Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz | Detailed or mini-review submissions: song, EP/album | Suggest an artist

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Sergey Rybytskyy - Soul's Reflection |self-released/AMAdea Music, Soul's Reflection, 2012|

1. Deliverance, 2. Profound Influence, 3. New Vista, 4. Battle, 5. Chameleon

A collection of the best instrumental songs released by Ukrainian composer Sergey Rybytskyy brings an excellent heavy load of progressive and neo classical rock music. Fabulous arrangements make it a recognizable release thanks to Sergey's technical and songwriting skills.

There's a lot to be found within the songs - dynamics and poetry, aggression and passion. The collection begins with "Deliverance" - fast paced hard rock drum beats build up a solid sonic spine for spiritually uplifting guitar riffs. By turns, higher and lower riffs shoot the song into your ears like a Uzi submachine gun. In fact, listening to this track makes one imagine a philharmonic with a pianist instead of a guitar player, performing a fiery-yet-epic classical composition, surrounded by people in very formal attire. It’s the same kind of music you may have heard from Dream Theater but also Apocalyptica - this time, it’s all made by one man.

The second track rolls off like a famous primadonna walking along a red carpet, all eyes fixed on her. All this due to the slow, vibrating guitar riffs with interesting background synths embedded into the composition. The riffs of "Profound Influence" eventually turn into a high-tuned cannonade (thanks to the generous application of guitar fingering) which may also be reminiscent 8-bit Atari or Commodore music hailing from the era of 80s video games (and involving loads of shooting lasers).

"New Vista", on the other hand, is loaded with a progressive rock feel. Solo riffs mix with a rhythm guitar and drums, eventually enriched by synth passages. Not only does this song fit nicely into any progressive music collection, but it also has hit potential. The song is the longest of the release, with some repetitive arrangements. As a dynamic and complex piece, it may be favoured by fans of such bands as Van Halen, Asia, Yes, Alan Parsons or Pink Floyd.

Some of Sergey's tracks had been already chosen for film and TV licensing. Unsurprisingly, since most of his work refers to motion and action. Speaking of which, "Battle" is very faithful to its title. It's pure combat between piercing solos, matching synths and solid background arrangements based on a running rhythm of drums. There's no place for breaks or hesitation here - just a crazy ride. If you like visualizing music, you may imagine two opposite mobs of medieval warriors with fierce expressions, galloping on their horses at each other, brandishing their weapons at the enemies.

The final track - "Chameleon" - begins slowly, with a regal style and grace, eventually turning into an invasive, psychodelic trip. Bizarre, circus-like synth arrangements and slightly distorted guitars should keep your focus nailed to the track’s progression.

Soul's Reflection is an interesting collection regardless whether you're already a fan of the genres mentioned above or just looking around to discover a new talented guitar player. The album is available for purchase through a variety of retailers online. Don’t forget to let Sergey know what you think of his music and leave your feedback at one of his social sites.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Music Magazine, June 26th, 2013. Proofreading: Mike 'Vesper' Dziewoński)

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