Customer Reviews

Susar

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am really enjoying this cd. I think the KC and Tool influences are obvious but I love this cd and I do not love Tool or King Crimson. Go figure! The musicianship is stellar with not much (if any) wanking. The production and sound are first rate and the songs are very strong. A little on the heavy side - which is fine with me. Many odd time arrangements which are great and not too forced. The violin is a valuable addition to this cd where the vocals are not. To be fair, I'm not a fan of the group Riverside where the vocalist is from. I'd have preferred it to be completely instrumental. Just my two cents. But, again, the violinist is really excellent and I hope the next cd has more of the same. For that matter, I hope there is another cd. This won't be the next Dream Theater. I just hope they achieve some success and keep putting out music like this. Two big thumbs up from me!

Indukti cite Tool, Neurosis, and King Crimson as primary influences. That bit of information alone should either have you screaming bloody murder or crying tears of bliss... or it might leave you with a blank expression on your face, which is rather unlikely since you've somehow managed to find your way to this album.

I happen to love all three of the above bands, but I can't say that Indukti really sound like any of them. Certainly, there are some lines that can be drawn - the echoing, chiming, harmonically complex clean guitars give off some semblance of 80's-era King Crimson; the sinuous and rather disorienting effect where bass and guitar bounce between overlapping time signatures at the lower end of the fretboard is employed occasionally and is decidedly reminiscent of Tool (think the introductory and middle sections of Tool's "46 & 2" if you're not sure what effect I'm trying to describe); and I suppose some of the more ambient sections as well as the noisier parts could sort of be compared to something that Neurosis has done at one point or another, but even that seems like a stretch in my eyes - I don't find much of a resemblance at all between Indukti and Neurosis. Regardless, the big picture produced by Indukti on this album is much, much more than the sum of its parts.

Firstly, everything is accentuated by violin (another allusion to King Crimson, I suppose) - or almost everything. Rather than just providing flourishes here and there for mood and effect, Ewa Jablonska is a full-fledged and prominent member of the band and the music, though she does have a tendency to fade away throughout some of the heavier portions of the album. She coats the overall sound with a smooth, organic warmth and provides something of an ethnic Eastern European flavor. She also creates some striking aural dichotomies, such as in songs like "No. 11812" and "No. 11811", where dark aggression is punctuated by sublime violin interplay.

Secondly, there's a harp played by guest Anna Faber. I've never been much of a harp fan, but I mostly attribute that to lack of exposure. Hearing it in use on this album has opened my eyes, so to speak. It's simply beautiful. The sounds that emanate from those gently plucked strings momentarily take you away to some celestial, enchanted utopia. So absolutely peaceful, tranquil, and mysterious that you feel genuine regret at being rudely pulled away by the arrival of the remainder of the band. Unfortunately, these moments of blissful harping are generally found only at the beginning or the end of a given song. There is a section in the middle of the song "Uluru" which sees the harp come together with the rest of the band for a fairly stunning, if rather brief, instrumental portion... but that's the only time you'll hear the harp in any prominent role together with the band. For the most part, Anna only performs solo pieces here and there - though the transition that she makes from "Cold Inside... I" to "No. 11812" is especially magnificent, and she does mingle with the band for a bit there, as well.

Thirdly, this is mostly instrumental. There are some vocals performed by guest Mariusz Duda of Riverside - he adds some wordless, tribal-esque vocal melodies on opener "Freder", and takes on more straightforward vocal duties on "Cold Inside" and "Shade" - but the majority of the album lacks any kind of vocal presence. I can't say whether this is overly positive or negative. The instrumental tracks are definitely more impressive from a songwriting and creative point of view, as well as in terms of technicality, but the vocal performances are quite strong and come across as very moving and soulful.

The remainder of the band is solid. Twin guitars provide a thick sound, but not one that's too overbearing. The heavier distorted portions are brought forward with a very crisp production that actually kind of sucks out some of the heaviness, opting instead for a more polished presentation (still quite heavy, though). The clean portions are also incredibly crisp and rich. There isn't much in the way of solos or leads... most of the guitar work centers around layers of clean arpeggiated chords and mid-tempo riffing with focus on beautiful harmony. The bass is powerful and audible, throwing in stretches of droning pulses alongside slap techniques and occasional transitions from purely rhythmic backing to more melodic interactions. A mighty bass presence overall, and one that adds a welcome and noticeable warmth to the music. The drums are fairly technical and very active, plowing through metric changes and rhythmic permutations with ease while avoiding complete sterility and keeping things musical with flourishing cymbal work and a competent sense of synergy and dynamics. As a whole, the band does a great job of staying together as one and building off of each other as opposed to going off on wild tangents and indulging in solo spots. A very cohesive sound.

S.U.S.A.R. is a commendable album from this Polish band. At once heavy, tranquil, abrasive, warm, and mesmerizing. There are some great ideas throughout that don't get developed as much as I would have liked, but that's alright for a debut album and it leaves plenty of room for improvement on future releases. I have high hopes for Indukti's future.

A very interesting debut by a promising polish band. Music of Indukti lies somewhere between Larks' era King Crimson's visionary and Tool's complexity. And while not sounding either as adventurous as the former or spiritual as the latter, they develop a very intriguing sound.

There are seven songs on S.U.S.A.R. and most of them are instrumental. Freder starts off with harp intro and futures a marvelous vocalization in the middle of the composition by Riverside front man Mariusz Duda. His guest appearance is also notable on two other songs: Cold Inside...I and Shade. Both no. 11812 and no. 11811 are very Crimson sounding (with an excellent violin work by Ewa Jablonska), while Uluru and ...and Weak II reminds more Tool with its aggressive and crunchy dual guitar assault.

