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?

Obiymy Doschu has to be among the best-kept secrets of modern progressive rock - the band led by Volodymyr Agafonkin comes from Kyiv and has been active for some good two decades as of 2025. Nevertheless, this year sees the release of the band's third studio album, some good seven years in the making and following-up on the highly-rated 'Son' from 2017, which definitely indicates that the group's steady release rate comes alongside a strive for excellence in a way, with each new album coming after a meticulous process of refining and elaborating its sound until reaching that immersive art-rock condition that seems to define the band's music. And the aptly titled 'Vidrada' (Ukrainian for refuge, solace) is an album with a mission, a cause, embodying the voice of hopefulness amidst the war-torn reality of the group members' homeland. It is a powerful, emotionally-loaded and eclectic work that binds together the band's creative writing as well as their strong progressive rock influences, which come in the form of complex melodies and harmonic instrumentation.

The moody, cinematic prog of opening track 'Children' works excellently on many levels as the grief and solace of this song are communicated by the music in a heartfelt way that resembles what Marillion and Steven Wilson have been doing recently, for example. 'At Distance' impresses with its wavy, almost oceanic synth leads and beautiful acoustic guitars - a complex and emotional work with great vocal work all throughout; the touch of folksiness is quite enjoyable here as well. Then the sweeping violins of 'Hurricane' only seem to serve as a prelude to the pop-sided verses and gorgeous melodies of one of the best songs off the album, closing off the song with a wash of intense guitar sounds. So far the mood is sentimental, embracive and really cinematic - Obiymy Doschu have crafted an inspired collection of melodic art rock with a very eclectic nature that sits really well within the landscape of progressive rock of the current decade. The post-rock soundscapes of 'After the War' support the nostalgic tone of this shorter song that offers another powerful chorus, while 'Time' seems to be most suspenseful piece on the album with its melodramatic use of light strings and orchestral notes. 'Truths' is a more labyrinthian mini-suite informed by the moody and sprawling art-rock inclinations of this entire album, and the closing track 'Don't Give Up' is as intense as it is accessible. The influence of Bruce Soord and Steve Kitch from The Pineapple Thief, who mixed, mastered and produced this fantastic record, can be felt all over, from the warm, lush notes of the sound overall to the clarity of every instrument and vocal harmony. Just a brilliant and warm crossover rock album that is equally inspired by progressive rock, folk music, orchestral music and chamber pop, and a simply flawless release from Obiymy Doschu.

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.

I didn't know much about this band despite the high acclaim it has received for its two previous albums and a review of high praise I wrote in 2018 for their 2017 release, Son. I know they come from Ukraine. Whether or not they are made up of refugees living outside of their war-torn country and recording this in the relatively-safe studios of a neighboring country or trying to live and create while still within the hazardous confines of their homeland, I do not know. Achieving the release of an album of this quality, I would assume, would be quite challenging under the latter conditions.

1. "Діти / Children" (7:01) Hearing this beautiful song--an ode to humankind's insidious loss of innocence--I can definitely hear others' references to Québecois (prog) folk singer-songwriter SERGE FIORI. The slow build into progginess for the instrumental middle 90 seconds is what makes it prog. Amazing lyrics. Knowing what Volodymyr and his Ukrainian compatriots have been having to deal with while their homeland is being shredded by war and violence and how the realities of his friends, relatives, and fellow Ukranians must be skewed by the daily psycho- spiritual pressures and predicaments they're placed in only augments the weightiness of these lyrics. And then add into the mix the sincere and genuine feeling Voldoymyr manages to deliver in his singing and we have quite a powerful song here. (14.25/15)

2. "На відстані / At Distance" (5:08) sounds so much like Polish Heavy Proggers BELIEVE and their last couple of amazing albums. Volodymyr definitely has a great singing voice. The lyrics about living in a fog of death (ghosts), fatigue, and numbness are powerful. A nice song that I could see providing the balm of an anthem for his countrymates. (9/10)

