Epidemic

Well, how could I not comment on a thread about a band whose userbar I have in my signature? ;)
I'll say right away that I consider Epidemia to be my favorite band, perhaps only second to Aria, Metallica, and alongside Nightwish. I'll explain my opinion.

1. The instrumental part. Sometimes you hear a solo in some "metal" song (and this is more about modern bands than classics) and you think, "Why is it even needed here?" and you realize: it's there so the guitarist can "show off" and demonstrate his technique. With Epidemia, this isn't the case – the solo blends organically with the song, and it's interesting to listen to (as an example, "Voyage Beyond Three Seas," "Blood of the Elves").

2. Samozvat. I consider him one of the best vocalists in Russian music (after Kipelov, of course). Moreover, he is clearly improving (compare "The Riddle of the Magic Land" and the album "Life in Twilight").

3. And, of course, the fantasy-style lyrics, in the style of Heroes. By the way, does the song title "Magic and Sword" (one of my favorites) remind you of anything? ;)

I like their work; two albums: "Elven Manuscript" and "Elven Manuscript - A Tale for All Times" - they have a storyline! ;)

I completely agree. A storyline is good not only in Heroes. And I'm also very glad that they invited vocalists from other bands – Lexx, Borisенkov... And what about NEMolyaev! :cool:

But bands like Epidemia (Aria plus the so-called Russian rock) almost all sing the same thing.
Kalinov Most - 4 songs - is a prime example.

What do you mean by "so-called"? Of course, there are many "so-called" bands among modern groups that have nothing to do with Russian rock, or even rock in general. I'm not familiar with Kalinov Most, but please don't touch bands like Kino, Nautilus, DDT, and Picnic.