S.U.S.A.R. has some flaws, though. Some o the compositions are undeveloped. The musicians sometimes overspill tunes into extra minutes that were never needed. The most notable examples are the two last tracks. Despite this, Indukti's debut is very powerful (to retain the energy of a live performance, S.U.S.A.R. was recorded live in the studio) and I hope to hear more of them soon.

I love this band, and have a hard time prying it out of my cd player once it has found its way back into it, yet I hesitate to recommend them. While people are largely comparing them to Tool and King Crimson, it lacks the hypercomplexity both are known for and particularly Crimson's dissonance. Ultimately, Indukti sounds like neither band, the violin giving a bit of a gypsy lilt to their crunch-laden energetic sound.

The band's bio suggests that the members were all orchestral musicians at some point, and it shows in the music. The instruments build on and support each other, yet none of them make an effort to stand out from the group. This translates to little (if any) soloing on anyone's part; while good, the music isn't truly strong enough to keep most listeners' attentions, and some songs overstay their welcome with false ending after false ending. The vocal pieces (featuring Mariusz Duda on loan from Riverside) really shine; Indukti would do well to find someone of his caliber and make him or her a permanent addition to the band.

Overall, I call this a good start, but probably not good enough for the casual listener. Fans of Crimsonian and Tool will probably get a kick out of it, but I'd say there are better things still to come.

"INDUKTI is the induction of five minds, it is the musical conglomeration designed to stimulate the imagination and to draw forth the exceptional experiences and unique emotions."

I've had this album for awhile now, and I've always thought it was excellent. It finally hit me today how great this is. This Polish quintet sounds like Lateralus interwoven with Red (or: imagine if Tool became mostly instrumental, added David Cross on violin, and had apparently listened to some Shakti [the Eastern sound in some parts]), and the emotional journey it takes the listener on is equally as compelling and engaging as the work Tool and King Crimson have to offer. SUSAR was recorded live in the studio "to maintain as much of the concert spontaneity and energy as possible". The vocals, which as used sparingly, sound like Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree, only with way more soul, not as whiny, and not as British. heh.

The rhythms are complex and stunning; the violin is celestial and soulful; the bass is overwhelming and powerful; the guitar, harmonious and beautiful (the distortion sound is EXCELLENT as well - it makes me want to break things). Their are moments of evocative, engaging beauty; those of rhythmic and soulful interplay; those of crushing power and unrivaled vigor.

This is music that hypnotizes, paralyzes, and entrances. It has an absolute power that makes gargoyles crumble, doves cry, whales sing. And it will make any mortal person curl into the foetal position and remain there for weeks, contemplating the hole that this music tears in the universe.

Looking for something different in the progressive rock genre. This is it! I have really enjoyed this cd, I'm afraid I'm going to wear it out too early. Put it this way, it will make you want to look at other efforts by Indukti.

4.5/5

Firstly, if you've ever listened to King Crimson's Red or Riverside (there are stronger Riverside influences than Tool IMO) you'll immediately start drawing comparisons. This is the ONLY weakness I can find with Indukti.

Let's talk about why I think this is a near-perfect album. I, unlike others, think Indukti has found an original way of experimenting musically while still maintaining expressiveness. Every musician displays virtuosity, while still playing as a cohesive group. The compositions are complete, with excellent dynamic range. The climaxes get very heavy, without becoming an overbearing wall of sound. The album itself is cohesive with recurring themes.

I'm a music geek. The members of Indukti are obviously geeks too. Their usage of instrumentation and irregular time signatures is perfect. They are more comfortable composing and playing in 6+4/8 than most bands are in 4/4. It sounds natural and that's how it should be. S.U.S.A.R. isn't a total mindf*#$ of dissonance and downbeats, there are riverside-esque songs like Shade with a nice, familiar 4/4 and calming vocals.

Ok, so they sound a little bit too much like Riverside at times. Both bands were emerging at the same time, so it's difficult to say who was first. Anyway, it's only the vocals that I find to be too similar. Indukti focuses much more musically (most tracks are instrumental), and that's the aspect that appeals to me the most.

If you enjoy prog-metal for the "progginess", you'll love this album.

4.5/5 Go to last.fm and listen to "no. 11812" The entire song is available to listen to.

First off, the King Crimson and tool comparisons are not surprising since all people are doing is writing exactly what the record company says on the front cover insert. No big surprises there. I stumbled across this cd at a record convention and decided to try it out.
I'm surprised more people have not made the A perfect Circle reference since the vox sound just like it and the Tool comparison is essentially wrong since it is more moody like APC and not complex as Tool. I think only 2 songs have vox the rest is moody prog. The cd still has its moments of prog heaviness while combining some other genres out there flawlessly. If you dig most of the Sensory / Lasers edge type of stuff then I would recomend trying these guys out. All prog metal fans should check out a band called Into eternity.

I don't really know a lot about this band. The name sounds Japanese but they hail from Poland. This is a really killer album of great instrumental and vocal material. Mariusz Duda from Riverside guests on vocals here, and fits in perfectly with the band's style. Indukti are most often compared to a mix of Tool and King Crimson. The band defiantly shows an influence by both of these bands with the complexity of Crimson mixed with the more modern sound of Tool. I would think fans of either band would enjoy this disc. S.U.S.A.R. is mostly instrumental with only two vocal tracks. Along with traditional rock instrumentation the band also incorporates violin and harp. The musicians are all top shelf and the compositions multifaceted yet melodic. Indukti are a great young band to keep an eye on and I highly recommend this release.

DE LO MEJOR QUE HE ESCUCHADO, EXCELENTE !!! YA ES DE MIS FAVORITOS Y ESPERO CON ANSIAS SU SIGUIENTE DISCO.