Author Topic: - " The Astonishing " - One Year -- er, SEVEN YEARS On.  (Read 173154 times)

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Offline Lethean

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #420 on: October 09, 2017, 12:24:19 PM »
Totally the opposite experience for me. It's always "wow it's over already?" It doesn't at all seem like 2+ hours have gone by.

Offline The Silent Cody

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #421 on: October 09, 2017, 12:45:38 PM »
I really wish that I ever could share the same opinion... really, I tried many times, in different ways, with videos, with lyrics, without anything... Still there are only few songs that I like from The Astonishing. Hard to say but TA is the worst DT album for me. I respect the idea, the consistency of it, but I think that it just isn't for me...

Offline SwedishGoose

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #422 on: October 09, 2017, 01:02:05 PM »
Totally the opposite experience for me. It's always "wow it's over already?" It doesn't at all seem like 2+ hours have gone by.

Totally agree with this.... beautiful album

Offline Dublagent66

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #423 on: October 09, 2017, 03:53:01 PM »
I have actually never finished listening to this album. The first time that I listened to Disc 1 all the way through I kept thinking - 'Is it finally over? Will it move to Disc 2 finally?'. I just remember being so bored by the whole thing. In my mind, the first disc alone felt like a double album. To this day, I have not heard a note of Disc 2. I've had no desire to even go back to it. That doesn't mean I never will, but I have over 25,000 songs in my library to keep me busy.

For me, post MP DT has been like the analogy that many people use for the TOS Star Trek movies. The even numbered ones are really good. The odds, not so much. So yes, that means I only like one album since the event. Here's to hoping the next one is in the vein of the self-titled.

ive listened to the whole thing a few times, and I gotta be honest, the "is it finally over" feeling never goes away.

we'll eventually do a podcast on it and I wanna know what I'm talking about so I'm going to listen to it a lot, but I'm not looking forward to it, every time I go back, I find I dislike it just as much.

Maybe, maybe I like 10 tunes, MAYBE.

Interesting.  I probably like about 5 songs...tops.  None of which are in the 1st 12 on the album.  So, you're doing better than me...maybe.  :lol
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Offline PetFish

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #424 on: October 12, 2017, 10:08:49 PM »
After listening to the entire thing many times I ended up making a bunch of edits so I could enjoy the "good stuff" during my commutes.

It's difficult now to find the time to dedicate to just listening which is why I'm sad they didn't release a live concert with all of the visuals but I'm hopeful that they'll revisit it down the road and maybe do a production with different vocalists for each character as well with costumes and sets and stuffs... not holding my breath, though.

Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #425 on: October 12, 2017, 10:14:02 PM »
After listening to the entire thing many times I ended up making a bunch of edits so I could enjoy the "good stuff" during my commutes.

It's difficult now to find the time to dedicate to just listening which is why I'm sad they didn't release a live concert with all of the visuals but I'm hopeful that they'll revisit it down the road and maybe do a production with different vocalists for each character as well with costumes and sets and stuffs... not holding my breath, though.

I'm hoping for a Ytsejam release cd. Or a cool Christmas gift.
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Offline The Silent Cody

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #426 on: November 01, 2017, 01:21:28 AM »
My next try for The Astonishing is coming... Maybe I will listen to it again today, it will be my 5th or 6th try with this album...

Offline goo-goo

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #427 on: November 01, 2017, 07:44:51 AM »
After listening to the entire thing many times I ended up making a bunch of edits so I could enjoy the "good stuff" during my commutes.

It's difficult now to find the time to dedicate to just listening which is why I'm sad they didn't release a live concert with all of the visuals but I'm hopeful that they'll revisit it down the road and maybe do a production with different vocalists for each character as well with costumes and sets and stuffs... not holding my breath, though.

You know, I was thinking about what else they could have done with The Astonishing studio album. If they still wanted James to do all the vocals, maybe adding guests for the different vocalists with the guests singing ONLY background vocals, with James still singing every part. This would be just to give it a different tone for each character. I would think this would have been great and made it easier to follow which character is singing.

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #428 on: November 01, 2017, 07:51:50 AM »
Put this album in this morning for the first time in a long time. Still works for me, although not the kind of thing I can listen to all the time.
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Offline Anxiety35

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #429 on: November 01, 2017, 01:20:44 PM »
Now there's a NOMAC guitar. Watch the video with JP.

https://youtu.be/EUcgaSUNiW0

Offline Evai

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #430 on: November 01, 2017, 01:25:01 PM »
TIL: Nomac is short for Noise Machine
Jordan took Moore's boring, pedestrian parts and elevated them considerably to take them from barely palatable to stellar.

