VIDRADA

This is currently my favorite album of 2025. I received a copy directly from Volodymyr Agafonkin, who is the guitarist, vocalist and composer of the band one month before the official release. It was a download including the lyrics and the scores.

The album is strongly influenced by the current war, even if not explicitly. The music has a kind of singer-songwriter feeling, due probably to the excellent acoustic guitar, but the instrumental parts, sustained by a string quartet, give it the symphonic flavor.

But it's not only symphonic; there are heavy guitars, keyboards and surprisingly the growl of Andriy Tkachenko in the final crescendo of Thruths, the penultimate track of the album.

It starts melancholic. Child is perfect in setting the whole album mood, and I also suggest to watch the video. It's both on Bandcamp and on Youtube. The lyrycs are in Ukrainian, but to give you an idea a translated sentence says "Deep inside We're children In search of forgotten dreams".

I'm not expert in that matter, but I suspect that the singing style takes something from the tradition: the timbric of Agafonkin is simlar to the "Pink Floyd" Andriy Khlyvnyuk. Getting used to it may take a bit, but it's very rewarding. The whole band is excellent in term of musical skills, and a mention goes to the production that's equally excellent.

Now, while the war is just somewhere in the background on "Child", it's more present on the second track "On Distance". Stlii not explicitly, it says "We search for a refuge Staring through the snow". Not a mention to the causes of the war, the goods and the bads, just the description of what people feels. Read the lyrics on Bandcamp. It enhances the experience.

Hurricane is one of my favorites. The intro is instrumantal by acoustic guitar and strings while the chord sequence reminded me in some ways to the Canadian Harmonium. Thinking while I'm writing, if you love Harmonium and Serge Fiori, Obiymy Doschu is for you.

Refuge is a love song, with an interesting signature. The chorus is the kind that can resound in your head after the listen.

"After the war" is obviously a song of hope. Again, the lyrics don't speak explicitly of the current war. It can be applied to any other war, with the exception of Gaza that can't be considered properly a war as it's nothing but a genocide.

"Time" is more intimistic. I quote "Every drop will change something in the soul Where the rains never cease So that one day, hearing dreams We too may learn from Spring" The piano bridge is remarkable. The strings on the coda have summoned the Beatles in my mind, with the difference that here the strings are arranged and played by the band.

The already mentioned "Thruths" is the longest and also the most complex track of the whole album. It has a quiet start. Piano and acoustic guitar then strings with some classical influences before the vocals enter. The chord sequence is complex as well, but still very melodic. Finally, bass and drums join in while the piano continues the arpeggio. It's a crescendo of instruments. An electric guitar gives the start to a crescendo which in the end transforms the song. While remaining melodic, after a couple of stop, slowing it down, in the last part the guitar introduces a metal crescendo which ends with the growl. To me this is musically the best track.

Don't Give Up is an optimistic closer. I suggest watching the video (again both on Bandcamp and on Youtube). The melody is captivating and the backing vocals of Karina Sokolovska harmonize very well with Agafonkin. Also this song has a crescendo, but ends with the strings quartet on a melancholic theme, like the end titles of a movie.

As I have written in the beginning, to me this is the album of the year. In the past I have written about the previous works of the band. I loved both Elehia and Son, but this is really superior to both. I'm not ashamed of giving it 5 stars.

Try it on Bandcamp, buy it if you like it and please let me know. Have I been too enthusiastic?

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