COMPASSIONIZER

After very positive listening experiences with the recent recordings (I'm especially fond of Lavvoro d'Amore) and rather negative ones with the earlier stuff, I don't know what to expect from this in-between album by mr. Ivan Rozmainsky and his project Roz Vitalis. This time the keyboardist-composer is accompanied by guitarist Sydius and clarinetist Yuri Verba. Hmmm... sad to say, but the overall sound is still hollow and cold to my ears, the same way as in the earlier RV music I've reviewed, though not quite as badly.

But the gradual progress of musical maturity (I'm talking of production and the compositions) is to be witnessed. The pieces are getting some emotional depth instead of just sounding like introvert experimenting in the studio. 'Elusive Goodness' is a nice (and in the Roz Vitalis scale, pretty sensitive) track in which I hear some Pekka Pohjola -reminding modal structures. 'Wakatte Kudasai' is said to develop some ideas of the cool &sweet 80's King Crimson track 'Matte Kudasai'. Well, definitely not among my favourites here... actually I find it hard to hear any familiarities in this sharp and steely piece. The first seconds of 'Annihilator of Moral Hazard' make me feel already tired of the album's noisy and cold soundscape, and the interesting dynamic changes -- such as more delicate moments centred around recorders -- are not enough to save the track.

Here and there the compositions contain some warm breaths of melodicism, but all in all this album won't enter into my player very often. The sonic hollowness is too noticeable, it's difficult for me to be carried away by the intelligent musical ideas that certainly exist. The synth-centred, complex music has mock-orchestral versatility comparable to THE ENID, only with a terribly bad production. A pity!