THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY

I've just listened this album and here is my emotions and imageries which appering while listening this work. 1. To Abound and To Suffer Need. It has a interesting name. The composition begins with brutally. You can a musterious preparation for a story. Doubts and dreams fill the middle place. The musical instruments reveal the importance of doubts and dreams. Then comes the transition, which was caused by some kind of realization that there is a contradiction and a crisis coming. 2. Avenge Not Yourselves. The ringing, which gives vitality, gradually turns into a rest accompanied by wind instruments. It is replaced by anxiety and combat readiness of percussion instruments. Which transcends the tension and difficulty of choice. The composition ends as an epiphany of a person in recognition of what was previously incomprehensible. Based on the name of the composition, perhaps it is love, pity and respect for people as the truth of existence. 3. To Direct Your Hearts into the Love. This composition is accompanied in some moments by vocals that are slightly noticeable. The intertwining of the sounds of different types of instruments creates the impression of a fairy tale. It is replaced by thoughtfulness and also by enlightenment. The female voice is getting bigger, it gives an atmosphere of tenderness and warmth. 4. I Feel Shine of the Day. The composition begins with the warmth of the sun's rays. Grace penetrates into the soul and the soul becomes calm. Life goes on, the fullness of life is felt. There are images of nature, the bustle of people who exude life. The composition inspires you to enjoy life and emphasizes the value of life. 5. For Them Who Shall Be Heirs of Salvation. The image of the Path and the road appears at the beginning. Then comes the decline, which turns into confusion and anxiety. It causes sadness, but the path of salvation and a way out of the crisis begins to appear on the horizon and hope appears. Work is being done so salvation is coming, which melts hearts of people. 6. Continuation of the previous composition, where the sacrifices that were made for salvation are visible. There is the importance of realizing that it is necessary to appreciate what has been done with great difficulty. Sacrifice is emphasized. Awareness leads to sadness and pride, which will forever be imprinted in people's hearts. 7. The last work is worth to write a specific review. So, together these compositions create a mystery and immersing which arise unresolved issues in a soul.

After listening to this latest release "The Fellowship of the Mystery" by Compassionizer, I am mesmerized by the sheer subtle beauty of the majority of the tracks. The separation between the instruments yet complimenting each other is magic. The entire album is fluid, thoughtful, and very whimsical. To me, this is a bit of a change from past releases, as it's a bit more passive, but in no way boring.

That is, until we get to the title track. The 21+ minute long extravaganza places nicely into the RIO mode and is stunning! I mean, this one has twist and turns, distortion / melody / fantastic use of dynamics and "open air."

"The Fellowship of the Mystery" by Compassionizer will give years of beauty and agony in artful music.

Bravo, yes - BRAVO!

The Compassionizer quartet is back with another difficult to categorize studio album--their fourth since 2019. The two multi-instrumentalists, founders Serghei Liubcenco and Ivan Rozmainsky (ROZ VITALIS) are again joined by two clarinetists, founding member Leonid Perevalov and three-album veteran AndRey Stefinoff.

1. "To Abound and To Suffer Need (5:16) the clarinet chamber parts are exquisite. The surf rock motif is annoying. Luckily, there is far more avant garde chamber music here than rock crap. Still, I wish there were more beefy, dynamic parts to hook my teeth into. (9/10)

2. "Avenge Not Yourselves" (4:11) I love how the spinet gives the music a Gothic Film Noire/PRESENT-type of feel. The unstable wammy-bar guitar chords and notes as well. Excellent keyboard strings and deep organ work with the multiple tracks of clarinets. Nice--but, again, where's the beef? (8.875/10)

3. "To Direct Your Hearts into the Love" (5:04) synth washes and electric guitar arpeggi give the clarinets, percussion, spinet, and wordless vocals here a nice rich expansion of space to counter the centralized and single-note melodies that the others can weave. Why do the female vocalists go uncredited? Why does the song get weaker, looser, and unstructured during the final 90 seconds? (9/10)

4. "I Feel Shine of the Day" (4:05) the band is clearly trying to offer the listener some insights into the sounds, melodies, and structures of their regional ethnic folk traditions. Ivan Rozmainsky's synth flute with Serghei Liubcenco's multiple stringed and percussion instruments works well--though, as my wife just commented, it sounds very much as if I'm listening to the musical soundtrack to a video presentation of some rural farm or village scene from their bucolic day-to-day goings-on. (8.75/10)

5. "For Them Who Shall Be Heirs of Salvation" (5:01) nice village processional music that conveys perfectly the inherent looseness and "smallness" of such an occasion. Nice use of the interwoven trumpets in the second half--quite funereal and reverent. (8.875/10)