Offline goo-goo

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #431 on: November 01, 2017, 01:39:52 PM »
There's a 20 limited edition run of JP's Nomac guitar at 10k each (checked the price at Sweetwater)....Dayuummm!

Offline Anxiety35

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #432 on: November 01, 2017, 01:45:09 PM »
I figured the price point would be astonishingly high.  :tup

Offline TheLordOfTheStrings

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #433 on: November 01, 2017, 02:30:07 PM »
After listening to the entire thing many times I ended up making a bunch of edits so I could enjoy the "good stuff" during my commutes.

It's difficult now to find the time to dedicate to just listening which is why I'm sad they didn't release a live concert with all of the visuals but I'm hopeful that they'll revisit it down the road and maybe do a production with different vocalists for each character as well with costumes and sets and stuffs... not holding my breath, though.

You know, I was thinking about what else they could have done with The Astonishing studio album. If they still wanted James to do all the vocals, maybe adding guests for the different vocalists with the guests singing ONLY background vocals, with James still singing every part. This would be just to give it a different tone for each character. I would think this would have been great and made it easier to follow which character is singing.

This is literally what I my band and I have been toying with for the last couple of months while writing/recording our concept album. I thought it would make for a super cool way to convey which character is singing which parts. Having a female voice doing harmonies for female sung parts, or even just background oohs and ahs during those sections is really captivating. It focuses the listeners attention and helps them better understand what's happening.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2017, 04:13:00 PM by TheLordOfTheStrings »
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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #434 on: November 01, 2017, 10:14:18 PM »
Now there's a NOMAC guitar. Watch the video with JP.

https://youtu.be/EUcgaSUNiW0

"(...) It actually lights up when you plug a cable into it, just like a real NOMAC".
:D

Seriously speaking, the guitar looks gorgeous!

Offline Mladen

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #435 on: November 02, 2017, 12:58:41 AM »
I love the design of that guitar. John looks super happy holding it, I can only imagine what a thrill it is for him.

Offline bosk1

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #436 on: November 02, 2017, 08:35:57 AM »
I love the design of that guitar. John looks super happy holding it, I can only imagine what a thrill it is for him.

He does.  But then again, he pretty much always looks super happy when he is doing/talking about music-related stuff.  :lol  I know that when most musicians are asked what they would have done in life if they hadn't been musicians, a lot will say something like, "I can't see myself doing anything else."  But with John, it's REALLY hard to picture him doing anything else.  I think he has a lot of qualities that would make him successful in other endeavors.  But he just gets so much joy out of music. 
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Offline gzarruk

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #437 on: November 02, 2017, 10:36:58 AM »
I love the design of that guitar. John looks super happy holding it, I can only imagine what a thrill it is for him.

He does.  But then again, he pretty much always looks super happy when he is doing/talking about music-related stuff.  :lol  I know that when most musicians are asked what they would have done in life if they hadn't been musicians, a lot will say something like, "I can't see myself doing anything else."  But with John, it's REALLY hard to picture him doing anything else. I think he has a lot of qualities that would make him successful in other endeavors.  But he just gets so much joy out of music.

Like making a good barbecue :lol
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline Anxiety35

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #438 on: November 03, 2017, 11:12:55 AM »
The guitar looks really good. Too bad they couldn't have made it earlier for the TA tour. I'm sure it took a long time to design.

Back to discussing The Astonishing. This is the one album by DT that has the most mixed reviews. Maybe it's their most controversial release.

If their next release is The Astonishing 2 then people will go off the deep end. I don't think the band will do that. Nor will there need to be a Metropolis 3.

Offline Skeever

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #439 on: November 03, 2017, 11:29:23 AM »
The guitar looks pretty cool!

As with most things regarding the Astonishing, it does feel like it's too late.

It's kinda like DT had this great idea to make a musical, have big theatrical stage show, and all this auxiliary tie-in stuff like a book, game, and art surrounding it. And then they finished the album, and realized all that stuff is 1.) expensive and 2.) takes time  :lol

Offline mikeyd23

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #440 on: November 03, 2017, 11:31:00 AM »
The guitar looks pretty cool!

As with most things regarding the Astonishing, it does feel like it's too late.

It's kinda like DT had this great idea to make a musical, have big theatrical stage show, and all this auxiliary tie-in stuff like a book, game, and art surrounding it. And then they finished the album, and realized all that stuff is 1.) expensive and 2.) takes time  :lol

I don't disagree with your point totally, but it's worth noting that this guitar has been around for a while.

Offline bosk1

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #441 on: November 03, 2017, 12:03:17 PM »
I don't disagree with your point totally, but it's worth noting that this guitar has been around for a while.