3. "Буревій / Hurricane" (6:26) again I am struck by the similarities between Volodymyr's singing voice and those of Collage, Quidam, Satellite, Mr. Gil, and Believe: sometimes lead vocalists Robert Amirian and Karol Wróblewski. Here he uses Nature as a metaphor for the time and conditions in which the horrible effects of war can be left behind, even forgotten: in Nature the hurricane leaves behind . . . Nature. The lead guitar and chamber strings are great but are a bit drowned out by the prog rock mid-section and rock rhythm section. (8.875/10)

4. "Відрада / Refuge" (5:34) though populated with some threads of more delicately-played guitars (acoustic) and piano, the bass and drums--and vocals--still render this one a prog song, though lyrically it's more like a song of longing and future hope--the song has a kind of feel and structure that reminds me of American pop radio songs from the 1970s and 80s--the rock "power ballads" that classic rock and "hair bands" used to "crossover" into radio-friendly domains. A complex and well-designed tapestry. (9/10)

5. "Після війни / After the War" (4:44) sounds like Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" mixed with Goo Goo Dolls' monster hit "Iris." The lyrics are rather self-explanatory but choose not to touch on the possibilities of scars, bitterness, regret, the need for vengeance, and future attitudes. (8.875/10)

6. "Час / Time" (5:29) powerful and emotional song that reminds me of some of Jimmy Webb's great songs from the 1960s & 70s again superimposed upon by a Goo Goo Dolls-like instrumental palette. How does humankind rise above the endless cycle of war and conflict? Is it possible? It's conceivable but given the way humans are wired, is it even practicable? Yaroslav Gladilin does a great job of grounding the song in rock foundations while the strings and piano move on to more chamber-like embellishments. And yet the song returns, over and over, to a delightful kind of chamber folk foundation (something that reminds me of ARCADE FIRE's classic Funeral album). It's as if Volodymyr & Company have something to teach us! The lyrics definitely flow from the present tense of future nows that was explored in the previous two songs into something more philosophical--about what possibilities lie ahead. Brilliant! (9.375/10)

7. "Істини / Truths" (8:57) piano, acoustic guitars, and strings open this song--a NOT A GOOD SIGN-like piano arpeggio motif--while Volodymyr sings in an impassioned Karol Wróblewski-like voice. The band amps up into a heavier, more full sonosphere in the the third minute with strings enhancing and further amplifying the two chords of the chorus. providing a gorgeous foundation for Volodymyr's public airing of his worries about the same issues I asked in "After the War" and "Time": Can humankind rise above the emotion-based cycles of war: heal the scars, get over the bitterness and regrets, sublimate the strong urges for vengeance and retribution--can they (we) ever achieve a "higher" state of detachment and universal love while still occupying these brute animal human bodyminds? With this heavy prog metal buildup and crescendo of the album's penultimate song Volodymyr & Company are not leaving me with much hope. A powerful song with a great, thick weave and some great guitar and vocal performances. (18.75/20)

8. "Не опускати руки / Don't Give Up" (6:16) the lyrics of this delightful and quirky final song are a bit fatalistic and cynical yet realistically pragmatic: make the most of now for tomorrow you (or your loved ones) may be gone. No, there's nothing new in Volodymyr's message but the music he chooses to deliver it in belies some hope and resignation to the process which does restore some hope. Live! It's life; it's just life, so live it while you've got it. Great song. Great finish--both the big chorus and the gorgeous chamber strings. (9.667/10)

Total Time 49:35

I respect Volodymyr and the band's gift for heart-wrenching Jimmy Webb-like melodies and unexpected hooks while, at the same, enriching and embellishing the musical weaves with layers of folk and classical themes and sounds. The musicians and engineers do a great job delivering some great BELIEVE-like prog rock while accommodating perfectly Volodymyr & Company's unique vision for thickly layered tapestries that are the end result. Mega kudos, señoras and señores! You have truly achieved something remarkable--something historical! Would that it helps you and your peoples persevere and heal!

A/five stars; an exceptional masterpiece of richly-textured progressive rock music that is greatly enhanced by carrying a relevant and meaningful message.