Mission Jupiter – “Talk to Me” | Progressive Rock Central.com

A new year, another new, fantastic band to get into. This time a real surprise, Mission Jupiter, a band from Belarus, (Minsk). The band was formed in 2015.

The members include: Artyom Gylyakevich, on bass and keys; Vladimir Shvakel, on guitar; Eugene Zuev, on drums; Nastia Shevtsova on vocals; and Dmitry Soldatenko on keyboards and saxophone. “Musical liberalism is the main aim of the band”.

The album was released April 30, 2021. I missed it then, but now I’ve found it.

Yes, anyone who reads or watches the news knows what is going on in Belarus. If not, Google it. So, music liberalism is a perfect goal. For this band to emerge from all of that pain and suppression, to make such a wonderful album as this is a miracle. They deserve a metal for perseverance, alone.

The album opens with “Billion Miles Away’. The music Mission Jupiter makes is lead by the sincere and soft vocals of Nastia Shevtsova. She opens this song with a soft whisper. Their music is a mix of metal, progressive rock and a wave/electronic combo. I’d call it melodic metal, I guess. Full of orchestration, before fire guitar, bass, and punching drums, come at you full speed. Nastia sings, “My spacecraft won’t let me down”. then she screams so wonderfully. Then, back to singing, “Drift away, (from me), Mother Earth, (fading), Save this place, (I pray), take away. Further and further away from the Earth. Mother cries, children gone!” Fantastic.

“Amen”, is probably the best song on the album. Nastia sings, “No expectations and no regret. Am I depressed? No, must be blessed. And you say Amen, pray for everything in your life”. Deep, emotional singing, with a symphony of sound coming from the band. But her voice rises above. She really has an incredible voice. Hard to describe or compare. Different. Sincere and emotional, yet omnipresent, distant and dreamy.

“Blizzard”, yeah, I’m sure they know about those back in Belarus. The opening sounds like one of those strong northern breezes blowing through the orchestration. The percussion and keyboard rhythms dominate this one from the start. Nastia sings above the Eddie Jobson-like keys from the Green album, and it sounds so good you don’t want it to end. But the rest of the song, bounces with cool electric synths and drums, before the electric guitar enters the stage for a solo. Then Nastia sings, “Your tenderness in me. No one could oversee. I have (a) protective shield to beat the grief”. Then she sighs and we all sigh with her. Perfect.

“On My Own”, is another beautiful pop song. Nastia sings, “How to cope with nightmare dreams? What if they save us from bad destiny? Have I thought that this is true? There’s no shelter from this fear. But I’m ready to resist!” A powerful anthem to say you can’t give in or give up. Later she sings, “They come to crush the world I live in. I never thought that fatal loss could lead to endless tragedy. I’m afraid of standing in this world. But I have to be on my own. I’m scared to be faded. Come and embrace me”. Yes, the empathy and companionship we all crave right now.

“Adziny Šlach”, is sung in Belarusian. Even though I don’t understand a word, Nastia’s soft harmonies glide over the soundscape perfectly. This album is mixed perfectly. Every note can be heard and each one is worth savoring intensely. This album is an immediate like; however repeated listens will uncover more layers of wonderful sound. Deep, emotional singing and music which would have ranked high on my list of albums from last year, had I heard about this earlier.

“My Hypocrisy”, is another wonderful, Bond-like, magical, soundtrack song. Deep rhythms and keyboards, with Nastia singing over it perfectly. Nastia sings, “Look I’m kind, so mild and intense. With my squad of defects that affect everyday. We are living apart, sometimes talk heart to heart”. She leaves us with wonderful parting advice, “Put your mind. Never lie to yourself”.

“Confession”, opens with acoustic guitar and surrounding, echoing, orchestration, which builds a beautiful soundscape. Nastia sings, powerful lyrics, “When the prejudice dances in your head. The people around stay the same. And day after day late at night. We’re all mesmerized by the life”. No time to pause and reflect. Then she sings, “Lord, stop this waltz. Close the door. Give people back. She closes with more wonderful words of clarity, “Let’s begin from nothing. From (the) scratch. From belief!” Living under a dictatorship is cruel.

“Perfect Reaction”, is full of wonderful keyboards at the opening, before an exhilarating drum beat takes over. Male vocals, with Nastia’s voice echoing in the background. An electronic dreamscape. Awesome.

“Waterfall”, opens with beautiful acoustic guitar. Nastia sings, “Why do I distrust? For what (do) I run away when loving? Always it infuriates. The sun is in my palm. It hurts my limbs so painfully. It burns me. I’m tired of greed, from the fact 9of) how we live. People play it on a loop. Wish to be myself. And wanna cry sometimes. Run away”. Soft saxophone takes over in the background of marching drums.

The closer, “Jupiter’s Master”, is the longest track on the album. It is an instrumental object, for the band to let off steam. A monster of a track, full of guitar jamming, heavy drums and bass. Fewer keyboards at the outset, but then, when they arrive, look out! Spacey keyboards added to a fluid mix of progressive metal rock. Top it all off with peaceful saxophone and you know you absolutely made the right choice buying this album. Everything is here for you to enjoy.

This would easily have been one of my top tier progressive metal albums of the year in 2021, had I heard it then. I am so glad I finally hear this band and I plan to get this album on CD and follow this band into the future. Maybe we’ll even get a chance to chat. This is wonderful music that should definitely be heard by anyone who loves progressive metal rock or electronic dreamscapes. Simply beautiful music that should never go unnoticed.

Track List