Abducted Cosmos

George Constantine Kratsas

From time to time, I do find myself listening to instrumental music as it can […]
By Marcus "The Rocker"
February 25, 2015
George Constantine Kratsas - Abducted Cosmos album cover

From time to time, I do find myself listening to instrumental music as it can make a nice change of pace from listening to vocal tracks. More often than not, the music will speak for itself to the point where vocals are not really needed if that makes sense. Most of the majority of the instrumental music I listen to is video game music. I don't mind the odd instrumental tune here or there from mainstream artists, but if the whole album is an instrumental one, I fear I may get bored, especially if the tunes are mediocre and boring.

Let's see if that is the case with today's review, which is "Abducted Cosmos" by Greek musician George Constantine Kratsas. This is his debut album as an instrumental musician, and it features him playing all guitars while the other parts (bass, keys and drums) are covered by other musicians. This is already a good sign as one man music projects can often be a disaster, and I expressed my fears about this last year when reviewing one man music projects. The majority being mediocre, and only one really stood out, but anyway, I'm rambling, so let's get on with this review.

I wasn't able to find much info on these guys, so let's get straight on with the review. The album starts off with a short two-or-so minute introductory piece, (with an interlude as the second to last track) before launching into the album's first full blown instrumental piece. This features some heavy, loud and fast melodies from all instruments, and to a point it does sound a bit epic when the symphonic keyboards have their moments when you can hear them loud and clear. As a song, it's not a bad way to get an instrumental album started, as there is plenty of talent being put on display.

What about the rest of the songs on display on this album? Kratsas's playing style has been described as "Symphonic prog-shred", and you can see why when you listen as the arrangements, which are quite impressive for an instrumental album. Granted, yes, it is only seven tracks and 30 or so minutes of instrumental music, but I think that's more than enough as anymore tracks would probably run the risk of making it boring. There are a couple of moments when the music may seem a bit dull or messy, but for the most part the arrangements are impressively heavy, fast, and loud metal arrangements. There are fast guitar solos, fast drumbeats, and the occasional synth solos to which there isn't a lot of but, when there is, it's not too bad.

Overall, "Abducted Cosmos" by George Constantine Kratsas is not a bad instrumental album, and I did find myself enjoying it just as much as the video game instrumentals I listen to. If you are into instrumental video game music, as well as the odd instrumental song or album from a mainstream artist, then this is an album you will most likely enjoy.

7 / 10

Good

When clicked, this video is loaded from YouTube servers. See our privacy policy for details.
"Abducted Cosmos" Track-listing:

1. Amulet
2. Siren's Shriek
3. Deception
4. Ainigma
5. Disillusion
6. Interlude
7. Samsara

George Constantine Kratsas Lineup:

George Constantine Kratsas - Guitars
Antoine Karpanos (Davanos) - Bass
Leonidas Diamadopoulos - Keyboards
Nikitas Mandolas - Drums

linkcrossmenucross-circle linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram