FROMUZ

Oozing with passion and chops to spare, FROM.UZ has quickly evolved into a prog-rock fusion powerhouse. Now, if touring only was easier...

Despite boasting the most basic of names, there is nothing simple about FROM.UZ — a complex, previously all-instrumental progressive-rock/metal/fusion band from the former Iron Curtain nation of Uzbekistan.
First, there is that name. It's easy enough to pronounce: FROM.UZ. Get it? But how do you punctuate it? In six short years, it has gone from "The Fromuz" to "Fromuz" or "FROMUZ" to finally "From.uz" or "FROM. UZ”. Take your pick.
The band's 2007 debut album AUDIO DIPLOMACY was recorded and filmed for an accompanying DVD in front of a live audience, but with the musicians performing behind a sheer curtain. And during interviews for this story, convincing some members of FROM.UZ to elaborate on questions regarding practically anything proved challenging. Be the curtain iron or see-through, these guys seem conditioned to hold their cards tightly.
"The music you hear is the result of our teamwork," band founder and guitarist VITALY POPELOFF e-mailed (in Russian), responding to a question (in English) concerning the band's writing process. Um, anything else? "Sorry, but this is a very personal process and it is our little secret."
OK, then. But FROM.UZ's story is far from a complete mystery. The band formed in 2004 in a country not known for its music (let alone progressive rock), signed to the then-fledgling U.S.-based 1OT RECORDS, lost half its original members and replaced them with three new ones who subsequently helped record FROM.UZ's third and latest release, SEVENTH STORY. The new album is a challenging but ultimately rewarding concept work that unexpectedly features vocals for the first time. Already, critics are hailing the disc as one of 2010's best.
SEVENTH STORY, as keyboardist ALBERT KHALMURZAEV explains, tells the tale of one individual's struggle with loneliness via seven songs of varying lengths — four epics between 11 and 20 minutes each and three shorter pieces, each with a running time under five minutes. The introduction of lyrics penned by Popeloff's son, EVGENIY POPELOV; spoken-word passages from male, female and child voices; and greater use of acoustic guitar, grand piano, tubular bells and xylophone represent not so much a departure from SEVENTH STORY’s predecessors as the band's coming of age.
"I wanted to say as much as possible in this album and I wanted it to be different from the first two," Popeloff says. "In terms of our sound, practically nothing has changed, because Albert and I wrote almost all the music for each of the three albums."
Popeloff and Khalmurzaev are the only two original members remaining from a collective that began as "a natural process," according to co-founder and self-taught bassist ANDREW MARA-NOVIK, who now lives in Kazakhstan and performs classic-rock songs with English lyrics in a local band called DOUBLE YOU DOUBLE. Along with drummer VLADIMIR BADIROV, the quartet's "common connection was a sincere love of complex music, with high demands towards creativity and performance," according to FROM.UZ's MySpace page. "Style and direction were not even discussed."
Perhaps that's why AUDIO DIPLOMACY sounds so fresh. The members of FROMUZ (no period back then) established themselves immediately as a progressive-rock/fusion force with metallic trimmings. That album was recorded live in April 2005 at the YOUTH THEATRE of Uzbekistan in the band's home city of Tashkent. The performance was filmed to enable the musicians to analyze themselves afterward and evolve from the experience.
While the music often thrills, the accompanying DVD allows viewers to witness both the urgency and eclecticism with which FROM. UZ plays. The sheer curtain separating the band from its audience remains closed for much of the set, but it is figuratively shredded by the intensity of the band's dense and arresting music. At one point Badirov partially submerges various pieces of percussion in water to create oddball sounds, and guitarist Popeloff (when not invoking DREAM THEATER'S JOHN PETRUCCI or PINK FLOYD’s DAVID GILMOUR) makes brilliant use of a MIDI-guitar to accent Khalmurzayev's sampling and symphonic excursions. The DVD is elegantly shot and pristinely produced, and AUDIO DIPLOMACY emerged as one of the year's ultimate finds for listeners of breathtaking, heavy progressive music.
Popeloff won't elaborate much on the idea of performing behind a curtain, stating that it was used predominantly for theatrical effect. And it worked brilliantly, creating a mystique around this largely unknown group.
"After our concert album was ready, I addressed many record labels worldwide, including INSIDEOUT MUSIC," Mara-Novik says, adding that Georgia-based 10T Records — now among North America's leading prog labels — was the only one to respond. Band and label eventually reached an agreement to release AUDIO DIPLOMACY (initially titled PLAYING THE IMITATION) in a joint CD/DVD package. Later in 2007, FROM.UZ gave its only North American performance to date, at Mexico's Baja Prog festival along with such acts as RPWL, UNIVERS ZERO, INDUKTI, CAST and the TONY LEVIN BAND.
The following year FROMUZ returned with OVERLOOK, five epic tracks spanning nearly 70 minutes and incorporating varied musical styles from ambient to flamenco to symphonic, proving the band's music could easily expand beyond the base established on AUDIO DIPLOMACY while providing plenty of unexpected twists. OVERLOOK opens with a lone piano on "Stone Salad," which quickly gives way to an anxious crescendo of power chords and keys that repeats several times before shifting tempos with a flurry of acoustic guitar and old-school synths. Then FROMUZ breaks it all down, dissecting the song's arrangements and even opting for atonality. And so it goes throughout, echoing the likes of KING CRIMSON, YES, RUSH and the late FRANK ZAPPA (to whom, by the way, FROM.UZ would dedicate SEVENTH STORY).
After OVERLOOK was released, Mara-Novik and Badirov moved to Kazakhstan, forcing FROMUZ to look for new members from Uzbekistan. Enter IGOR ELIZOV (grand piano and keyboards), ALI IZMAILOV (percussion) and SUR'AT KASIMOV (bass) - not to mention that period in the band's name, which now differentiates between the original and SEVENTH STORY lineups.
"When Vitaly invited me to [play on] SEVENTH STORY, the music was quite new to me and interesting," says Elizov, adding that it also was a major challenge. "As we played and made the record, we started to rehearse the program of AUDIO DIPLOMACY and OVERLOOK. I started to understand the conception and musical language". If it took Elizov awhile to fully grasp SEVENTH STORY's intricacies, it likely will take listeners even longer. Released in early 2010, it builds on the musical themes and strengths of the band's two previous albums. Running past the 78-minute mark, it ventures into Russian folk; flirts with shiny, happy pop references; and allows Popeloff even greater freedom to further establish his own style. The guitarist also proves he can sing in a warm, slightly sleepy voice, while Khalmurzaev and Elizov provide effective Floyd-like backing vocals. The album has drawn comparisons to works by LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, THE FLOWER KINGS, KARCIUS, PLANET X and SPACED OUT, even fusion greats MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and RETURN TO FOREVER.
It might take several spins but the tale of SEVENTH STORY eventually sinks in and emerges as a bold and elaborate statement. The only way to fully appreciate the album is to completely absorb it — or let it completely absorb you. As SEVENTH STORY producer IGOR IOSIS says, "We wanted to make the listeners go the way we want them to go. The music is very associative, and we want the listeners to understand the music we play the way we see it."
All three FROM.UZ discs also make statements visually. Boasting alluring artwork by KEN WESTPHAL, who doubles as the band's U.S. spokesman (and whose images grace albums from PROTO-KAW, KERRY LIVGREN, MASTEDON and PETRA), the covers assist in transporting listeners to the alternate universes conjured by FROM.UZ's music. The focal point of SEVENTH STORY's richly detailed cover in an ornate spiral staircase emerging from an aquatic floor, incorporating graphic elements from both OVERLOOK and AUDIO DIPLOMACY. It's a stunning image that ranks among the finest album covers of 2010.
FROM.UZ has at least two more releases planned for this year. Inside SEVENTH STORY is a live DVD featuring material from the new album recorded in September 2008, one month before the band even entered the studio. That's slated for release in late spring or early summer. QUARTUS ARTIFACTUS likely will follow in the fall. It's another live album, this time featuring acoustic arrangements of material from all three albums. "Since the band is so far from most of the venues that would be logical for them, in the States and Europe, they've chosen to make their performances do the traveling," Westphal says.
Nevertheless, FROM.UZ, now pared to a quartet once more after the recent departure of Kasimov, continues to look for the right opportunity to bring its music again to North America. "We are open to cooperate and look through interesting offers of concert tours in America," losis says. He acknowledges that the band's location in Central Asia (formerly part of the Soviet Union) doesn't bode well for touring. "Unfortunately, geographically, we are quite far away from the world progressive-rock stage, but we are doing our best to keep in touch with the interests of prog-music listeners."
You don't necessarily have to be a prog fan to appreciate what FROM.UZ has accomplished over three albums in a little more than three years. The band's sheer virtuosity, precision and power are undeniable, and challenging enough for those willing to hop aboard this sonic rollercoaster. As Badirov says, "It was nobody's decision to play prog; it was just interesting to try it. It is up to critics to define this style."
"We play the music we like. We have no frames," Popeloff adds, choosing an unusual but apt analogy: "[Music] is like a diamond. It takes a long and complicated process to get the real diamond." - Progression magazine

