It had been a long time since I had felt so comfortable and spaciously situated... and little wonder: once again, the party organised by the gothic.net.ua portal drew such a small crowd that one is left wondering whether they will risk organising similar events again. Immediately one recalls the not entirely successful evening at the Karamel club, which the same people had organised. As a music lover, this fact does not trouble me greatly — I received my portion of pleasure from the bands performing at the party, but I very much doubt the organisers derived similar satisfaction.
D.E.U.S. For the first time we had the opportunity to assess the live performance of the band D.E.U.S. (Deus Inversus), already known in Kyiv circles. From the outset it is worth noting that simply looking at the band's lineup raises high expectations, as it includes such well-known figures as:
- Ruslan — ex-guitarist of Vicious Delight, guitarist of Firelake
- Bast — ex-backing vocalist of Vicious Delight
- Demon — ex-drummer of Wild Garden, drummer of Idol
- Dmytro — ex-bassist of Drabyna Yaakova, also participated in many projects
- Oleksandr — ex-keyboardist of Malinconia
Quite a mix that is — so what did we get in the end?
Fess: ...from the very first seconds the drum sound surprised... it sounded decent (though what else could one expect from acoustic sound — acoustic is acoustic whether in Africa or anywhere else), and in general the sound was quite clean and transparent (presumably the sound engineer simply wasn't chasing volume — and it isn't needed in such a small space). By the time of the performance the audience was already somewhat acquainted with the band's work (the band had been very actively promoted online) and received a considerable measure of audience support. Speaking of the music — the flyer announced gothic-pop-rock; in essence, that is what it was: very uncomplicated drum parts, poppy guitar riffs, absurdly simple keyboard parts, vocals that don't always hit the notes — though the bassist played entirely in his own lane, one could immediately see a person simply enjoying the music. In general the music is decent, but both the musical material and the overall concept need further development, as it comes across a little dull and monotonous.
Nebel: Yes, and indeed, I can agree with my colleague — the material presented by this young band was still fairly raw. The only explanation one can find is either that the band formed not so long ago, or that insufficient time is devoted to working up the material (I lean toward the first option). As a start, in general, the grade would be unsatisfactory; I think the guys still have a lot to work on. I very much hope that we will soon see them with a far more serious and perfectly polished sound.
AUDI SILE Fess: Perhaps the most gothic participants of the concert — AUDI SILE — presented us with a substantial portion of gothic-industrial music. The band was, so to speak, "defending" their debut album. And I think many people regretted not having yet purchased the disc (since it also gave a 50% discount on entry). The band defended with a solid five: quality-programmed samples, a low (almost sepulchral) vocal, understated guitar (which at the same time would occasionally shift quite effectively into high, piercing solos) — all of this best conveyed the band's inner mood and concept. Speaking of performance quality — everything was delivered to the full 100%, though if one takes into account that the number of live instruments is limited to guitar alone, everything falls into place; nonetheless the guys demonstrated that electronic music too can touch the finest strings of the soul.
Nebel: What truly saddened on this day was the fact that such wonderful and in its own style original music from the band went without the attention it deserved. AUDI SILE — a band that in wider circles is called the Ukrainian RAMMSTEIN, a band that has existed long enough to have earned respect. Whether the promotion for this party was that poorly executed, or whether the Kyiv audience has entirely lost interest in such music — either way all of this is now in the past, and we await with impatience new achievements, new concepts, and new ideas from this band.