ZODIAC (WITH BODAN ARSOVSKI)

Following what would prove to be the last studio album by LEB I SOL on which they played together, "Putujemo", ace guitar player Vlatko Stefanovski and bassist Bodan Arsovski accepted in the summer of 1989 a commission by the Macedonian National Theatre to compose music for the ballet show "Zodiac". So the album appeared the following year in the format of CD and cassette, and it was credited to Vlatko and Bodan as a duo.

Instrumental albums, especially if they are hour-long works, tend to be tedious to listen to in a single sitting. And it is often true even for prog and jazz-fusion works, unless we deal with out-and-out masterpieces. Yet here, Vlatko and Bodan manage to offer 14 relatively short musical vignettes (each representing an astrological sign plus intro and outro) without boring a listener with lengthy and unnecessary solos and showing off virtuosity. It is very satisfactory to listen to this type of music, both as a background (after all, this is a sort of soundtrack) and as more active listening participation. There are plenty of nice moments where both of our heroes show their sensibility and restraint when delivering punchy riffs and beats, as well as thoughtful and melodic solos. Besides their primary instruments, guitar and bass, respectively, both also played keyboards, adding a pleasant ambient-like atmosphere in some of the tracks. Add to this a funky rhythm here or bluesy lick there (sometimes reminiscent of great Robin Trower) and we get a very good instrumental album that can be of interest for a typical prog or fusion fan. Still, what is often grating to my ears is a late 1980s-early 1990s production, including the ominous drum programming. Had they managed to employ a live drummer, the sound would have been even better.

PA rating: 4/5 Personal rating: 3,5/5

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