David Maxim Micic

[LithoJazzoSphere]

People who only listen to his solo albums are going to wonder if there are two different Aleksandra Djelmas'.  He already had two Aleksandras in his band at once, so maybe there's an endless supply of them in Serbia.  Actually, it's a shame he couldn't have Radosavljevic singing on a track as well, but at least she gets a spoken word bit.  Hopefully someone translates it at some point.  But anyway, Djelmas' work here compared to "Smile" is about as far away from each other as it is possible to get.  Lalic turns into more of the metal singer this time. 

Edit:  I suppose "Wedding" is more normal, but still melodic, but the other three are very mellow. 

[Buddyhunter1]

I like the additional instruments used on the record. The verses on Cry with the clarinet arpeggios sound like something straight out of a Floex album.

[Ben_Jamin]

This is a fantastic album. I also like how it just so happened to be released on this day.

I love the sound, tone, and energy of "Of Hope", reminds me of the same energy and vibe that Arch Echo gives off. I'd have to say that my favorite after this listen is Wedding, the intro makes me feel like I'm there at a Serbian wedding. What got me though was the callbacks to Bilo 3.0 with the lyrics of Daydream, that part along with how it builds up is beautiful, and the scat vocals following right after.

Lastly, Are We There Yet? would be a fantastic single if he ever decided to do one. Also, props for him ending it on the Daydream melody. That's one of my all time favorites and it makes sense to end the album the way he did.

[me7]

Definitely worthy of the BILO name.

[twosuitsluke]

So two listens in and this appeals to me in so many ways. Bilo III is easily the best thing he has released, as far as I'm concerned, and this continues that beautiful piece of art.

I'm really enjoying all the call backs and recurring motifs. I'm not sureif the majority are from Bilo III, or just some. I'm definitely going to listen to I-IV in one sitting though 

As others have said, serious Devin Townsend vibes at times and I swear he's poached something from the Final Fantasy VII OST.

[Sacul]

Glad you're all enjoying it, I didn't vibe with it that much. It felt too atmospheric and kinda lacking in strong ideas and riffs for the most part. I revisited Bilo III the other day and was surprised how much I still liked it, so maybe I should give this one another listen, might be a grower.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

From what I can tell reading old threads, people here fell in love with III much more quickly than I did.  The more orchestral parts took years to really grow on me (not listening to it as regularly as some of his other material probably contributed as well), and to be honest earlier this year is the probably the most I've liked them yet.  So maybe that work paid off and I'm taking to this sooner. 

[Buddyhunter1]

Yeah I loved Bilo III pretty much instantly. Anything that reminds me of Addicted by Devin Townsend is almost guaranteed to be good.

[me7]

I love it. It is the longest BILO release to date and contains roughly 30 minutes of old-school BILO material with 20 minutes of more atmospheric music. The large amount of familiar style should ease any fan into it, and the atmospheric tracks are very well executed.

[LithoJazzoSphere]

In the section starting at 25:09 I can swear I hear Devin Townsend in the background, but I think my ears are just playing tricks on me.  That and several other sections of the album remind me a lot of "Life". 

Also, props for him ending it on the Daydream melody. That's one of my all time favorites and it makes sense to end the album the way he did.

He originally was going to release this months earlier, but came up with a last minute idea and didn't have time to have he and Aleksandra record it in time, so they bounced the date back.  I wonder if that section is part of it. 

[Buddyhunter1]

Glad you're all enjoying it, I didn't vibe with it that much. It felt too atmospheric and kinda lacking in strong ideas and riffs for the most part.

I agree with this to some extent - I wouldn't rank any songs among David's absolute best, and the first half of the album is pretty slow. But the ambient / orchestral songs do a great job at conveying the narrative of the album, and every track from Cry onwards is at least pretty good.

My favorite song on the album has gotta be Itch - that song is just that chunky, bright, upbeat metal that I love from him.

[me7]

Now that I've had enough time to digest Bilo IV, I can say that this is my favourite DMM release so far. Apart from the great writing and orchestration, David's phrasing on the guitar has reached a new level