review by: Avi Shaked

Having witnessed the Karate Band Toy Orchestra twice prior to the album release and once more quite recently after its release, I can’t say I was thrilled when I received Children 4 Muzik for review.

The band, which is fronted by the wacky Igor Krutogolov and features, amongst others, the entire staff of Krutogolov’s other band, Kruzensthern & Parohod, remains loyal in reflecting its leader’s freakishness, though the emphasis is different: a pseudo serious ride that incorporates parody on extreme metal music, performed only with the aid of toy instruments. These are often manipulated and amplified – the guitars are mean and raw, the clarinets squeak - but they still maintain the effect of cheap instruments, limited in their range and tonality while carrying a childish quality; and I have yet to mention the twittering rubber toys! Hilarious aggression would be a concise description to sum the whole thing up.

On stage, the music often remains secondary to the gimmick, which manages to hold for some time before it begins to exhaust itself. On the recording, however, the nuances can be more easily observed and the pieces are constructed with greater care.

Lasting for approximately half an hour, the music does not lose its grip, keeping the grotesque firmly in place, not only during the heavy sections on which Krutogolov grunts and gurgles meaninglessly to a primitive rhythm putting death metal, with its growls, double bass and power chords to a respectable laugh; but also on supposedly gentler passages, such as the tango inspired "Broken Tango."

Yep, it’s like a kindergarten band gone psycho, and it is the boldness and original concept that rank the band higher in my book. The album’s title is a fair warning in its inversion, as I doubt sane parents would want to lecture tracks such as the porn flavored "Jesus Christ Superpharm" to their children.

I have no knowledge as for the future plans of the Karate Band (I do know that Kruzenshtern & Parohod is embarking on a European tour shortly), but there is no doubt that this effort would be hard to follow: a second release would have to see the band reinventing itself by avoiding the now-familiar shticks or by exploring them in different structures; epic compositions a-la Opeth or some covers of famous death metal songs should be a challenge worth exploring. (8/10)