'Sunchild - The Wrap' Reviews 

Classic Rock Society

Sunchild – The Wrap

Antony Kalugin’s project ‘Sunchild’ releases its third album, this concept being an adult fairy tale of a victim trapped within a labyrinth of the mind.  As with most good albums, there are immediate hooks, melodies and rhythms, and it takes several further listens to relish the many excellent additional nuances and intricacies, especially as this CD boasts a 38 minute title track, not including the separate intro and outro to the main piece. 

There’s a confident completeness to Kalugin’s work as he effortlessly builds in orchestral sections, folk touches (accordion), jazzy flourishes, symphonic peaks and troughs. 

He uses delightful keyboard sounds throughout and places uplifting or driving guitar at will within his epic soundscapes, the clear production enabling every layer to be easily heard.  This is an absolute aural delight of an album. 

Sounds like: Cross, Grey Lady Down, Magenta, Galleon.  DP



Background Magazine

Sunchild is one of the three bands of the busy and very talented Ukrainian mastermind Antony Kalugin. His other two bands are Karfagen and Hoggwash. After the release of the two conceptual Sunchild-albums The Gnomon (2008) and The Invisible Line (2009) he recorded his third and final fairy tale The Wrap in 2010. Central themes of The Wrap are hope, weakness and deceit. Just like on The Gnomon-album the story is about a boy and a girl and a big masterplan in which a ruthless game is being played. The protagonists have to fight to win back their values and love by finding a way out of the wrap.

The beginning of the first song Day Of Destiny sounds quite similar to the music of Shadowland. A slowly played piano and vocals are followed by a well-played electric guitar solo by Maxim Velichko. The lyrics in the chorus are easy to sing along with. The song ends with a bayan played by Sergey Kovalev. Next is the five-minute instrumental piece The Wrap (intro). The music is a blend of the finest instrumental passages of Vangelis, Alan Parsons and Camel. The rhythm-section consisting of Sergey Balalaev (drums) and Kostya Ionenko (bass) are constantly duelling with Kalugin's keyboards and Velichko's guitars. In this song the excellent production of Antony Kalugin and Will Mackie becomes evident too.

The long epic Under The Wrap lasts over 36 minutes and contains mainly up-tempo and interesting progressive rock music. Although it has some heavy guitar parts, it's still no hard rock or prog metal. That's quite remarkable regarding the heavy themes of the album. The voice and keyboards of Antony Kalugin always sound bright and never get dark. The last part of the epic is like a rollercoaster with beautiful instrumental passages and dazzling duels. Under The Wrap also has a fantastic epilogue by violins introducing the final electric guitar solo of Maxim Velichko and the flashy synths of Kalugin. An Angel is a more traditional symfo ballad followed by a short second acoustic instrumental piece called Illusionist. The final piece The Wrap (outro) starts and ends very relaxed, but the middle-section is a straight rock song with some spacey sounds.

After seeing Antony Kalugin playing live at the Progfarm Festival in The Netherlands, he convinced me again with this excellent third Sunchild-album. This album certainly belongs to the best releases of 2010. If you enjoy the traditional progressive music of legendary prog bands like Genesis with Peter Gabriel, IQ, ELP and Pendragon than you certainly will enjoy every minute of this outstanding album by Sunchild.

**** Cor Smeets (edited by Peter Willemsen)



Reviewer: tworoads - ProgArchives

Sunchild is the brainchild of Anthony Kalugin who you may know from the group Karfagen who have released a number of very well received instrumental albums over the past few years.

This is the third instalment of the Sunchild series and follows on from the critically acclaimed "The Invisible Line"

"The Wrap" tells an adult fairy tale which becomes both dark and sinister as the truth unfolds shredding its outer layers, its victim trapped within a labyrinth of the mind.

I have personally enjoyed all the Sunchild releases so far but they do require a certain degree of listening to get the most out of them.

The real difference with this album is how immediate the album sounds," Day Of Destiny " the first track draws you in and i have never heard Anthony sing so well and with so much authority and passion.

The next track "The Wrap Intro" is the first purely instrumental piece on the album and at 5.00 min long the perfect introduction to what will eventually unfold with the title track, it has a kaleidoscope of changes within itself and you just never really know where it going to go next, some superb melody, guitar and superb orchestrated keyboard throughout.

The title track "The Wrap" is an epic track and a real tour de-force. It is very difficult i find to keep peoples interest up with a track that is normally 38.00mins long, but it really works so well.

It still retains the overall quirky but accessible soundscapes that i feel Sunchild do so well but is sounds so much more complete than anything they have produced before.

It is a track that contains so many surprises but delivered in a more confident and tightly constructed way, there is some superb guitar work and i love the keyboard work throughout, the interplay between the various instruments just seems so natural.

There is some beautiful piano and keyboard work on the next track "The Angel" almost jazzy in its interpretation of the vocals initially before building to its climax, it has bags of atmosphere and is the perfect foil to the title track.

So we move onto the second and last purely instrumental track "Illusionist" it is the shortest on the album at 1.16 min, it contains an acoustic guitar and is stripped back quite bare but remains very haunting at the same time.

"The Wrap Outro" completes the album and finally finishes the story that has been told with such passion and authority throughout, it contains some more excellent lyrics and instrumental interplay between the keyboards and guitar all orchestrated to perfection, the track eventually fades out to the perfect dream like conclusion.

The standard of playing is certainly of a very high quality throughout as it normally is, but this time the production values seem to have taken an enormous leap forward as the clarity in sound is quite incredible at times, you will understand this better when you listen to the album and are clearly able to pick out the multitude of different instruments and place them within the songs very easily.

Sunchild have produced a superb piece of orchestrated symphonic progressive rock, which appeals to fans of all genres of music including Camel and Marillion for two easy comparisons.

I can see a huge leap forward musically for them on this release and hopefully it will be enjoyed by even more fans than his last release under the Sunchild monicker.

There is no doubt that if you enjoy this release you will be seeking out the comprehensive back catalogue of Anthony Kalugin ,he is one of progressive rock`s undiscovered gems by many and iam certain this is about to change with this album.

4 Stars




Reviewer: Mark Johnson - Sea of Tranquility


This is a great concept album full of many twists and turns. The story unfolds quickly with the opening song. "Wake up with a strange feeling in my head." Antony Kalugin, lead vocals and keys, must have had a tough time keeping this story to himself.

The intro to "The Wrap" gives you an example of the kind of dazzling guitar and key work you are about to enjoy in the epic.

The title and epic song at 38:19 is full of great lead guitar chords, synthesizers, bass and drums. The opening sounds bring back so many memories from early prog music. But as the epic progresses you are taken up to the present day and heavier prog sounds. The moments of keyboard splendor last a long time and blend well with the heavy guitar.

The flute and organ add allot to the classical effect of this music.

You really need to understand the story to appreciate all the movements in the piece completely. There are a lot of lyrics and the story is full.

Sit back and enjoy a story set to music from a new storyteller.

A wild and intricate epic full of progressive highlights complete with synths, piano and excellent guitar work.

Mark Johnson
Score:



Martien Koolen for Morow.com The Prog Radio


Sunchild is a Ukranian band and also the brain child of Anthony Kalugin, known from the band Karfagen. Their previous album “The Invisble Line” already got rather good reviews, but ‘The Wrap” is without any doubt far better. This third album is a concept album and the compositions are well thought and melodic, however you as a listener you need a couple of spins to really appreciate the album. The opener “Day Of Destiny” features some lovely vocals and it is followed by the first instrumental song called “The Wrap Intro”, featuring great guitar and keys passages. Then comes the hammer, an epic prog song lasting 38 minutes!! This really is a master piece as it is so diverse and full of musical surprises that every time you listen to it you experience other dimensions of this little prog opera.

“The Angel” is an almost jazzy song with nice piano and keyboard elements which is followed by the second instrumental track called: “Illusionist”. This is the shortest song and according to me it is a rather redundant song; 1:16 filled with acoustic sounds… “The Wrap Outtro” is again a beautiful melodic track full of great guitar work and excellent lyrics. The production of the album is also superb, resulting into a classic orchestral prog rock album which you need to have in your collection. Especially for fans of Marillion or Camel this album is an absolute MUST; buy or die!
 
Martien Koolen for Morow.com The Prog Radio

Review By Philip Wilding Classic Rock Presents Prog Issue 14

Sunchild creator Antony Kalugin would, you imagine, make a tough dinner party companion. Best described as earnest, you'd probably find yourself poking him with your fork before you'd got through the main course. 

Kalugin cut his teeth with instrumental prog rockers (with an almost unpronounceable name) Karfragen, but now he's found his voice. And what a voice: voluble and incessant and complicated, the way algebra is complicated when you're 12. To wit, The Wrap is 'about fear and hope, weakness and faith, deceit and what we believe...', and that's just the basic outline.

Two years in the making, Sunchild's third album is very much in keeping with their previous work, 2008's The Gnomon and the following year's The Invisible Line; that is, it's complex, knotty and over the top.