Yes and no.  I had the same reaction, initially.  But I think the prototype that JP had on the second leg of the TA tour was a regular Majesty with a NOMAC paint job.  This limited edition model has a lot more features than that.
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Offline mikeyd23

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #442 on: November 03, 2017, 12:57:45 PM »
I don't disagree with your point totally, but it's worth noting that this guitar has been around for a while.

Yes and no.  I had the same reaction, initially.  But I think the prototype that JP had on the second leg of the TA tour was a regular Majesty with a NOMAC paint job.  This limited edition model has a lot more features than that.

Hmm, you might be right but I think I clearly remember a video of JP at NAMM earlier this year showing off this NOMAC guitar that had all these little details.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #443 on: November 03, 2017, 01:39:19 PM »
I don't disagree with your point totally, but it's worth noting that this guitar has been around for a while.

Yes and no.  I had the same reaction, initially.  But I think the prototype that JP had on the second leg of the TA tour was a regular Majesty with a NOMAC paint job.  This limited edition model has a lot more features than that.

Hmm, you might be right but I think I clearly remember a video of JP at NAMM earlier this year showing off this NOMAC guitar that had all these little details.

Yes, JP's is the real deal. There's also a very recent intervew with him (https://youtu.be/rasfwYWPGms?t=2m34s) where he says he only has one NOMAC guitar he has to carry around, and even jokes about it getting it's own flight seat :lol
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline red barchetta

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #444 on: November 03, 2017, 07:50:27 PM »
I have listened to the whole thing for the first time since the spring season.  I am less interested about it.  Bring me something rockin' as soon as possible please!
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Offline smegolas

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #445 on: November 10, 2017, 03:03:14 PM »
I don't get the complaint about the length - just break it up!  You don't have to listen to it all at once.  I think its the best thing they have ever done, but I don't think I've listened all the way through more than once.  I simply don't have time.  Just imagine you have two DT albums!

And...its a crying shame we are not getting a DVD of the concert.

Offline Evai

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #446 on: November 10, 2017, 04:17:11 PM »
Heavens Cove always makes me think of this Final Fantasy song for some reason -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHw2V0C-D-o
Jordan took Moore's boring, pedestrian parts and elevated them considerably to take them from barely palatable to stellar.

Offline nattmorker

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #447 on: November 10, 2017, 04:18:14 PM »
I don't get the complaint about the length - just break it up!  You don't have to listen to it all at once.  I think its the best thing they have ever done, but I don't think I've listened all the way through more than once.  I simply don't have time.  Just imagine you have two DT albums!


I think the same, the whole album is too long to listen on its enterity on a regular basis. I almost always just listen to individual songs.

Offline Fritzinger

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #448 on: December 14, 2017, 02:37:44 AM »
I have just listened to The Astonishing after a long period of not hearing it. I have always thought it's a great album and I still have that opinion! It's just brilliantly composed; JP & JR just know how to structure a concept album, by not closing circles in every song, but by letting songs end differently than they began.
With a lot going on with MM these times I also have to say he's done an amazing job. Sure, his sound is far from optimal, but I think that especially in the ballads he did very cool stuff. The double hi-hat pattern on Losing Faythe, as well as the use of the rim of the snare, or the ending of Begin Again (one of the very best passages of the entire album for me).
Sure, some of the lyrics are... well, I get that some of the lyrics might bother some people. Same with some of the sound effects (Faythes parents crying). I always thought they could have ended the whole story with a huge fight and a 12 minute instrumental battle - an instrumental to end all instrumentals (except for The Dance Of Eternity which cannot be ended). But the triumphing end fits the song well and Our New World is a pretty cool rock tune as well. I love the song Astonishing too, it brings back so many themes from the album and for me showcases how great all the motives of the album are composed. Of course, the last word belongs to the initiator behind the whole thing, JP.
I saw The Astonishing live twice and those two concerts were truly amazing. I think JP and the guys have produced an amazing album, and I love that they didn't give a fuck about what everyone would say, they just did it. They put so much effort into it, that (I am so sorry I have to start with that topic again) the 10 days writing and recording session for Psychotic Symphony looks extremely bland next to this huge piece of music.
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Offline SwedishGoose

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #449 on: December 14, 2017, 05:42:53 AM »
Well said Fritzinger..... totally agree with all of this

Offline Anxiety35

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #450 on: December 14, 2017, 07:27:43 AM »
I have listened to the whole thing for the first time since the spring season.  I am less interested about it.  Bring me something rockin' as soon as possible please!

To be fair, there are rockin' parts in The Astonishing. In fact, my favorite song is "The Path That Divides" which is a rocker. "A Savior in the Square" and "Moment of Betrayal" are rocking songs. There are other places in songs where it rocks. It's just mixed in through the album.

