DAVID MAXIM MICIC

This BILO IV album is a little bit different from the previous three by DMM. The first half of the piece is quite slow and evolving, and might remind one of a Studio Ghibli movie soundtrack. The album is full of airy sections with minimalist content and a lot of texture and is continuous for most of the tracks. However, the first half of the album doesn't contain any lyrics, as it's preparation for the second part of the album. Take tracks like "of grief-Fading Memories" for example, to understand how breathy this album is. An impressive quality of the album is its dynamic range. Listening in a loud environment, you will find yourself dialing the volume frequently, so listening in a quiet environment will benefit a more therapeutic sensation. The second part (starts at "Away") is the more turbulent part of the album, while still preserving the fantastic sophistication of the first part. The piano in "Cry," for example, might remind one of piano pieces by Bela Bartok. The LoFi style of "of hope" is a cool addition as well. As for the theme, the album narrative is cohesive, and a direct continuation of BILO III with a more individual experience orientation. The longing in "Cry" is probably related to the death of David's mom, and the lyrics of "Are We There Yet?" along with the soundscapes (water boiling in kettle-like sounds at "Fading Memories," family dinner sounds at "Are We There Yet?") indicate a strong mindfulness-relationships importance in the message of the piece.

Overall, this album is the best DDM has introduced yet, and deserves a place of honor as the first album of his ever printed on vinyl.

Thanks to advancements in digital technologies and globalization, the means of producing and distributing music have been essentially democratized. Aspiring musicians from anywhere in the world can, with only a minimal monetary investment, record, mix, produce, and distribute professional records without ever stepping out of their own bedroom. As a result, the 2010's have seen an explosion of these "bedroom guitar virtuosos," young men and women who absorbed the music of the last era of guitar virtuosos, most notably Dream Theater's John Petrucci, and took their craft to the next level.

Though lacking the technical chops of some his peers, Serbia's own bedroom guitar virtuoso David Maxim Micic has proven to be an exceptionally skilled composer and mixer. On Bilo III, Micic offers up a salad of beautiful, well arranged, and, of course, heavy progressive metal. On this record, the performances and arrangements follow the demands of the composition, not, as is usually the case with rock, the other way around. This neither an instrumental album or an album with vocals. It simply utilizes the best means available for conveying the message.

This record invites you to remember the warmth of your childhood while staring into the uncertainty in your future adult life. With the help of the music of Bilo 3.0, this is a worthwhile exercise.

Continuing in the vein of succinct, poorly written reviews... (Not feeling too very clever, nor too very verbose tonight...)

But, seeing that I've neglected to rate or review Bilo 3.0.. I knew I had to correct this immediately...

I have a very, very special affinity towards the music of David Maxim Micic, and thus, my opinions and reviews will of necessity be coloured quite favorably. Of course, I think this is an epic, MONSTER MASTERPIECE!!!

With his compositional and playing skills, and the assortment of talent assembled around David for this album (especially the vocal talents of Aleksandra Radosavljevic and Aleksandra Djelmas, and the startling, blazing guest guitar solos from Jakub Zytecki, Per Nilsson and Jeff Loomis - And this is no way should be construed to give the impression that the contributions of the other guests on this release are in any way inferior to the aforementioned contributors) this EP couldn't help but be a full-blown five star extravaganza in my opinion! I simply love this release! Highly, highly HIGHLY recommended!

5 out of 5 on the Progarchives score chart. 7000 out of five on my personal chart.

As always, your mileage may vary...

Grace and peace, Cylli Kat

(Re-load of my original review, originally posted on September 29, 2015)

I'm having no luck at retrieving my former Cylli Kat account. So, I'm posting a few of my old reviews, Hope this is okay with everyone. Originally posted 2015-10-14

Okay, it's obvious that I am a great admirer of this gifted composer/musician, and 99 times out of 100, I'm only going to submit a review of something that I consider an essential to add to your collection. This will not be the exception...

David starts ECO out with a beautiful, subtle piano intro adding strings most tastefully on "Universe in a Crayon", which then segues into "Satellite" where the opening vocal harmonies (provided by Dan Wieten) wouldn't seem out of place on a Yes or Glass Hammer release, but of course, this breaks into a djenty groove that David so excels at. And the album just grows from that point onward...

David is a master craftsman indeed, whether with his playing, composing or production. (Fact is; if I were still in the game as a professional musician, I'd be asking this guy to produce my stuff...).

David deftly creates such a wonderful balance of aggression and subtlety on this release...

"500 Seconds Before Sunset" has a wonderful groove, and the song grows and changes direction almost like a Bela Bartok composition; it's like a tree, with branches going into several directions. Unlike Bartok however, David reigns the song back in to the groovy head before moving on into "The Flock" which is a track that probably wouldn't have been out of place during the Destiny Potato project. The vocals of Scampi and the harmony vocals which I believe were done by Aleksandra Djelmas are wonderful, and the addition of the electric violin of Shravan Sridhar add beautifully to this track.

