Urban Fears by IWKC

Urban Fears is an official debut full-length work by IWKC. This is a kind of conceptual album dedicated to Moscow’s industrial outskirts… Recorded in abandoned industrial building in Moscow Suburbs. Surprisingly light and heartwarming music which appeal to wide range of contemporary instrumental rock-music lovers.



Italian http://arlequins.it review by Peppe Di Spirito:
"IWKC è l’acronimo per I Will Kill Chita, una band russa attiva dal 2008 e che abbiamo già seguito per alcune delle sue pubblicazioni discografiche. Cogliamo l’occasione per riparlarne grazie alla ristampa del primo full-length, intitolato “Urban fears” e uscito nel 2012. Il disco era una sorta di concept dedicato alle periferie industriali di Mosca e fu registrato proprio in un edificio abbandonato in una di queste zone. Nel cd, inoltre, sono presenti tre bonus tracks, che altro non sono che i brani contenuti nel vero debutto della band, “Best days”, EP datato 2010. Nei loro esordi gli IWKC hanno puntato su una musica interamente strumentale, in cui post-rock, prog, echi di Pink Floyd e influenze classiche si intrecciano e vanno di pari passo creando un mood altamente malinconico.
Il disco si apre con il brano “Lost”, un post rock ritmato e vagamente classicheggiante, che fa emergere subito la particolarità della presenza del violoncello e del violino e che va avanti con un incedere affascinante, fino al finale più atmosferico, misterioso e ricco di effetti sonori. Si vira su un versante dai connotati floydiani con “Fear of suburbs” e “Waiting for the suburbia”, che archi e tastiere colorano con sonorità sinfoniche. Più ariosa “Red sunset”, quasi dieci minuti sognanti e ipnotici, che nella seconda metà si fanno invece più nervosi. La capacità degli IWKC di creare scenari sonori suadenti è confermata da “Those who see the light”, in cui emerge il loro lato più post rock, con tempi cadenzati. Ancora atmosfere oniriche all’inizio di “Endless odyssey”, che poi cedono il passo a sensazioni più inquiete, dettate da ritmi marziali ed un crescendo maestoso. Le tre bonus tracks finali non fanno altro che confermare l’indirizzo stilistico raggiunto in quegli anni dalla band (che subirà poi qualche variazione nel corso del tempo) e che si integra alla perfezione con le tracce di “Urban fears”, anche se si avverte qualche passaggio un po’ più sanguigno.
Un piccolo gioiello da riscoprire (se non proprio scoprire), soprattutto per chi ama quei gruppi che puntano su composizioni strumentali e suggestive."
http://www.arlequins.it/pagine/articoli/alfa/corpo.asp?ch=7319




https://seaoftranquility.org review by Jon Neudorf:
"IWKC (I Will Kill Chita) is an instrumental progressive rock band from Russia. They have been together since 2012 and have released four full length albums to date. This is a review of their debut album titled Urban Fears, released in 2012. According to the band’s bandcamp page, the album’s theme relates to Moscow’s industrial outlying areas. In keeping with the concept, they recorded the album in an abandoned industrial warehouse in Moscow. The album was remastered in 2019 and released on the Addicted Music label.

The band play instrumental rock music with an eclectic proggy edge. There are also plenty of melodies to grasp and hold on to. “Lost” begins the disc with a marching drum beat and somewhat angular guitar with an almost ‘60s surf vibe. The melody is both catchy and intriguing and as other instruments are added, like cello and violin, there is an increase in depth. The build is subtle until the band’s play is quite intense. The song ends with outside street effects and industrial sounds, in keeping with the urban concept. “Fear Of Suburbia” has incredible mood and atmosphere. The strings feature some extended playing and the buried guitar riffs add a little distortion. It’s a subtle effect and completely works. Not so subtle is the piercing guitar jabs as more tension is created. “Waiting For The Disaster” starts out mellow with spacious instrumentation and as the song builds ever so slowly there is an almost hypnotizing affect. It’s all beautifully executed. The strings add tons of mood in the slowly evolving “Red Sunset”, until more intensity in the guitar and drums is unleashed. The melody is quite beautiful.

What an excellent debut album Urban Fears is. For fans of moody instrumental rock music that copies no one, this is an easy recommendation."
https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=23314




http://progarchives.com review by Kev Rowland:
"What we have here is I.W.K.C.'s 2012 debut album, which when released on R.A.I.G Records also contained three bonus tracks which were originally taken from their 2010 'Best Days' EP. Although the CD itself is no longer available, both 'Urban Fears' and 'Best Days' are available through Bandcamp. I have previously reviewed their third and fourth albums, so it is interesting to go back in time. Formed by brothers Nick Samarin (keyboards, guitars) and Nik Samarin (drums, electronics, design), by the time of the album release they also included Andrei Silin (keyboards, electronics), Alexander Ivanov (bass), Artem Litvakovsky (cello) and guest violinist Anastasiya Narochnaya.

This is instrumental post rock, which is majestic in its style, with the strings adding wonderful depth. There is a grace and tranquillity, yet also a great feeling of mass and it makes me think of a decadent luxurious ocean liner cutting through the waves. There is no rush, but rather a knowledge that this is an unstoppable force which contains a beauty within. The drums and cymbals cut through what is sometimes a solid wall of sound with the bass and guitars at one with the cello and violin, which combine to create something which is solid and real. Consequently, when the music takes a different turn with picked acoustic guitar against the strings (such as on "Waiting for the Disaster") the change in approach ensures it has even great impact. The use of dynamics is very powerful indeed, and as with all good post rock we are transported away into a different time and space.

The last three songs were recorded when the band was a quartet with no use of strings and shows them moving in a more progressive direction with the keyboards being much more strident and dominant, but with the guitars still very much in the post rock vein, and the CD allows us to understand how they were musically changing. Overall, this is a really interesting debut."
http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=2778909

IWKC is a Moscow project performing eclectic prog rock, combining a wide range of styles.

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