6. "For the Invisible Things" (4:21) opening exactly where the previous song ended, solo trumpet fills the spacious skies before Serghei's metal percussives and Ivan's spinet join in. Drums and unusual stringed acoustic instruments join, but then, after a slight pause, the rhythm section turns the music into almost an Arabian night rumba. A thinness of sound occupies the third minute while we wait to see the next dynamic shift or presentation--which finally arrives at 3:02. The soundscape and effect here are strikingly similar to those of a Ben Morley MICE ON STILTS song--even something by NORTH SEA RADIO ORCHESTRA might do. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)

7. "The Fellowship of the Mystery" (21:44) another opening that seems to run straight off of the finish of the previous song. The delicate folk-like chamber weave turns KATE BUSH-like power-aggressive in the second half of the seventh minute, which continues with some inventive bass play and electric guitar riffing in the ninth minute. The dynamics soften in the next minute, revealing the bass clarinet as the lead instrument while the spinet and other tuned percussives provide the delicate faerie-like tapestry around it. Another burst of power chamber rock in the middle of the 11th minute disrupts an otherwise-bucolic faerie dance, leaving in its wake a forest of metallic percussion with kalimba and synth noises blended in with Serghei's other percussion sounds. Electric guitar and clarinet play off of each other over added sustained organ chords and the rest of the jungle march motif in the 14th and 15th minutes. In the 17th minute there is a rest next to a waterfall in which the trumpeter entertains the hikers while they refresh themselves. Then, in the 18th minute the band proceed on their way once again--this time with trumpeter and clarinetists taking turns at the point position. The path soon widens a bit, leaving room for more than one lead instrument to solo at the same time, but then the view of the broad expanse of savannah as they emerge from tropical jungle around the river canyon leaves every one a bit awed and humbled. The spinet and metallic clangs seem to celebrate the adventurers' achievement until it is finally time to lay their heads down for a good night's rest. The song epic is satisfactory despite the fact that the journey it takes one on never gets more exciting than faerie sprites and the occasional appearance of a jungle fauna that might require a small burst adrenaline response as one does in a state of trailblazing vigilance. There's nothing wrong or weak here, just nothing very new or exciting: The soundtrack to a rather mundane and uneventful nature hike through safari or jungle like territories. (36/40)

Total Time 49:42

I hear a lot of what sounds like AFTER CRYING chamber work here--which I really like--yet I also hear a lot of music that sounds very rooted and unashamedly representative of Russian rural folk tradition. I like both of these. The songs are often a bit too simplistic or too romantic for a prog rock album--even Prog Folk--yet we've often talked about the creation of a Prog Chamber classification around here. Maybe this album will be the final impetus necessary for such an event!

B+/4.5 stars; an excellent addition of Chamber Prog to any music lover's collection--especially if you enjoy cinematic folk-oriented instrumental music. Though I do not consider this a masterpiece of progressive rock music, I do greatly respect and admire those musicians who champion their own heritages of musical tradition. This is probably my favorite Compassionizer album due to its wonderful consistency.

Named after the 2007 Roz Vitalis album, keyboardist / percussionist Ivan Rozmainsky started the side project COMPASSIONIZER in 2020 and has wasted no time releasing four albums already ever since. Joined by bass clarinetist Leonid Perevalov from Fair Wind Pleases (where Rozmainsky also plays), Serghei Liubcenco who plays a multitude of instruments including guitars, bass, rumba, drums, door and other percussion as well as with clarinetist Andrey Stefinoff, this band has unleashed a series of interesting chamber prog albums that really found their own stylistic approach from the very beginning. THE FELLOWSHIP OF MYSTERY is the latest offering by this Russian quartet that crafts intricately designed compositions that delve into the complex world of avant-prog and delivery it all with a nice gentile airy touch of mostly acoustic instrumentation.

Adding some extra sounds to the mix are four guests who offer violin, trumpet, vocals and ukulele sounds which guarantees a very interesting musical journey through seven tracks that just miss the 50-minute playing time. According to the label's press release, "THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY" is a beautiful instrumental album with a progressive spirit, captivating melodies, enchanting sounds and mystery." And all of that would indeed be true but i would add that this chamber prog sounds a lot like music from the middle ages or even renaissance music with a zeitgeist of times of yore when castles were occupied by kings and festive events featured such musical performances of crafty chamber music. While not totally acoustic, the album comes off as mostly so and perhaps the mellowest and warmest style of chamber prog i've come across considering how dark and forbidding it can prove to be.