Next up is "Voda", which begins with some gentle guitar (Which I believe is a combination of David and Plini - but I'm not positive on that), the gentle guitar is added to by a slide sounding guitar part which then expands gracefully, majestically and beautifully into a choral arrangement (again, I think that this is Aleksandra Djelmas). Lovely.

Finally, we have "Stardust". Again, this is another track that would have been a fit for Destiny Potato, The opening whispery vocals of Miyoki break into full-throated wonderfullness, followed by a clever, perfectly fitting guitar solo (Plini or David, I'm not sure) and wrapped up neatly again by a reprise of a well done vocal performance.

Needless to say, I'm going to give this my highest recommendation to all of you out there at PA.

As always, your actual mileage may vary. Grace and peace, Cylli Kat

4.5 stars, this album is incredible! Fans of all instrumental music should check this out, although this is certainly a guitar album first and foremost, David Maxim Micic is adventurous enough to keep his music interesting no matter what you are looking for. We start with a nice intro, strings and choir at first but quickly introduced to a jazzy guitar sound and a vocal melody that will return later on(this album features a fair bit of vocals but no words). The production here is particularly of note, these songs sounds great. By the time you are through being impressed by "Someone Else's Hat", "Living Room" starts off with a great riff before heading off into several wild guitar solos, and Beaver Moon calms us right down with what is, from my interpretation, a bass and autotuned vocal number. I also really like "Damar" with a lead that I believe is a voice, and a keyboard-dominated middle section that is a lot of fun. The absolute highlight here is the title track, I couldn't believe it as it kept on going, it features heavy riffs, that sweet bass time we get several times on this album, gorgeous guitar passages and really nice vocals that harken back to the intro. This is a must for anyone looking for a guitar player who thinks outside the box, or if you are looking for a modern approach to instrumental prog rock in the vein of Mike Oldfield

Okay, it's obvious that I am a great admirer of this gifted composer/musician, and 99 times out of 100, I'm only going to submit a review of something that I consider an essential to add to your collection. This will not be the exception...

David starts ECO out with a beautiful, subtle piano intro adding strings most tastefully on "Universe in a Crayon", which then segues into "Satellite" where the opening vocal harmonies (provided by Dan Wieten) wouldn't seem out of place on a Yes or Glass Hammer release, but of course, this breaks into a djenty groove that David so excels at. And the album just grows from that point onward...

David is a master craftsman indeed, whether with his playing, composing or production. (Fact is; if I were still in the game as a professional musician, I'd be asking this guy to produce my stuff...).

David deftly creates such a wonderful balance of aggression and subtlety on this release...

"500 Seconds Before Sunset" has a wonderful groove, and the song grows and changes direction almost like a Bela Bartok composition; it's like a tree, with branches going into several directions. Unlike Bartok however, David reigns the song back in to the groovy head before moving on into "The Flock" which is a track that probably wouldn't have been out of place during the Destiny Potato project. The vocals of Scampi and the harmony vocals which I believe were done by Aleksandra Djelmas are wonderful, and the addition of the electric violin of Shravan Sridhar add beautifully to this track.

Next up is "Voda", which begins with some gentle guitar (Which I believe is a combination of David and Plini - but I'm not positive on that), the gentle guitar is added to by a slide sounding guitar part which then expands gracefully, majestically and beautifully into a choral arrangement (again, I think that this is Aleksandra Djelmas). Lovely.

Finally, we have "Stardust". Again, this is another track that would have been a fit for Destiny Potato, The opening whispery vocals of Miyoki break into full-throated wonderfullness, followed by a clever, perfectly fitting guitar solo (Plini or David, I'm not sure) and wrapped up neatly again by a reprise of a well done vocal performance.

Needless to say, I'm going to give this my highest recommendation to all of you out there at PA.

As always, your actual mileage may vary. Grace and peace, Cylli Kat

Continuing in the vein of succinct, poorly written reviews... (Not feeling too very clever, nor too very verbose tonight...)

But, seeing that I've neglected to rate or review Bilo 3.0.. I knew I had to correct this immediately...

I have a very, very special affinity towards the music of David Maxim Micic, and thus, my opinions and reviews will of necessity be coloured quite favorably. Of course, I think this is an epic, MONSTER MASTERPIECE!!!

With his compositional and playing skills, and the assortment of talent assebled around David for this album (especially the vocal talents of Aleksandra Radosavljevic and Aleksandra Djelmas, and the startling, blazing guest guitar solos from Jakub Zytecki, Per Nilsson and Jeff Loomis - And this is no way should be construed to give the impression that the contributions of the other guests on this release are in any way inferior to the aforementioned contributors) this EP couldn't help but be a full-blown five star extravaganza in my opinion! I simply love this release! Highly, highly HIGHLY recommended! 5 out of 5 on the progarchives score chart. 7000 out of five on my personal chart. As always, your mileage may vary...

