Review: Karma Rassa – Vesna… Snova Vesna

Style: atmospheric progressive metal (clean vocals, Russian lyrics)
Review by: Sam
Country: Russia
Release date: 21-09-2018

NOTE: This album was originally included in the September 2018 issue of The Progressive Subway

Seldom do I get so immediately absorbed in an album. It usually takes me a few minutes to determine an artist’s worth when plowing through metal-archives, but this band hooked me almost from the first note. Not even thirty seconds in and I was already transported to a different dimension with the surreal sound effects and beautiful acoustic guitar playing. Then I was greeted with the pleasant surprise of their lyrics being sung in Russian instead of English, and I was sold completely. Nagual’s singing is absolutely beautiful. It’s almost as if an angel descended on earth to sing you a sweet lullaby to show you a glimpse of what heaven is like. And the fact that I don’t understand Russian at all only added to the mystic, ethereal qualities of it all.

Everything on this record is done for the sake of atmosphere. The synthesizers make you drift off to faraway places, the guitars fill the soundscape with their warm tone and the drums perfectly accentuate everything that is happening. Even when more flashy things happen it’s to build the soundscape. When Naar lets his guitar cry it goes straight for your soul, when he picks up the saxophone you shiver in ecstasy (ok maybe not that much but you get the point) and when Nagual releases his piano your heart warms like you finally reunited with your lover after a long period of separation.

Key to why this works so well is the magnificent production. Every instrument lives and breathes in harmony. It just oozes life. All the parts fit together organically in a way that is extremely rare in modern progressive metal, which is often plagued with overly clean and (in my opinion) sterile production. The guitars are not heavy at all for modern standards, yet its beautiful warm tone carries a certain natural weight that no chugging can accomplish. Albe’s drums also sound lovely. His toms sound deep, his cymbals are beautiful and his snare has one of the most satisfying tones in recent memory. And did I mention the keys yet?

This album is extremely special. I never know what to expect with this series, but I certainly didn’t expect this. It sounds fresh and original. Familiar, yet at the same time you have no idea what’s coming next. There are some bands in the FFO tag, but honestly I suggest any fan of prog with clean vocals to check this out (and that goes for prog rock fans as well!). This band captivated me like few on this series did and I can easily say this is a top 10 release of the year so far. Karma Rassa is a truly refreshing band and a gem of an album. Well done.

Recommended tracks: Vesna, Osen’, Zima
Recommended for fans of: Anathema, Kingcrow, Riverside, Pain of Salvation, atmospheric stuff in general
Final verdict: 9.5/10

Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independent

Karma Rassa is:
– Nagual (vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass)
– Naar (guitars)
– Albe (drums)
– Idegen (saxophone)