The Wrap has its own separate Intro and Outro, which are both demanding and expressive the way a toddler with a tin of paint and a cream carpet canvas can be expressive, though the latter has flashes of classic Roxy Music to it.

They're at their best on the title track, 40 minutes of obstinate, wilful wigging out. We're not sure if it's art or obscene; it's a fine line.

Philip Wilding

Review by Alan Jones


Sunchild is one of the strings to the bow of Antony Kalugin, a prolific progressive rock genius from Ukraine, probably better known for his work with Karfagen.

The Wrap is the band's third album and is simply superb. If you like your prog steeped in the creative juices of the 70's but crave a contemporary twist, Kalugin's your man. There are nods all over this sprawling masterpiece to all the progressive greats: Hackett, Yes, Marillion, ELP, et al are all namechecked, but this is no standard prog rock template.

All the components are here to give even the most rabid prog fan a fresh perspective on the genre with a heavy, here-and-now edge that sustains interest throughout.

There are six tracks here, but the centrepiece of the whole album is the title track, clocking in at a bladder-bursting 38 minutes and having that rare quality among progressive music's lengthy workout history in both sustaining and stimulating the listener's interest until the last strains of the guitar outro fade away.

Kalugin plays a mean keyboard and has surrounded himself with a fine coterie of musicians and it's plain to see on all the tracks here he has pushed them hard and extracted the very best. Guitarist Maxim Velichko must be singled out for some very impressive fretwork, and there are some nice contributions from cello and violin, which often give the album a slightly Middle Eastern flavour.

Taken in the round, this is as classic a work of progressive rock as you are likely to find. If you can get past the heavily accented vocals (it's not difficult), Sunchild have delivered a meisterwerk that will make today's progressive rock aspirants realise they'll have to up their game.

****


Review By Todders For Harmonic Lizard


Sunchild is the brainchild of Anthony Kalugin who you may know from the  group Karfragen who have released a number of very well received instrumental albums over the past few years.

This is the third instalment of the Sunchild series and follows on from the critically acclaimed “The Invisible Line”

“The Wrap” tells an adult fairy tale which becomes both dark and sinister as the truth unfolds shredding its outer layers, its victim trapped within a labyrinth of the mind.

I have personally enjoyed all the Sunchild releases so far but they do require a certain degree of listening to get the most out of them.

The real difference with this album is how immediate the album sounds,” Day Of Destiny “ the first track  immediately draws you in and i have never heard Anthony sing so well and with so much authority and passion.

The next track “The Wrap Intro” is the first purely instrumental piece on the album and at 5.00 min long the perfect introduction to what will eventually unfold with the title track, it has a kaleidoscope of changes within itself and you just never really know where it going to go next, some superb melody, guitar and superb orchestrated keyboard throughout.

The title track “The Wrap” is an epic track and a real tour de-force. It is very difficult i find to keep peoples interest up with a track that is normally 38.00mins long, but it really works so well.

It still retains the overall quirky but accessible soundscapes that i feel Sunchild do so well but is sounds so much more complete than anything they have produced before.

It is a track that contains so many surprises but delivered in a more confident and tightly constructed way, there is some superb guitar work and i love the keyboard work throughout, the interplay between the various instruments just seems so natural.

There is some beautiful piano and keyboard work on the next track “The Angel” almost jazzy in its interpretation of the vocals initially before building to its climax, it has bags of atmosphere and is the perfect foil to the title track.

So we move onto the second and last purely instrumental track “Illusionist” it is the shortest on the album at 1.16 min, it contains an acoustic guitar and is stripped back quite bare but remains very haunting at the same time.

“The Wrap Outro” completes the album and finally completes the story that has been told with such passion and authority throughout, it contains some more excellent lyrics and instrumental  interplay between the keyboards and guitar all orchestrated to perfection, the track eventually fades out to the perfect dream like conclusion.

The standard of playing is certainly of a very high quality throughout as it normally is, but this time the production values seem to have taken an enormous leap forward as the clarity in sound is quite incredible at times, you will understand this better when you listen to the album and are clearly able to pick out the multitude of different instruments and place them within the songs very easily.

Sunchild have produced a superb piece of orchestrated symphonic progressive rock, which appeals to fans of all genres of music including Camel and Marillion for two easy comparisons.

I can see a huge leap forward musically for them  on this release and hopefully it will be enjoyed by even more fans than his last release under the Sunchild monicker.

There is no doubt that if you enjoy this release you will be seeking out the comprehensive back catalogue of Anthony Kalugin, he is one of progressive rock`s undiscovered gems by many and iam certain this is about to change with this album.

95/100