Pointless video post – ‘Плач о радости’ by Black Coffee

Black Coffee (Черный Кофе) is one of those bands that I need to kick myself for not having gotten into earlier. Contemporary to acts like Мастер and Ария, Black Coffee was the main project of Dmitry Varshavsky, whose Orthodox Christian convictions and Slavophil-tinged Russian patriotism manage to spill over into his music (as on this song, from their album Alexandria). Black Coffee started with a very NWoBHM-influenced hard rock sound on their debut, Переступи порог, but quite quickly made the shift into hair metal by the time Golden Lady came out. However, Alexandria marked a return to their heavier roots. Gone is the glammy wailing and shimmery synth work of the first few albums from Alexandria, replaced as it is by a more sombre, more emotionally-charged vocal performance from Varshavsky. The guitar-work is also much more stripped-down, crunchy and heavy, reflecting an almost power-metallic shift. This song in particular uses a masterful thrashy riff, and a very effective guitar solo. Please enjoy, gentle listeners!

And a very happy Eve of the Nativity to all!