DAYBREAKING LIVE

To implement new ideas someone waits for the most favorable conditions, and other one ... does not wait - takes every opportunity. St. Petersburg group Roz Vitalis refers to the latter. After the studio album 'The Hidden Man of the Heart', the highest achievement of Roz Vitalis to date, 'Elephant Live' and 'Great Expectations Live' were released; and earlier this year, the new concert album, 'Daybreaking Live' was published. This release is half full of new, previously unreleased compositions. You can even say more than half - the old 'Nepsis' song is presented here in a thoroughly revised and expanded version. Where does such generosity come from? The leader and main composer of Roz Vitalis, keyboard player Ivan Rozmainsky, explains this by not knowing when the band will now get to the studio. And in fact, if there is a quality record, why not publish it?

'Daybreaking Live' was recorded on November 4, 2019 during the performance of Roz Vitalis in the St. Petersburg club 'Place' at the 'Babooinumfest', known among fans of progressive rock festival. This is the third release in the group for drummer Evgeny Trefilov - the first and second ones were just the previous mentioned live albums. Due to the Evgeny's manner of playing, which is heavier than that of the previous drummer of Roz Vitalis, Philip Semenov, and also due to the fact that Evgeny was also involved in mixing of all these live albums, their sound has a lot in common. But 'Daybreaking Live' in comparison with 'Great Expectations Live' is more ascetic, even rude. Perhaps the matter is not only in the new moods of the musicians, but also in the fact that the line-up of the group was reduced to a quintet (keyboards, guitar, bass, flute, drums), where each instrumentalist does not share his function with someone else.

Roz Vitalis plays still a powerful and sometimes very 'twisted' instrumental progressive rock without direct references to the 'whales' of the genre. The inclusion of the song 'Nepsis', first published in 2003, in the concert program was probably no coincidence - the band's music became more nervous again. This is especially felt, for example, in the new composition 'Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth' - precisely because it is one of the most transparent, lightest things on the album, but the 'airy' melodic themes in it are supported by disturbing almost psychedelic accompaniment. The album opens with a block of new compositions, the first of which - 'Wides' - represents the current line-up of the group from its strongest sides and can become its new 'business card': here you will find catchy riffs performed by each of the soloists, a strong rhythmic foundation, and sometimes sharp, but unexpectedly logical dynamic transitions.