One of the reasons that THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY sounds so eerily different is that the predominant instrument on the album is the spinet, a smaller type of harpsichord or other keyboard instrument. Likewise while many prog artists are inspired by popular classical artists such as Bach, Stravinsky or Chopin, COMPASSIONIZER elected to revive the influences of the rather unknown Orlando di Lasso who lived from 1532 - 1594 and was one of the leading composers of the late Renaissance and despite not being a household name in the modern age was extremely popular during his lifetime. He was also very prolific and wrote over 2000 works in many languages. The result of these influences and the instrumentation at hand gives THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY a rather light airy and breezy feel as it drifts through one musical motif after another like a feather gently blowing in the wind. The music can feel a bit alienating as it sounds like an entire different musical language than the most popular classical artists who are widely recognized in the modern era.

The album is really unlike anything else including previous COMPASSIONAIZER albums. While predominantly running on classical sounds of the distant past, the band finds ways to add moments of electric guitar and electronics with the most vibrant display on the closing sprawling title track that is just shy of a 22-minute playing time. Once the guitar riffs kick in it sounds like some of the most convolutedly complex Rock In Opposition with angular time signatures intersecting with unfamiliar musical scale patterns as well as various musical chords and techniques not very much utilized in the modern world. Overall this album comes off as strange and impenetrable in many ways but it's actually amazingly constructed if you can grasp the gist of it (it may take a few spins). Rozmainsky has always had a knack for taking avant-prog into strange new places with some of the early Roz Vitalis albums just as strange and weirdly constructed. Definitely one for the difficult music lovers. The melodies are very arcane and esoteric and much of the flow comes from the contrapuntal elements overlaying in distinctly strange ways. Interesting album to say the least.

Since its release, Compassionizer's album "The Fellowship of the Mystery" has been on constant repeat for me. This seven-track masterpiece has become a personal favorite, with its rich musical depth and immersive atmosphere. Two tracks, in particular, have made a lasting impression: "I Feel Shine of the Day" and "For the Invisible Things." These compositions stand out not only for their intricate arrangements but also for their ability to evoke powerful emotions and introspective moments. The album, as a whole, feels like an intricate journey, crafted with immense care and dedication. It's clear that Compassionizer has invested a great deal of effort, resources, and time into creating this project. From the very first note to the final soundscape, you can sense the precision and intentionality behind each element. The group's ability to weave together diverse sounds and moods is truly remarkable, giving each track its own unique character while maintaining a cohesive narrative throughout. One of the most striking aspects of "The Fellowship of the Mystery" is the band's ongoing evolution. With every album, Compassionizer continues to refine and expand their sound, pushing boundaries and experimenting with new ideas. Their growth as artists is evident in this latest release, which feels like a natural progression from their previous work while also introducing fresh and innovative elements. The compositions are more layered, the instrumentation more dynamic, and the emotional resonance even deeper than before. What I particularly love about this album is its ability to transport the listener into different emotional states. "I Feel Shine of the Day" is a radiant, uplifting track that seems to encapsulate the essence of hope and light, while "For the Invisible Things" taps into more subtle, introspective emotions. The contrast between these two pieces, and the way the album shifts between moods, keeps the listener engaged and constantly discovering new layers of meaning. The production quality of the album is another highlight. Every sound feels meticulously placed, creating a soundscape that is both immersive and expansive. The textures and tones are rich, creating a listening experience that feels almost cinematic in scope. There's a sense of space and atmosphere that envelops the listener, making the music feel alive and breathing. In conclusion, "The Fellowship of the Mystery" is a testament to Compassionizer's artistry and their ability to create music that resonates on multiple levels. It's an album that rewards repeated listens, with each playthrough revealing new details and emotions. The band's commitment to their craft is palpable, and it's exciting to see where they will go from here as they continue to evolve and refine their sound. This is a must-listen for anyone who appreciates deep, thoughtful, and emotionally charged music.

A new, and as always beautiful release from Compassionizer. Recent releases from both Roz Vitalis and this band are imbued with a cosmic sense of time. "The Fellowship of the Mystery" is a symbiosis of the musicians' highest inspiration and a sense of anxiety at the current difficult moment. It has always been difficult for me to write reviews for such music, but compositional talent allows me to play with images. Keyboards, as the most important instrument, create a dense feeling of candle flame in a dark environment. The chamber style of the album fully reveals the anxiety of darkness, wind, fire and ashes rushing through the darkness of disturbing events. The music seems to sympathize with what is happening around us, giving the listener a piece of beauty and mercy with its brilliant arrangements. Wind instruments and keyboards are particles of light, through ashes, darkness and wind. In general, this is a very strong canvas, in which you can feel both the sad lightness of the music and the confident tread of talented musicians with great cosmic flair. Meditations, space, the ashes of time and the subtle sadness of dawn. Special praise for the excellent album cover, it fully corresponds to the musical images.

