In December 2023, Russian psyche prog rock band Vespero released their album De Ludo Globi as a vinyl record on the Clostridium label, but also as a digital release on their Bandcamp page, as well as streaming it on the usual sites. Three months later, they performed the two twenty minutes songs, conveniently titled De Ludo Globi Pars Una and De Ludo Globi Pars Duo, in Astrakhan, close to the Caspian Sea, with the goal to release that document half a year later as a cassette release, which is probably sold out already, as a digital download and a full live cut from the show that can be streamed for free on their YouTube channel.

As I reviewed back then already the studio album, there is not much to add for the live version of De Ludo Globi. The band insists that the versions are quite different, but the not so skilled ears will mostly detect that the live performance does come with more muscle, and seeing the musicians play live also adds to the magic of these two long sonic journeys. The live songs are also a little shorter, with the band displaying a more focused approach. Despite a few improvised moments, they never get lost in mindless self-indulgence. Back then I compared the music to Ozric Tentacles and Mahavishnu Orchestra, and a short year later, it’s the latter that still strikes a note with me.

Fans may wonder why they should spend money twice on the same songs in such a short time span, but considering how little money many artists make in these times where most of music consumption is happening on streaming sites that only truly pay their big stars, it’s certainly a way to show your appreciation for these dedicated and still vastly overlooked psychedelic rockers.

2 songs

35:52 minutes

***** ***

Genre: instr. psychedelic progrock

(self-released)

Released: 6^th September 2024

Artist pages:
Homepage
Bandcamp
Facebook
YouTube