VIDRADA

Back in 2018 I reviewed the second album by this band and gave it top marks. I am not sure anyone truly expected there to be another, as not only had it taken them eight years between the debut and the follow-up, but these guys are also based in Kyiv, Ukraine. None of us can attempt to comprehend what that country is going through following on from the brutal invasion by Russia, but somehow Volodymyr Agafonkin (vocals, acoustic guitar), Mykola Kryvonos (bass guitar), Yaroslav Gladilin (drums), Olena Nesterovska (viola), Yevhenii Dubovyk (piano, keyboards) and Oleksii Perevodchyk (electric guitars), plus a few guests, have managed to create something beautiful, charismatic and important. ‭ The title can be loosely translated as joy, refuge, solace, all of which is in very short supply in Ukraine at present. Vlad has told me the album stands as a testament to hope and resilience, featuring soaring melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and an uplifting message meant to support listeners through difficult times. The lyrics are in all in Ukrainian, but this is one of those albums when one does not need to speak the language to understand the passion and emotion as it is everywhere, shining a light in a very dark time indeed. It is truly progressive in that they are leaping over genre boundaries as if they do not exists, bringing in influences from melodic crossover progressive rock, classical and neo classical, live strings, electronics, pop, post rock and so much more as they try to develop their art in a place where the aggressor is doing all it can to reduce their very existence to ash and desolation. The arrangements switch and move, and Vlad's wonderful vocals are at the heart of all they do.

There is so much beauty contained within this, touched with sadness and melancholy, that it is almost hard to comprehend. That this can be produced in such a very dark time in their nation's history is nothing short of incredible. Longtime collaborator Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief) again produced this album, and the result is something which is full of grit, determination and beauty where none should exist. I gave their last album top marks, and this deserves nothing less.

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