PEACE LIVE

Art and music are a form of expression, are elements that fill our lives with emotions and memories, they bring us joy but they are also a form of protest. 'Peace Live' is the name of this live album by Russian project Roz Vitalis, and as you surely know, they belong to a country who sadly has been in war since last year, and they are one of the thousands of citizens who would love to find peace in the world, which is why this album has that word as title; also, the black cover art is a protest to the war.

This show was performed in 2022 and fortunately released globally in the first half of 2023. It has 7 tracks that make a total time of 49, where five great and talented musicians (guided by Roz Vitalis' mastermind, Ivan Rozmainsky) take us to a quite interesting journey where symphonic prog and avant-garde meet. It starts with ' Black March / Premonition', whose sound is actually of a march, which make me sadly think of war. The music turns a bit chaotic, flute and guitar interplay while drums and bass make the rhythm, and then at minute 2 they make a sudden stop, synth and flute open the gates for a new beginning. But wait? after a couple of minutes it changes again, with a sinister sound made by piano and a heavier guitar; and yeah, the song makes some other changes, but they never fail to keep us interested.

'Annihilator of Moral Hazard Including Theme from Take Five' starts with piano in a soft way, but the power comes next where strings and drums join, creating an interesting sound which I would say is like a mixture of After Crying with King Crimson. Later they make a rendition to 'Take Five', that legendary jazzy song that Dave Brubeck Quartet recorded in the far 1959; of course, Roz Vitalis make it theirs, introducing a rich diversity of figures and sounds.

'Longsuffering (low whistle Solo) / Disruption' is the next track. Its first part is the whistle solo, and though the name is longsuffering, I sensed it like a moment for meditation, with eyes closed and taking a deep breath. Music for the soul. And the second part, the disruption, comes at minute 3 where harpsichord, drums and bass start to create the rhythm, which is not really clear, because seconds later it becomes faster and there is a sense of tension mainly produced by strings. They are jamming, but they are connected and understand each other so well.

The mood completely changes with 'Child Song', and yeah, as the name suggests it has a gentler sound, not what I would play for a child, but it sounds like freedom, like being happy enjoying life. Very nice keyboard lead here, but strings and drums complement it well. The last part is faster and the keys definitely proggier, nice. 'Patience of Hope' is a bit similar to the previous one, with a sweet sound made by flute, then guitar, bass and drums together implement a pastoral mood that sounds like some 70s Italian bands. However, after a minute it makes a drastic change, becoming faster and aggressive, a rock and roll passage. Then it slows down again and the explosion returns again, the formula is repeated until minute three where a guitar solo appears and the mood changes once again.

'Sorrow and Hope (keyboard solo) / Ascension Dream' shares a sorrowful organ solo indeed, and after two minutes the same keyboard marks the change of episode, so Ascension Dream starts. This second part has a soft and sweet sound; I think the band has gone from chaos and tension to hope and peace.

And yeah, the last track is 'Peace', a word they (and we all) are looking to embrace. It is also a nice rendition to legendary monster band King Crimson, who released this song back in 1970. Of course the Roz Vitalis version has several variations, and that's the great thing, because they make it theirs. The energy after the soft beginning is great, intense and emotional with some great guitar riffs and bass lines; and then it slows down and keyboard return with the KC rendition and with the soft and peaceful sound.

This is a very good live album, and I believe there might have been some songs left unreleased, however, their selection was assertive.

Enjoy it!

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