Compassionizer is one of the many projects involving Ivan Rozmainski and Leonid Perevalov, who have been together also in ROZ VITALIS and RMP. This band may sound like a chamber rock version of Roz Vitalis, but the trademark of the band is the bass clarinet of Perevalov.

This is another fully instrumental album, but it seems to be based on a concept. The Felloship of the Mystery is a paraphrase of the first book of the Tolkien's trilogy, but I don't see other references to the Rings, apart of one track which seems to describe musically a Hobbit village. We'll see later.

"To Abound And To Suffer Need" opens the album with an intro featuring all the instruments but one at a time. The clarinet of Andrey Stefinoff and the bass clarinet of Perevalov work well together but suddenly bass, drums and keys enter dramatically, just to calm down and give room to a pizzicato and a synth as background for the clarinets. The track is subject to many changes but it's constantly based on minor chords and when the percussion are present it gets darker. The good with instrumentals of this kind is that if you are in the right mood, you can build your own story.

"Avenge Not Yourselves" continues on the same path. This track fits perfectly with the definition of chamber rock. It's a sort of classical composition, sometimes resembling the works of great Russian composers like Tschaikovskij and Rimsky-Korsakov, but with the use of modern instruments like synth and guitars. It has an eastern flavor, that makes me think to the Sheherazade. The mood changes abit when harpsichord and clarinet perform a very nice duet that leads to the end of the track.

The transition to "To Direct Your Hearts Into The Love" is seamless. This track features also female vocals by Sabina Vostner. The music is sweet and sad. If we don't consider some darker passages, it has the feeling of some Kitaro works.

"I Feel Shine Of The Day" has a melodic start and features a Rubab, a traditional instrument from Afghanistan ecellently played by the multi-instrumentist Serghei Liubcenco. Thinking that the actual crazy Taliban regime has forbidden every kind of music in that Nation deleting its musical traditions is vary upsetting. Hear the sound of its strings. How can somebody think to forbid a sound? Also this track alternates light and darkness. The start is very melodic and based on major chords. The lightly untuned sound of the Rubab is a great choice. It makes it sound "popular" even though the melody has few to do with Middle Eastern music. It has a medieval feel similar to the early Branduardi. This is also what I consider "the Hobbits track"

Another smooth transition brings "For Them Who Shall Be Heirs of Salvation" to our ears. Not dissimilar from the other tracks, it features a good violin performance by Ksenia Vaganova. I still hear the Rubab, too. If it wasn't for the percussion I could think to a piece by Debussy. There's also the trumpet of Oleg Prilutsky. The trumpet cries over minor chords together with the clarinets and together bring the track to its end.

The track fades into the following "For the Invisible Things" which features the other violinist, Vitaly Borodin. Here percussion come and go, and the trumpet gives a melancholic feeling to the track. The same feeling of the album "City Scripts" of the Serbian band "Wo0" (they have a trumpet, too.

There's no solution of continuity. Without looking at your reader or whatever you are using to listen, the change of track is so smooth that one may think to be still on the previous one. On this track there are a lot of things: synth, harpsychord, guitar...it looks like thay have tried to find a place far each of their instruments, including tapes. Even if I don't here reminders to the previous track, as often happens in prog, this suite sounds like a summary of what we habe listened up to now, but its 21 minutes in length are goos to let ourselves be transported wherever the music is going. I won't spend tons of words describing the passages and the variations, also because it changes continously. I can only suggest t o let us be transoported into the magic realm of the cover sleeve. A magician's lab, maybe, or the room of a priest as the expression of the guy in the picture is so nice and calm that he might also be a sort of teacher. Maybe a scientist, a mathematician or who knows what. Too many things in this suite for a detailed description. Just listen to it.

