Guitarist Rob Rigoni grew up in a Hungarian-American family, in Port Clinton, Ohio, where he played in rock bands like Tempered Steel and Fat Mannequin. More recently, he moved to Hoquiam, Washington, a lovely town west of Olympia on the Pacific Coast, where he plays casinos and Seattle parties with a cover band called Maurice the Fish. But he also plays with Budapest West, an interesting heavy fusion band which has effected this nice all-instrumental "High Energy International Fusion" album.
If you're used to Hungarian music played on the cimbalom and rhythm cello, you won't find it here. What Hungarian music you will hear has been transformed through classical music a la Bartok. The international influence is more along the lines of "exotica," reconstructed ethnic music that can't really be placed with a definite origin. The exotica here has been fused with jazz, heavy rock, pop, and classical music genres. Budapest West works comfortably in all these styles.
Some tracks are more interesting than others; the first and last ones seem to travel the most within one piece. But the band has a tendency to noodle in the middle of the album, some portions of which might be termed "Heavy New Age." The bookend tracks, "Galatea" and "Night On the Volga", though, are crawling with Turkish markets, and Rigoni's soaring progressive metal pyrotechnics. Portland drummer Eric Montgomery sets the pace alternatively with third world hand percussion, crashing cymbals, and drum kit. Keyboardist Ray Hayden plays one moment Dimmu Borgir album entrances inspired by snake-charmer movies and the next "violin" from the great masters. Hayden's shining hour is a passionate concert hall piano piece in the midsection of the album called "Heceta Head"---wow! There are a smattering of international and electrical influences in the middle, but just not quite so many. For instance, on "St. Augustine" the boys sizzle with a Latin jazz tune using fewer fireworks and more conventional rock treatments on the guitar.
The entire album is done professionally with good musicianship, and is well-arranged and produced -- except for the fade at the end of track 1, not bad for a total of five grand and six months in the "studio." Acoustic folkies may scoff at production, but this one wouldn't have worked from the front porch.
