The Price of Freedom (Ціна свободи)

The Price of Freedom is Natural Spirit's best work yet, for a number of reasons. One is that band leader Oleg Kirienko has found the best chemistry he's had with any guitar partner, in Vladimir Ovcharov. Another is singer Antonina Vinnyk, whose clear, strong and beautiful voice - somewhere between Meri Tadic and Maria Arkhipova - better compliments the more upbeat direction of the band than did her predecessor Katerina's more classical style. Kirienko also improves the vocal section by swapping out most of his good-but-not-great harsh rasp/growls in favour of powerful Svarga type clean singing. But most of all, The Price of Freedom replaces the synthesized folk instruments of their past with guest appearances of the genuine articles.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Ivan Popov's flute and fiddle simulations from the Sita Rosa, having the real versions (plus more instruments) just opens up more options. It was the last piece that held Sita Rosa from reaching true legend status in the Slavic folk metal movement. The Price of Freedom gets to that level, in so many ways! There is the fierce saw off between the guitar and Master Alafern's violin in "Жировик", easily the fastest song on the album. There is Ivan Kozakevych's spirited flute and tin whistle accents on the Cossack-themed hard 'n' heavy tavern jaunt "Гайдамаки". Oleksiy Shkuropadskiy turns in the album's greatest folk performance on the title track. His mastery of the Galician bagpipes add such a hefty pageantry to this song! Vinnyk's subtle ritualistic chants over a perfectly matched pipe/guitar duo to close this one out, are nothing short of magical.

As mentioned earlier, mastermind Kirienko works better with his newest co-guitarist Ovcharov than he has with any other. The low folkish rumbling rhythm of one perfectly grounds the more modern, flangy and tremolo-based highlights of the other in "За смородиной рекой". I am also absolutely floored by both men's solos in "Невернеться". They take up the last two minutes of the song, but never feel showy. The thicker, more folk-based guitar takes off first, in a slower emotional passage. There is a brief overlap where this rousing style meets a faster, more typically East European rough and choppy sound; the latter of which then takes over. Here the mood is smoothly transitioned from one of nostalgic pride to one of resolute defiance. Kirienko and Ovcharov just feed off each other perfectly, with all of their instrumental sections firmly rooted in the feel of every song.

This is Natural Spirit's magnum opus. If you are waiting for a better offering of Slavic folk metal, don't hold your breath!