Review: Russkaja – Energia!






















Review: Russkaja – Energia!
May 13











Russkaja – Energia!
Dancing may not be the most ‘metal’ of urges, but sometimes headbnaging and horn raising just doesn’t quite cut it. A band who knows this perhaps more than most is the Russian/Ukrainian/Austrian band of Kazatchok dancing maniacs known as Russkaja. The group has been practising their self-branded form of “Russian Turbo Polka Metal” for a few years now, and have recently released a third album “Energia!”, which showcases an infectiously fun and raucous tableau of music that demands much more than a mere shuffling of the feet.
Energia is both the Russian word for energy and the name of the Soviet rocket which graces the cover for Russkaja’s newest effort, and both connotations are more than fitting for this collection of party-fueled foot stompers. The title track fittingly opens the album and sets the tone of rambunctious energy that characterizes the album, with a few exceptions of slower and more laid back tunes on the disk. The characteristic amalgamation of styles and instrumentation is key to the band’s sound; the mix of Roma, polka, world, rock, and metal come together for a unique melding of boisterous party music that is driven by horns and strings just as much as it is by guitars and drums. At the forefront of the ensemble is mainman Georgij A. Makazari whose eccentric and charismatic vocals can swing smoothly from the maniacal to the heartfelt. The unruly Makazari is like a deranged and exuberant ringleader for a traveling circus act, conducting the group as it traipses from one traditionally inspired motif to another.
The energy of the album, while not entirely a constant as it does allow for some breathing room here and there, is the definite strong point of the release, aside from the unique mixture of styles. Songs like the chant-along drinking tune “Radost Moja” and polka-fueled “Autodrom” keep the beat up, while more subdued tracks such as “Violina Mia” offer a lighter and even somewhat sensual flavor. The quirky and often off-beat nature of “Energia’s” is hard not to get into, and you will be hard pressed to keep yourself from becoming infected with involuntary head bobbing and foot tapping while listening to it. Some tracks will seem to bleed into others, and the listener might confuse one or two for the other at times, but that is not entirely a bad thing as chances are that you didn’t want the first one to end in the first place. Most tracks on the album follow a similar formula, but given the rich mixture of instrumentation and styles comprising them they are able to make neary each one a singular and unique experience by combining those elements in a wide variety of interesting and engaging ways.
Russkaja is not a band that will offer you anything that can easily be found elsewhere; there are comparable and kindred groups out there, such as Gogol Bordello or, to a smaller extent Devotchka, but the group brings an energy and unrepentant rock attitude to their sound that is uniquely their own. If you are not afraid to explore new territory in your music world and are not adverse to kicking out your feet just as indifferently as you would a fist or devil horn, “Energia!” is an album that begs your attention. Now dance metalheads, dance!
8/10
iTunesEnergia!











