hard to decide where one genre commences and the other one quits. Often, I hear zany bedlam in the background of this frequently chaotic mix. Then again, the melodic melee could be construed as something meant to run alongside the reel of an art film.

Compared to these guys, Danny Elfman looks flat. Whether Batman Returns, Begins, or goes Beyond the present, this outfit is on the cusp of what’s contemporary. With all the supernatural and prestigious material they’ve summoned into their disc, they might be unfolding the future or possibly taking us on a direct course towards the fourth dimension. As a result, this is about as unrestricted as a Marvel Alliance or the multi-verse.

Yet, if you can believe it; they hail from Tashkent. That hot spot is in Uzbekistan. For those unfamiliar, this realm is situated in a land-locked region found exclusively in the Middle East on Planet Earth. In other words, they cohabitate with Derek Shirinian’s latest band and are neighbors to Borat. As the gullible globetrotter would be forthcoming to attest, this is considered “A great success!”

If you’ve got the time, I’ve got the crime. Let’s observe what these superheroes and X-Men have done to prevent wrongdoing in our neck of the world:

Intro – The sound effects and process photography are poured on as if they were conjured up by the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic. At least two minutes have past before this song can be recognized as music. Regardless, this works well as a teaser, and it’s not long before its frames engage with sensibilities albeit intermittent.

From Fromuz – Not entirely sure why they required a shipping label on this particular package. It’s certainly written by the band in their brand from head-to-toe. Halfway through we are drenched in a batch of metallic raindrops. It then gets a little crazy before it jumps back into our orbit. In these non-redundant cycles, we are splashed with classical expressions that are infused with jazz.

Wax Inhabitants Town – This is about as cool as a House of Wax occupied by mannequins so real they blink. It may be frozen stiff, but Paris Hilton would certainly say, “That’s hot.” From Westworld to Waxworld II, the cyborg pursues the protagonist while the villainous automatons attack. What’s odd is that this is both stilted and spacey at the same time. Furthermore, it is furnished with some very “freakish” antics on the keyboards that go from Egyptian to Kid Icarus.

Gameplay Imitation – In this intergalactic chess match, Ender’s fleet is unstoppable as he is roped into a tense contention of wits. Whether the contest is a fraud or a sham, this cut is far from counterfeit. Any other wing commander would have their hands full or be forced to deceive their participants by using computers, joysticks, and cheat codes in order to produce such sequenced drills. Before it heads in a more complex direction that brings Spock Beard’s “Thoughts” to the forefront, Pink Floyd flies by in their Cessna for a fleeting second.

Spare Wheel – As this is intended solely for an emergency, it cannot be deemed extraneous. In this situation, it’s immediately useful and on the roll. With this sort of terrain, it’s completely necessary to have an extra donut inside the trunk or under the hood for the sake of raking moon rocks or going on patrol. Since the road ahead is rugged, this circular device is undoubtedly essential. In spite of this, the beats are never at a risk of popping. The keyboards are as sharp as a tack while the guitars slice through every road hazard that’s encountered. This monster truck and off-roading beast is quite possibly the leader of the pack. In addition, it provides superior speed, huge tires, and sophisticated handling. Some of the exercises it completes are unprecedented. It’s not just that their driving that is haughty. They are so cavalier in this piece they don’t think twice about over-utilizing a cowbell.

Familiarization Results – Like its name, this track plays like a tongue-twister. Around every bend, there is another curve. As any enthusiast would fathom, it swiftly zips down the straight-aways, but coasts through the embankments. Not to mention, there is plenty of acceleration in its transitions. From start to finish this takes one diverse course. Still, it is unswervingly connected to the prior song. There is even a point where the engine sputters oil and idles. Eventually, the spark plugs fire with some foreign chitter-chatter and then it rips forward before sliding into the pit stop.

Harry Heller Theater – This is about as symphonic as a sea serpent sloshing around in the ocean. When this creature’s tentacles are seen, even the kraken turns tail and hastily flees from the sea. In other words, it’s easy on the ears with each heaving wave, but it’s unruly, caustic and hectic, on an already queasy stomach. This is what you would achieve when pouring Pepto-Bismol into a vast vat of Drano. It will quickly clean the pipes and do so in a manner that’s so volatile it’s barely short of an explosion. If this commercial sounds feasible, there is a sliver in the show that will surely have you perplexed. This particular passage, daresay verses in reverse, invokes a Twin Peaks’ dream.

Babylon Dreamz – With a little bit of circus in its soul, these killer clowns from outer space are on a very sinister mission. In their dastardly days of mischief, they paint the town red before boarding the last shuttle out. As it’s the only plane to disembark from the solar system, you’ll need a connection to make a reservation. All that’s important is who you know as your intelligence won’t secure your seat. Aside from this directive, you’ll have to focus your attention on the pager in the event you purchased a Six Flags’ Twicket® and had opted to come back. By now, you’ll have a pretty good idea as they’ve shown their hand early and often, and now it’s quite late in the game. I will surely be one of those passengers who tunes into their frequencies and hops aboard this diplomatic zeppelin again. With all the Z’s you’d expect to sleep; however, this one will keep you wide awake. Even the plucked string at the end is poignant. By the way, Brian May seems to make it into the hatch before the rockets flare and the bombs burst in the air. At this point, no matter what your status, the manifest is signed, sealed, and delivered.

If this sounds like something of interest, pause for one second before you grab it from the shelf. If you play your cards right, they offer a special edition that also comes with a valuable DVD. It features all this great music with a neat menu system, a dynamic concert set, and an animated screen that is ripe with bios. It also includes two bonus tracks: “Remark #12” & “Dual Ad Libitum”. I highly recommend this edition! I’m sure you’ll be happy you super-sized your order too, as this version demonstrates how their tricky beats reveal themselves and come to fruition.

In respect to the packaging, the eclectic artwork parallels their music because it portrays the Lorentz Butterfly among snails, street lights, hourglasses, and violins.

Regardless of the combo-meal or format you choose, Audio Diplomacy is an ambassador between the nations of Progressive Rock and Jazz Fusion, and if you’re like me, you will choose dual-citizenship in their insanely urbane Uzbekistani country.

Personally, I’m a Proghead, but in truth, this rubs me the right way. Be smart and have your passport stamped in each genre and media as well.

8/10