4 stars are well deserved

Hello, Dear friends! As one modern composer said: "Music is not... "light", "heavy", etc. It can be only good or bad." Some time ago, the new album of the project Compassionizer "The Fellowship of the Mystery" was released. The musical style of this album is chamber prog-rock. This is the 4th full-length album of the project. The author of the idea and music is Ivan Rozmainsky, like of the Roz Vitalis band. Some of the musicians who took part in the creation of this new album have also been permanently involved in the recording of Roz Vitalis albums for a long time, with the sound of which the new album of Compassionizer has a certain similarity, but its unique feature is that on it you will hear a special version of the harpsichord - a spinet, which was made according to the model of the spinet of the Italian master of 1710. Another important instrument that gives the music a special "ethnic" sound is the rubab, a plucked Asian instrument. The instrument from the Republic of Uzbekistan took part in the recording of the album. In general, listening to this album you can enjoy the sound of different instruments, including rare instruments which you may not hear from others. Also, many interesting special effects were used on the album. A few words about how this album Compassionizer was created, as well as the previous ones. This album is a remote creation of musicians. First, Ivan Rozmainsky recorded all the system-forming keyboard parts with the main melodies and chord sequences. Then this material was sent to a musician living in another country, who recorded drums, percussion (including Asian "doira"), bass and guitars, as well as rubab. After that, the modified material was sent to the bass clarinetist, and then to the clarinetist. After all these recordings, guest musicians joined in on individual compositions. In total, 4 musicians who are the core of project and 6 invited musicians who took part in the recording of the album. A little about the compositions. Listening the first track "To Abound And To Suffer Need" you can hear the development of the main musical theme throughout the composition, a skillful interweaving of solo instruments: electric guitar, bass clarinet, clarinet. They are very pleasantly echoed by the accompaniment. A romantic melody, a little melancholic. The second track "Avenge Not Yourselves" is also melancholic and leisurely, it is like a continuation of the first. In the third track "To Direct Your Hearts Into The Love" you can enjoy beautiful female vocals and guitar strumming! The fourth composition "I Feel Shine Of The Day" is a real masterpiece. Do you feel the rays of the August or September sun descending to the earth? And you can also imagine that we are in Ancient China. The instruments and special effects used, as well as the non-standard rhythm of the drums immerse us in that reality. The fifth piece "For Them Who Shall Be Heirs Of Salvation" is calm and graceful, a kind of "narrative", "reflection on the theme of our life". At the end you can hear virtuoso violin playing, where high single notes turn into a controlled "cacaphony". In the sixth piece "For The Invisible Things" you can really feel something invisible. As in the previous track you can hear the violin, but it is lyrical and beautiful. You can also note the interesting drums, rhythm, sometimes marching. Only the musical genius of the composer and musicians can combine lyrical violin and march! Almost 22-minute seventh piece, which bears the name of the album "The Fellowship of the Mystery" completes the album, it is very diverse, it is like a rock symphony. But, perhaps, I will not write anything more, I just suggest you get acquainted with it and find what is yours. As one modern composer said: "Music is not... "light", "heavy", etc. It can only be good or bad". In my opinion, the new Compassionizer album "The Fellowship Of The Mystery" is good music! I invite you all to listen to it!

The new album by Compassionizer, "The Fellowship of the Mystery", continues Ivan Rozmainsky and his team's bold experiments in musical artistry. As with the band's previous works, biblical references in the track titles provide the the album with structural cohesion and profound meaning. The album opens with the evocative piece «To Abound and To Suffer Need", an emotional journey through shifting moods that oscillate between hope and despair, only to return triumphantly to hope. This powerful interplay of feelings sets the tone for the entire album. The second track, "Avenge Not Yourselves", immerses listeners in an atmosphere of austere contemplation. Its slow, meditative melodies invite introspection, preparing the audience for the album's subsequent explorations. This meditation seamlessly transitions into "To Direct Your Hearts into Love", a piece characterized by its soothing, tranquil tones. As one of the album's standout gems, it radiates warmth and evokes a sense of gentle elevation. Among the most memorable tracks is "I Feel Shine of the Day", inspired by a poem by Ekaterina Vorotnikova. This bright and enchanting composition conjures an almost fairy-tale-like atmosphere, reminiscent of a dialogue between mythical beings?perhaps a fairy and a unicorn. It beckons listeners to embark on a magical adventure of life, celebrating the beauty and wonder of existence. Building on the theme of benevolent and mystical beings, the album explores the concept of unseen helpers and miraculous saviors. The track "For Them Who Shall be Heirs of Salvation" reflects on the idea of angelic intervention. Its title alludes to the divine mission of beings sent to aid the heirs of salvation. The philosophical centerpiece of the album, "For the Invisible Things", prompts reflection on the fleeting nature of the visible and the enduring significance of the unseen. Through its intricate melodies, the piece suggests that by reaching toward the invisible, we may touch something eternal and profound. Finally, the titular track, "The Fellowship of the Mystery", concludes the album triumphantly. It serves as a reflection on the journey of enlightened souls, celebrating the mystery of existence and the divine threads that connect us all. With its harmonious blend of biblical themes, poetic inspiration, and musical ingenuity, "The Fellowship of the Mystery" takes listeners on a transcendent journey. It invites them to ponder the visible and the invisible, the fleeting and the eternal, leaving an indelible impression of beauty and depth.