Album Review: Disen Gage – The Big Adventure (addicted label BNiL)

Disen Gage was formed in 1999 by Yuri Alaverdyan and Konstantin Mochalov on guitars, Nikolay Syrtsev on bass guitar and Eugeniy Kudryashov on drums. In 2004 their recorded material reached the RAIG music label, which released it as the band’s debut album “The Screw-Loose Entertainment”.

In 2005 with the arrival of a new guitarist, Sergey Bagin who took the place of Yuri Alaverdyan, the band turned from a guitar-oriented progressive rock to a challenging avant-prog group. As a result, in 2006 Disen Gage released its second album “Libertage” (RAIG) composed from spontaneous improvisations and third studio album “…The Reverse May Be True” (2008, RAIG) which stylistically blended the structural patterns with the improvisational freedom.

After long silence the same participants released another album “Snapshots” (ArtBeat, 2016) which is whimsically balancing on a weird edge between psychedelic and romantic mood, between a krautrock improv and a soundtrack to a western.

In 2016 Disen Gage turned their status from “rock-band” to “musician association” with a flexible participants crew that led to significant widening of their art-products. Thus, in 2017 “Hybrid State” – science-art documentary presenting a situation in which scientists make music in the course of an experimental procedure, and directly in the lab was created by Konstantin Mochalov, Anton Efimov, Daria Solovyeva and Alexey “Al Argus”. The self-titled soundtrack was released by addicted label BNiL in the same year.

In 2018 Disen Gage consisting of Konstantin Mochalov and Anton Efimov experimented in music concrete, ambient and noise directions crafting the album “Nature” (addicted label BNiL) from sounds of planets, trains and animals (including higher primates).

In 2019 Moscow scientists are still researching new shapes of sound. The Big Adventure brings you the 20 years trip of Disen Gage in music!

This is an unusual listen. An album of rock oddities that is far more appealing then you might expect. The catchy upbeatness of Adventurers is one thing but the jazzy Chaos Point is quite another. It’s a mish-mash of ideas that really shouldn’t work but surprisingly does. The Big Adventure is very enjoyable especially if you’re looking for something that is borderline insane.

That insanity grows and grows as the record continues on bringing the likes of Primus to mind. High praise indeed. How else can you describe All the Truth’s Meeting? The wacky rhythm disturbing the mind, the jazzy beat infectiously amusing and the carnival vibe putting a big smile on faces. Utter madness.

There is no making sense of this album so just sit back and enjoy one of the most unusual records you’ll hear this year. It’s worth it.

Disen Gage – The Big Adventure Full Track Listing:

1. Shiroyama
2. Adventurers
3. Chaos Point
4. Enough
5. All the Truths’ Meeting
6. Selfish Tango
7. Carnival Escape
8. Fin

The album can be picked up via Bandcamp here. Find out even more about Disen Gage via their Facebook Page and check out their YouTube videos here.