After two self-produced albums the American all
instrumental trio Kopecky thought it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to show
the world what they are capable of in a live setting. So without any
overdubs, brothers Paul, Joe and William confronted a live audience on 1st
april 2000 as part of the Baltimore Progressive Rock showcase series as
recorded at the Orion Sound Studios in Baltimore, MD. What strikes you from
the moment ‘Temptation’s screaming-ground’ hits your ears is the crisp
and powerful sound of the recording which is not an easy task with this kind
of complex music. It also sometimes is unthinkable that the music delivered
is produced by just three people but then again think Rush. Or think
Whistler, Courbois, Whistler, a Dutch instrumental trio who also introduced
some Eastern influences in their music as does Kopecky at times. Certainly
guitarist Joe has a very distinctive sound which blends well with the
fretless tones of brother William as is demonstrated during ‘Smoke of her
burning’. The often dark atmosphere of the band’s music finds an ideal
setting in Baltimore as that’s ‘where the bones of Poe rest’,
introducing ‘Heaven’s black amnesia’. My favourite of their “Serpentine
kaleidoscope” album, ‘Bartholomew’s kite’, is also present and maybe
it’s the most recognizable out of the entire Kopecky output. Although it
sounds like it’s mainly the Kopecky brothers having fun, there’s plenty
to explore on this “Orion, a live performance’, perfectly illustrating
the power which emerges from the ‘sick’ minds of these instrumental
wizards. An ideal calling card if you have no Kopecky material in the house
… yet which might change rapidly once you’ve placed this powerful disc
under the laser ! Reviewed by John ‘Bobo’ Bollenberg |
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