A russian collective that adopted the name of a Bulgakov character presents another serving of quality prog-metal to the listener's judgment — the album "Seventh Heaven." Like its predecessor, "The Wings," the new opus boasts magnificent sound, superb musicianship from all performers, and a distinctive identity — who else would think to dilute the standard prog template with elements of russian folk played on gusli and various reed pipes? The most delicate arrangements astound with their gossamer lightness — with each passing minute, another veil is pulled back, admitting the attentive listener into the world of AZAZELLO. But this time, there are pitfalls as well. First, the 12-minute compositions strictly demand an intellectually elevated mood, one in which the wayward individuals who consume 90% of metal's output rarely find themselves. The result is rather debatable digestibility. The second barrier separating "Seventh Heaven" from an absolute masterpiece is the lyrics, written in a language understood by every russian mouse, stuffed with metaphysical filler words like "eternity" and "universe"... You can't live on microcosm alone — that's a known fact. Yet despite all this, the band has produced a truly fantastic creation that, bearing the "Made In russia" label, sounds a hundred times sweeter.
