Epidemia - Elfiyskaya Rukopis (2004)Moroz Records

After realising of the second album, two new musicians appeared on the Epidemia's horizon: Pavel Bushuev (guitar; Stonehenge) and Roman Valeryev (live keyboardist; Charizma, Pilgrim, Kolizey). In the year 2002, the band, as the first representative of heavy metal music in Russia, was nominated to MTV European Music Awards. Epidemia also played the gig before Alice Cooper in the same year. A new drummer Evgeny Laykov (Kolizey) joined the band, but was replaced by Dmitry Krivenkov (Legion, Adolf Castle, Archontes, Charizma) shortly afterwards.

I am now taking the liberty of doing a digression. When I firstly listened to aforementioned metal opera, I asked myself: "why Russian musicians can do such a great work, and Polish ones can't?". I pondered on this issue listening to this stuff a few dozen times and being totally delighted with it. If we think of rock and metal operas the likes of Tobias Sammet's "Avantasia", Nikolo Kotzev's "Nostradamus", Erik Norlander's "Lana Lane", Lars Eric Mattsson's "War", "Leonardo - The Absolute Man", Daniele Liverani's "Genius", Savatage's "Streets", "Aina", Michalis Pavlidis' "Antenergeia" or Ayreon's "The Human Equation", I must honestly admit that no Polish band/artist has recorded such a kind of stuff. On the other hand, I can't write that there weren't any rock operas in Poland. I can give you two examples both from the 20th and the 21st century. A rock opera "Naga" saw the daylight in 1973 with such a great vocalist like Stan Borys a.k.a. Stanislav Guzek of Blackout and Bizony fame. At the beginning of February 2002, Grzegorz Walczak's "Big Popiel - Mysia Opera" had its premiere. It was directed by Andrzej Maria Marczewski, and the music was composed by Katarzyna Gärtner. As you see, there something happened, but so far Poles have nor their own Avantasia, neither Epidemia.

The third album by Epidemia was intended to be exceptional and made with splendour. The latter word makes us think of engaging additional artists, and it was so in this case. The plot of the opera, its lyrics and music are mainly of Yuriy Melisov's authorship. In any case, he was the originator of this metal opera. This musician is responisble for all electric and acoustic guitar parts along with Pavel Bushuev. The vocal-instrumental foundation is grounded on the following musicians: Maxim Samosvat (vocal), Ilya Knyazev (bass guitar, guitar solo), Dmitriy Krivenkov (drums) and aforementioned two ones - Yuriy Melisov and Pavel Bushuev. Two guests were invited to participate in the opera: Vyacheslav Molchanov (guitar solo; Archontes) and Vladimir Kholstinin (mandolin; Aria). Obviously, it is not the entire list of artists who took part in this venture as they were a few characters playing their roles: Maxim Samosvat (half-elf Dezmond), Artur Berkut (magician at court; Aria, Master, Avtograph, Mavrik, Rokoko, Volshebnye Sumerki, The Wasteland, Sibiria, Zooom, Tsar, The Arrow, Boney Nem, Margenta, Alik Granovskiy), Dmitriy Borisenkov (the dark lord Deymos; Chernyi Obelisk, Adolf Castle, Rock Syndrome, Trizna, Gran-Kurazh), Andrey Lobashev (warrior Torvald; Arida Vortex, Olvy), Kirill Nemolyaev (blue dragon Skai; Boney Nem, Kardanniy Val, Nemolyaev - Seleznev, Moly, Valkyria, Faktor Straha, Trizna, Crematoriy, Huy Zabey, Bazhin), Lexx Platnikov (innkeeper; Master, Alexey Strike) and Anastasia Chebotareva (princess of elves Alatiel).

I did know that such a great group of extraordinary artists would be able to do an opus magnum. Its recording session lasted four months and was done in Aria Records Studio. The result of the Russians' hard work is amazing. A metal fantasy opera "Elfiyskaya Rukopis" is unquestionably one of the best albums I heard in the year 2004! The musicians respected the traditional form of opera, starting their work from the overture "Zolotye Drakony" and finishing it with "Epilog". As regards vocal parts, Maxim Samosvat indisputably rules most of the tracks with his most characteristic and dignified singing. He can scream one time and tenderly tells us some other fragments another one. An ease in vocal modulating is a pure virtuosity in his performance. I can smoothly write that Maxim sometimes do a recitative (so-called melodious speech), that is a vocal passage of narrative text that he presents with natural rhythms of speech. In contrast to clean vocal parts, there are also Kirill Nemolyaev's growls that sound like a boorish fumes. We can as well hear a typical opera voice by beautiful and extremely talented Anastasia Chebotareva.

Epidemia managed to consolidate the best elements of classic metal genres with classical music. The stuff is chiefly grounded on guitars, however we are unceasingly accompanied by fantastic mood, very melodic vocals and original guitar solos. The sound of guitars by Yuriy Melisov and Pavel Bushuev resembles Helloween (from their "Keeper of the Seven Keys" period), however musical "climate" changes so often that some names come to my mind at the same moment - Avantasia, Blind Guardian (take notice of "A Night at the Opera"), and even Therion (in choral parts).

Anyway, I'd love to hear a Polish musicians who would do a similar work like Epidemia did. Upon listening to every single note and sounds, I recollected a Polish "Metro" that is very popular in the Russian Federation. As a matter of fact, "Metro" is a musical, not an opera, however I can recommend you listening to such tracks like "Uwertura", "Metro" (sang by Anton Makarskiy) and "Szyby" (sang by Teona Dolnikova) in order to become convinced that the mood is very similar to "Elfiyskaya Rukopis". "The Elven Manuscript" is a brilliant undertaking. I think that Poles should invite these Russians to our National Opera! I am writing it seriously!