COMPASSIONIZER

Suggested to me by user felonafan, but sorry; I'm doin' this my way haha. I try to be systematic, especially when it comes to bands newer to me. So this, Roz Vitalis' fifth studio album, released 2007, is my first taste. The band is noted to be a Russian Avant-Prog group with expressions of Symphonic Prog, Psychedelic and Space Rock. Seeing their attributed comparisons to other bands as well as their better known influences, I can't say I wasn't excited to take a dip. I don't really know what my takeaway is, in general, after listening to just this album... Very unsure.

Compassionizer begins with the fading clang of a gong on "Tragic Fate". This song starts off spacy and ethereal with interesting, sparse percussion and soft string-like synth padding. Even in its sort of plastic percussion, this track, in its middle section is quite ear-catching. Certainly a cool intro. "Autumn of Hypocrisy", in comparison, starts off with an acoustic piano intro. The guitars here are very unusual, almost functioning as another percussion instrument. This song didn't have much to offer, though, unfortunately. Then, we have our title track, "Compassionizer", with sort of Western Saloon-style tack piano and our first taste of more noticeable guitar. Very unusual rhythms follow around minute 1. It's that sort of plastic drum sound that reminds me a tad of Zappa's synclavier music, though... far less exact. I'm not sure the human element is really adding anything interesting to this... cacophony. Thus far, not super impressed. I do know there must be something here, though... [I think I still feel this way. I think.] [I dunno, see below...]

This band's embrace of diametrically opposed loudness and softness is a bit odd. I'm not sure it does them any favors at this point in time. "Elusive Goodness" is a return to the open spaciness, this time featuring what sort of sounds like a Wurlitzer in its middle section. I was expecting, at the start, to have some hope here, but it was just kind of boring and wavering. It's with some of the beginning sounds of "Wakatte Kudasai" that I would like to recommend another artist to those who are fans of this album: Michael P. Dawson. I'm realizing now, too, that a huge issue I have with this is the harsh mix of this album. It's just too much. Those aforementioned loud sections, and there's plenty of that on "Wakatte", are just too damn loud and unruly. All I can say. The apparently human contributions to the very plastic everything is yet again a weakness to my ears on "Annihilator of Moral Hazard". Another least favorite...

"Dances of Lost Opportunities" is an optimistic sort of something, despite the name. Not a whole lot happens here though... Like, too little. Then we have "Disruption". It seems, like with this track, when more guitar is introduced, that is their strength. Some real interesting things come out of the music. Not a whole lot happened here, though. But at least it was better than the last two tracks before it... Finally, we have "Train of Parting", a return to more acoustic piano. The obtuse electro-instrumentation comes in pretty shortly after the introduction. It's very quirky. But I'm just not drawn in at all. Super noisy around minute 5. Nothing there for me in that...

To be clear, a True Rate of 1.75/5.00. I'm not done with them yet. Ok... I am done. If what listeners find to be the best material for the band is the best they have to offer, in the least, it's just not for me.