BILO 3.0

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.