OVERCOMING-UP

What a wonderful world the world of prog is. So many records have no real similarities to others that you could find such rare things as Roz Vitalis. It's a Russian band that started as Ivan Rozmainsky's solo pproject but the band hos grown bigger through the years even if this record features a little band again. Since 2002 Roz Vitalis has made eight studio albums of which their last one, 2012's "Patience of Hope" has got most ratings(17). "Overcoming-Up" from 2014 was actually recorded some years ago 2007-2008 so the music isn't totally new even if we have to call it modern. The minimalistic black and white cover covers an album of seven quite even songs and the musicians are Ivan Rozmainsky(keyboards, percussion, samples, tenor recorder), Vladimir Enorgoslon Semenov Tyam Shansky(bass), Sydius(Igor Pokatilov)(guitar,samples) and Vladiskav Korotkikh(flute).

I don't think I have ever heard anything like this. Earlier this autumn I reviewed the symphonic band "Glass"s latest record which was felt sacral and the echoing empty sacral feeling is heard hear too. Roz Vitalis music is well composed and totally instrumental. The music is crazy sometimes but all the time melodic and special. It feels they want to make us feel we are in an empty church and improvising their soulfull songs. The music is varied and experimental and it is very different from what we use to call rock music. There are classical influences and influences of pure electronic music here. Perhaps are they showing their best abilities on the long "Claws of winter"(6/10) or at the starting title track "Overcoming-up"(7/10). But the record is what I wrote even and almost everything has something of interest in it.

The problem for me to fully appreciate this music is the lack of coherence within the compositions. That is also what's making this cool, but it's not my taste really. I will give the record three stars. Best song: "Overcoming-Up"