Official Site
E.S.T. (stands for
"Electric Shock Therapy") is a Russian outfit that has been around
since 1990, and its main claim to fame is their performance at the
"Moscow Monsters Of Rock" festival of 1991, often described as the
biggest concert in history (half a million people attended this
event, held at the airfield), along with Metallica,
AC/DC, and Pantera. E.S.T. were
representing Russia, and, even though they could hardly make an
impression by comparison to the real Monsters, they won some fans
with their blend of thrash and Russian folk music. The band then
soldiered on through the 90s, led by its relentless growling
frontman, Zhan Sagadeev, and released several well-received albums,
that eventually brought them the cult status and a spot in the
"Legends Of Russian Rock" compilation series. The band went through
numerous lineup changes, its current incarnation featuring Sagadeev
(vocals, songs), Sergey "Prodigal" Podrezenko (drums), Vladimir Tupikov (guitar), and Daniel Zakharenkov (bass). Their latest album, "Pod'em!" (2005), was warmly received by fans and critics alike.
LEGENDS OF RUSSIAN ROCK -- E.S.T. (2002)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "10 Veselyh Let (10 Merry
Years)," "Spokoinoi Nochi, Brighton Beach (Good Night, Brighton
Beach)," "Booh-Trah (Bam-Wham)"
COMING SOON
POD’EM! (RISE! 2005)
BEST SONGS: "Zarya Nad Ambarami (The Dawn
Over The Barns)," "Gulai-Polee (Wild In The Fields)," "Gad
(Creep)"
The latest release from these veterans,
showing that some bands hit their peak many years into their career.
This is the best material I have heard from E.S.T. Zhan Sagadeev
and crew can now be considered legitimate heir to Black Obelisk.
Partly because of music, which is very similar to the mid-90s
Obelisk blend of Motorhead-style thrash,
classic metal, and occasional Russian
folk melodies, in addition to Sagadeev's rough and unpolished
vocals, partly because three of the musicians on this album –
Mikhail Svetlov (guitar), Daniil Zakharenkov (bass), and guest
Dmitry Borisenkov (back vocals) – are current members of Black
Obelisk. The band very effectively fills the void left by the
untimely death of Anatoly Krupnov. The songwriting is very strong
throughout: fourteen tracks here (not counting the sounds of
Sagadeev singing in a shower) and almost all of them are
good-to-excellent. Lyrics draw their inspiration the wide range of
sources: Russian Civil War of 1917-1921 (first four tracks,
including outstanding speedster "The Dawn Over The Barns" and a
masterpiece of heavy folk, "Wild In The Fields"), taking nasty
political stabs at Communists and Nazis ("Creep," "Boogie Woogie For
All," "Crash Of The Ideal" – about a Nazi who found out late in life
that his father was in fact gay and his real dad was a Jew), the
abuse in mental institutions (“Brother Of Mercy”), cool and
not-so-cool aspects of a rock musician’s life ("Chicks And Money,"
"Rip You Into A Jigsaw Puzzle"), and finally sheer whacky-ness
(“Robots In The Night,” about robots that were introduced the ideas
of anarchism and ran away, and “The Unfortunate End," with lyrics
like "A blind condom blower worked in the sex show..."). Inherent
melody of the Russian folk music is skillfully enveloped in heavy
sounds and given a solid rocking drive. In comparison with other
"voices of broken glass," like Lemmy and Krupnov, Sagadeev sounds
both more powerful and melodic. The catchiness and the goofiness are
off the charts. Bonus track, "Era Of Stagnation," is not metal at
all, but rather classic Russian chanson. The album boasts its share
of special guests, including aforementioned Borisenkov and Kirill
Nemolyaev (Boney Nem). A fantastic album, especially if you can
understand the lyrics, but enjoyable for non-Russian speakers
nonetheless.
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