Roussak, Andrew: Crossing The Line

It’s an impressive and equally daunting task for someone to be at the helm for every aspect of an album. Russian born multi-instrumentalist Andrew Roussak is the captain of this ship, and mans a crew of just one. The opening “Invisible Killer� leaves no doubt about Roussak’s high level of musicianship. He is a freelance artist in Germany, and recorded a solo that won a contest carried out by Progressive Rockers The Tangent, and it was featured on their 2011 album COMM. The title track is a 7+ minute instrumental with heavy guitar and keyboard work, and also highly melodic. As I listen, I grow more impressed thinking that Roussak played every instrument and sound you are hearing, well done! There is a flavor of both Progressive Rock and metal throughout the track. “Against The Tide� has an opening keyboard motif that is fairly poppy, and reveals the main weakness of the album, the vocals. The ending displays Roussak’s guitar prowess with a powerful emotive solo. “Nation For Sale� is another good instrumental, spacey keyboard atmospheres fill the background accompanied by rumbling bass lines, and various guitar and keyboard solos take center stage, at times in unison. This one gets quite complex around the 4 minute mark, and everything seems back on track. The acoustic guitar used during “Daily Lies� provides a welcome change of pace, and features keyboard solo’s reminiscent of the late Keith Emerson. Emerson is also evoked during “Just One Life is Not Enough�, and is listed as a major influence. The final track (credited to J.PH Rameau) displays Roussak’s love of classical music, but the drumming and playing lack the fire of his originals. A choppy composition, with many stops and starts it lacks a cohesive feel, and yet the playing is stellar.

Roussak is loaded with talent, but the vocals are a setback to the overall package. Roussak would do well adding a quality vocalist to carry these songs. What I find odd, during sections of multi-layered vocals (“Just One Life Is Not Enough�), I rather enjoy them, but when unaccompanied, they just don’t cut it. A very impressive one man band that although shows a few cracks, has many outstanding musical moments. I’d love to hear an all-instrumental album on the next go around.

Track List:

1. Invisible Killer
2. Crossing The Line
3. Against The Tide
4. Nation For Sale
5. Daily Lies
6. Just One Life Is Not Enough
7. Suite En La Gavotte Et Six Doubles

Added: February 20th 2022
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
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Language: english

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