OVERCOMING-UP

This is a keyboards dominated avant-prog album with complex programmed drums. I heard Ivan even saying it's hard to find a drummer in Saint-Petersburg to rerecord most of Roz Vitalis output live :) And I can assure you the drums don't sound weak at all! Next goes my collection of impressions by track.

3* Overcoming-Up 4:21 This is a slow-mid tempo composition with bass, percussions and IMO the most complex programmed drums on this album. Keyboards mood interchanges all the time from light and mellow to slightly robotic. But nothing special.

4* Madrigal 4:35 This starts with mellow keyboards, very inspiring, it somehow really finds the key to my heart. Some flute added to the mood 2 minutes in, then switch to guitar, all with merry spring lofty feel, especially when all instruments are playing. Close to being a masterpiece! 4* only for some lack of instrumentation and mood variation.

3* Journey of possible forgiver 6:47 Keyboards are supported by some percussion, bass and guitar. Everything is in slow-mid tempo. Becomes guitar-centric in the middle, rougher psychedelic edge. Then the tempo drops to slow, music starts to resemble environmental sounds, quite boring for the last 2,5 minutes. But the start is interesting enough.

3* Serene light 4:11 This starts with a slow soundscape with flute, bright-colored and mellow. Then there's a very pleasant piano part, augmented with other keyboards and bells. Coda is just a tad bit darker, gives a moody contrast. This composition might grow on me in the future...

4* Thorns of forgiving 7:23 It starts with synths + complex programmed drums, mid-tempo. Tense mood, "thorns" feel real! Then it develops into less demonic, intricate, robotic sound, likely to illustrate a forever working Rube Goldberg machine. There are some mood changes later on, until guitar effects take the lead at 5,5 minutes, leading to a slow keyboards coda. Also falls short of 5*.

5* Claws of winter (Blizzard paths) 20:54 Well, this is the main reason to buy this album :) Heavy synths + complex programmed drums, mid-up tempo, right as I like it! Then a turn to slow-mid keyboards+percussion, adding bass and then developing up to mid-up tempo the main theme, increasingly darker with guitar roaring support! I was clawing my way onto the ceiling! Another theme takes place with the same support, with a musically justified change to a low tempo space soundscapes, like "time to rest". In my case - time to fall off the ceiling!

Then the trick is performed with another keyboards theme: starts as slow-mid tempo bright piano+synths, then darker and with percussion. Not as dark (candy this time) as the previously, but still very cool! And again a change to a slow tempo, this time to guitar and synths effects + rythm section. And again slowly developing into heavy mid-up-tempo darkish keyboards, like two times before. But not for that long this time. Again a change to a synths effects which develop into a several minutes of tense piano soloing arriving at the main theme repetition and a noisy finish later on. By far this is the best epic Roz Vitalis have produced! Overall I have the feeling those sections might have been devoted to three winter months and piano soloing - for the start of the spring. Also I didn't hear the flute here, though a flautist is listed...

2* Overcome by uplift 4:41 Starts with synths effects and a flute, then guitar effects pick up the mood, then a solemn keyboards part, then just like what was in the start. All slow tempo and mellow. Might work for some mood, but after such an epic I found myself bored.

Time-weighted score 3.93