With the net of progressive rock being cast ever further across the world, I have finally reached a stage where I am no longer surprised by where the next exciting prog band springs up from. That said, I’m not sure that even with that outlook I ever expected to be listening to the third release by a band from Uzbekistan (hence the band name)! It never ceases to amaze me that musicians from around the world have the passion, skill and musical knowledge to deliver some outstanding progressive albums and in the case of progressive rock/metallers From.uz, they are exceptionally gifted on all three counts.
The themes are dark and in places quite difficult to break down however given time and patience, the rewards are simply stunning. In terms of style From.uz are refreshingly difficult to tie down, but if you could imagine a subtle blend of Pink Floyd, Rush and something altogether more current like Riverside, then you wouldn’t have an exact description of what can be found on ‘Seventh Story’, but you won’t be a million miles away. One moment the music can be harsh and uncompromising, the next lush and spacious, with the majority of the album being instrumental, although there are one or two moments with vocals (a first for the band). There is however more man enough going on to make the lack of vocals not only not an issue, but in truth something that you barely notice as the seven songs that make up the album, unfold. I have to admit that I am not fully aware of how the concept story that obviously runs through the entire album works (most tracks have spoken word sections where a family would appear to interact and grow across a lengthy period of time), however it all adds to atmosphere Whilst every song on the album deserves special mention, I have to highlight the simply wonderful and ever changing journey that unfurls through the sixteen minutes of ‘Desert Call’ (it isn’t the longest song), where the tempo vanes from a gentle stroll to a mighty gallop, Vltaly Popeloff’s guitar work being absolutely stunning as he peels out some mighty riffs, a plaintive solo, some memorably melodic motifs and even a little free form jazz (don’t worry it doesn’t last long). The true strength of the music though is the manner in which the songs are constructed to create almost living breathing entities that completely encapsulate you as you travel through this album. What is even more impressive is that From.uz have achieved this while being based in a country that has no scene as such for this music and by its very nature makes keeping a settled line up extremely challenging.
‘Seventh Story’ is a beautiful album that is sharply uncompromising, hugely melodic and intricately constructed, but not in a way that hides the true depth of the songs themselves and for any serious lover of progressive music, it is an album that you simply need to have. - Fireworks magazine