“…music is a mutual vibration…
the question is only if there is or there is no response…â€
Pat Mastelotto
The history is written every day - that's no secret. Any moment in life may either become fatal or triumphal. You may forget about that fact but reckon with it you have to. We look back and reassess the past from today's point of view. What has been done - has been done. In the future we will try to be a little better than yesterday and not postpone until tomorrow what can be done today...
INFRONT is a Moscow based instrumental rock-band, founded at the edge of centuries by four musicians of various predilections and experiences decided to join their efforts in creative energy storage and non-verbal contact resonance capture. Constantly joint efforts in reaching the harmony (both inner and outer) are incarnated in the music form of full filled and all-sufficient compositions with distinct and sticking to memory themes. Saying about the style, it may be determined in most cases as progressive-rock/post-rock/fusion sometimes with similar genres taken into account. The band has an arsenal of two guitars – Igor Uporov (a.k.a. kA), Dmitry Chernishev (a.k.a. DC), bass – Alexander Meshcheryakov (a.k.a. aM) and drums – kS .
In 2003 a 4-track mini-album “News from the other side†was released. Full-fledged debut album “Wordless†was released in October 2005 by RAIG independence lable. Presentation of “Wordless†album took place on the 7-th of December, 2005 in Vermel-club, Moscow within the limits of “IN FRONT OF…†action. This release was met and is still met with highly complimentary reviews from Russian and foreign music reporters. Melodism, stylistic versatility, compositions variety, and sense of proportion, that musicians have, are the most things, attention of reviewers is paid on.
Here there are several examples:
"...Nowadays young bands, like Moscow's Infront, can help prove that music is truly an international language that transcends ideological, political and geographical barriers. Unusually for a young group, the musicians do not set out to impress the listener with overtly complex arrangements and self-indulgent solos, the emphasis being placed more on trying to find ways of achieving non-verbal communication, aiming to create and sustain a feel throughout each composition... Infront have produced an album that is mature beyond the experience of young band. A surprising number of people consider instrumental albums music to be poor cousins to song-based efforts. Wordless helps to prove how wrong such opinions can be. (Conclusion: 8 out of 10)
Mark Hughes of DPRP
"Equal mixture of modern symphonic and fusion. One great thing about the band is they never overstay their welcome with needless soloing or self-indulgent nonsense, thus providing a quality listen every time. In my opinion, it doesn't get any better than this folks! Infront is slowly becoming one of my all-time favorite instrumental bands, tied with Djam Karet. This is one of the few new bands that I fondly look forward to hearing more from. Wordless is by far one of the more enjoyable instrumental debuts that I've heard in many years. It’s really needs to be owned by fans of the aforementioned genres."
Ron Fuchs of PROGNAUT
"There are the more progressive minded instrumental bands that may also put a lot of emphasis on guitars, but who in the first place create narrative songs that work just like normal vocal songs, just without the vocals. Infront from Russia fortunately belong to the latter category. Not that they are reinventing instrumental rock music, but their unselfconscious passage through the eight songs on the album just makes you want to like them. Wordless is a classy instrumental prog rock album that never is complicated for its own sake, but uses its virtuosity in the context of the very accessible songwriting, and thus guarantees pleasant moments of intelligent music. (Grade 8/10)"
DISAGREEMENT underground music e-zine (Luxembourg)
"This one has been growing on me in leaps and bounds. I haven't been this jazzed about a record in this genre since 2003's superb offering by Hungary's Inkabb Holnapp. Infront offers their own unique style of music and shouldn't be immediately compared the latter, but I think fans of that disc would find plenty to enjoy on this one. This may be a late addition to my top 10 of 2005. Worth a listen!"
Yves Dube of SEA OF TRANQUILITY
"Very good, all-instrumental, post-rock/progressive dual guitar, bass and drums band from Russia, who add other instruments as well as needed. Really pro sound and packaging. Sometimes this is like a cross between Djam Karet and Yang!"
WAYSIDEMUSIC
"La Russie montre des dents, le rock-progressif est excellent en ce moment la-bas. INFRONT comme c'est ecrit dans la presentation du groupe, est un rock-progressif heavy avec une certaine part de fusion et des moments teinte de rock-alternatif... 'Wordless', surement parce que cet album ne contient aucunes paroles, il faut entendre, c'est un excellent cd. Bonne ecoute."
Denis Taillefer of PROGLANDS
What we have in the here and now:
INFRONT is a band full of creative plans, seeking perfection of expression. At the moment the material for the new studio album planned for release 2008 is ready. Let's think of it as the very beginning of the journey. Everything changes; we remember about it and try to make it change for the better :) Paraphrasing the famous saying - it is impossible to reach perfection but it is necessary to aspire it.
INFRONT at ProgArchives:Corridor (Live in Petrozavodsk 2007)
From Where the Wind Blows (Live in Petrozavodsk 2007)