One of the turn offs for me is that many songs begin with a soft piano intro and it takes a while to get into the actual song. If you skip from track to track, that's what you experience.

Still for me, SFAM is tough to top for a DT concept album.

Offline Ninjabait

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #451 on: December 14, 2017, 07:34:40 AM »
I don't get the complaint about the length - just break it up!  You don't have to listen to it all at once.  I think its the best thing they have ever done, but I don't think I've listened all the way through more than once.  I simply don't have time.  Just imagine you have two DT albums!

And...its a crying shame we are not getting a DVD of the concert.

Yeah, that's the best way to actively listen to any piece of music this long. When I listen to it, i'll usually take a short break after Three Days, then another one at the end of Disc 1, and another one half-way through Disc 2 (usually around My Last Farewell). It works much better when it's spread out into three or four shorter acts than it does two really long acts or one continuous listen imo. That's how I split up listening to recordings of musicals and operas on my own, and it works well here.

And honestly, I'm a bit glad they didn't do a DVD of this past The Astonishing Tour. Personally, I would prefer a live recording of this to be a HUGE spectacle. Like, go all out with one large concert with a live orchestra and choir and the works (and maybe some on-stage acting/scenery/props or something). Make it a huge event where the focus is more on the story and the music than a regular concert. Something like The Theater Equation, but much bigger in scope. Maybe an off-Broadway run or something? I dunno.

Offline 7enderbender

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #452 on: December 14, 2017, 08:33:58 AM »
So it's going on two years now and I finally caved and bought the thing on iTunes to be able to add two or three songs to my "seven string playlist". I'm trying to filter it down to something I can actually listed to. So far I've always turned off at the latest when it came to "Act of Faythe" - even if I made it past "The Answer". Once the whole middle section, everything that has orchestration and sound effects, and all Disney show tunes are gone, there may be an EP's worth of music left that is halfway decent.
I can only hope they never do anything like this again.

Offline TheLordOfTheStrings

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #453 on: December 14, 2017, 04:37:18 PM »
So it's going on two years now and I finally caved and bought the thing on iTunes to be able to add two or three songs to my "seven string playlist". I'm trying to filter it down to something I can actually listed to. So far I've always turned off at the latest when it came to "Act of Faythe" - even if I made it past "The Answer". Once the whole middle section, everything that has orchestration and sound effects, and all Disney show tunes are gone, there may be an EP's worth of music left that is halfway decent.
I can only hope they never do anything like this again.
I'm really sorry that you can't enjoy it as much as I do. It's hard to believe anyone can refer to anything on this album as "halfway decent" for two reasons. 1. Regardless of whether or not you enjoy the direction they took, as a fan of the band I would think you would be able to recognize the scope of what they accomplished and respect the shit out of it. And 2. This album is filled to the brim with beauty. It's filled with gorgeous melody after gorgeous melody, both vocally and instrumentally. In my opinion this album is a musical and compositional masterpiece. It's something that sets these guys apart from so many bands that are (for some reason) highly regarded. Bands like Metallica, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, etc would never be able to create something like this in their wildest dreams. So even if it's not to your taste, is it really too much to just be proud of DT and happy for them for what they accomplished?
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Offline gzarruk

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Re: - " The Astonishing " - One Year On.
« Reply #454 on: December 14, 2017, 09:48:07 PM »
I have just listened to The Astonishing after a long period of not hearing it. I have always thought it's a great album and I still have that opinion! It's just brilliantly composed; JP & JR just know how to structure a concept album, by not closing circles in every song, but by letting songs end differently than they began.
With a lot going on with MM these times I also have to say he's done an amazing job. Sure, his sound is far from optimal, but I think that especially in the ballads he did very cool stuff. The double hi-hat pattern on Losing Faythe, as well as the use of the rim of the snare, or the ending of Begin Again (one of the very best passages of the entire album for me).
Sure, some of the lyrics are... well, I get that some of the lyrics might bother some people. Same with some of the sound effects (Faythes parents crying). I always thought they could have ended the whole story with a huge fight and a 12 minute instrumental battle - an instrumental to end all instrumentals (except for The Dance Of Eternity which cannot be ended). But the triumphing end fits the song well and Our New World is a pretty cool rock tune as well. I love the song Astonishing too, it brings back so many themes from the album and for me showcases how great all the motives of the album are composed. Of course, the last word belongs to the initiator behind the whole thing, JP.
I saw The Astonishing live twice and those two concerts were truly amazing. I think JP and the guys have produced an amazing album, and I love that they didn't give a fuck about what everyone would say, they just did it. They put so much effort into it, that (I am so sorry I have to start with that topic again) the 10 days writing and recording session for Psychotic Symphony looks extremely bland next to this huge piece of music.

Spot on!
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."