Grace and peace, Cylli Kat

Serbian gent guitar Player David Maxim Micic Gent is a guitar with height cord with the high pitch bass cord on top and the low pitch bass cord on the bottom that why you have this sound witch I truly enjoy Extremely rich and profound sound. this style of progressive is the less perform There are still some more of this a great gent guitar is expensive but it create a new sound and with talented player its just very good I mostly have everything good in that style (looking for hard to find music [email protected] ) contact me for more gent if you like this and enjoy Pierre

With myself coming from a background of being considered a shredder guitar player akin to the whole Shrapnel stable of the 1980's and 1990's, I have a thing about enjoying gifted guitarists. DAVID MAXIM MICIC and the whole of the djent form was a bit of a revelation to me. Wow!!! Thank you to my fellow members here at PA for turning me on to this great talent!

After reading the reviews, I sought out the free download of Bilo 1.0, and I was completely floored! This young man is a talent to be reckoned with!!! I liken this EP and the subsequent releases Bilo 2.0 and 3.0 as a suite of recordings that have hit me with all the impact that Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare, and Guthrie Govan's Erotic Cakes have... The compositions are adventurous, and well executed. The production is fresh and interesting. And there is absolutely no doubt that David has a great command of the guitar. This is for me truly a FIVE STAR recording! Absolutely an essential. Your mileage may vary, but for me this is a priceless gem!

Grace and peace, Cylli Kat

How is that and almost unknown guy in Serbia became one of my favorite artists? It might be because of Bilo 3.0's awesomeness. I had already heard David's both previous EPs and they were quit impressive, but it wasn't until this record was released that I realized how creative and smart is this guy: he plays, mixes and distributes his music, all by himself. And he's very good at all of them.

How to explain David's style? It's like a blend of Devin Townsend, Arch Enemy, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta and lot of different influences. It has some djent and math rock, but without loosing the feelings; it has some prog metal, but nothing like the holy trinity (Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Queensryche - not Rush); it has lots of experimentation, though, but the "weird" things are so awesomely well done that it just feels natural. His songs are mostly instrumental, but has some great guest singers from time to time, like Vladimir Lalic and Aleksandra Djelmas. He also loves to put lots of motifs from older songs, so if you've heard his previous works, you'll be quite pleased.

On Bilo 3.0 we can find lots of great moments. "Everything's Fine" is just a calm, acoustic and beautiful opener, with some oriental violins, while "Where is Now?" opens with a sweet piano, just to explode in a magnificent way. This track has lots of motifs, either from previous records and from the following songs. I think it's a perfect example of David's diversity, as it shows most of his elements withouth loosing the flow. "Smile" is a really interesting track, as it varies the mood so many times and even manages to include female growls - It may drag a bit on the middle, though. "Nostalgia" is an intense instrumental song, with lots of bad-ass riffs and passages. Personally, my fav track on the album (and of David's music) is the 5th track, "Wrinkle Maze". The first half is a beautiful piano-driven section, with some lovely violins - the last part is, just... epic. You have to listen it, I don't want to spoil you what happens. The closer, "Daydreamers" closes perfectly a stunning record, with an excellent performance by Vladimir Lalic.

The great thing about this record is that is has passed my 3 personal tests of quality for any album: originality, memorable and timeless. That's for any genre, and all of my fav records have surpassed these points - now let me explain them. David's music, as I explained above, it's an unique blend of different prog and non-prog influences - that's what makes this album so unique: I've never heard anything like this, ever. And the best thing is that it's done with such great musicianship that I can't believe David only has 24 years! Each song is unique, with lots of great moments that make me hard to think of bad ones (they exist, of course). The epicness of "Wrinkle Maze", the insanity of "Smile", the sweetness of "Everything's Fine" - although it can be hard to digest, it has such a variety and epic moments, totally worthables. About the timeless point, it can be quite difficult to determine at the time of this writing, but I feel like Bilo 3.0 is one of those records that you love more with each listen -it's been doing that since I first listened it on December last year- and that will stay among my favorites for a very long time.

But no everything that shines it's gold. If you dislike djent and math rock that bands like Messugah do, or if seven string guitars aren't your cup of tea, you may not enjoy half of this album. If the song is over when a growl starts, you may want to skip "Smile". You just want to head-bang till your neck brakes? To sing along a catchy chorus? Then stay away from this record. I hate to say it (because it sounds elitist) but this is a smart album for smart listeners - or at least open-minded people. This may look like a very positive review, and it is, indeed, because it's really difficult for me to find flaws on this record. One of those might be that the album drags a bit on "Smile"s middle section and on Nostalgia, but in general it has an excellent flow.

David Maxim Micic may not be well known on the prog scene but I have no doubt that his future career seems brilliant. With his band Destiny Potato, he's destined to become a great musician - as if he wasn't already. About Bilo 3.0, I think it will stand the pass of time and will be seen as David's creativity peak, because I don't believe he'll ever surpass this level of musicianship. Maybe Bilo 4.0 will make me eat my words.