Cygnus Rock Band - Raise Your Horns - live at COP16 (video review)

This is the 3rd - and the last - video Cygnus Rock Band shared with us from their COP16 gig. A fan favorite, one of their 

no, I'm still unwilling to say tabloid qualifiers

I'll be forever unwilling, just sayin'

get cultured, for Odin's sake

songs that always make the audience blast.

This was - as I could see - the closing song of their COP16 show, so they seemingly and tangibly gave their all in. 

Just like their earlier videos from COP16, like this one or this one, this live version is an excellent chance for all of you, deaf, dumb, stupid shit bastards with no brain the listener to discover how many hidden treasures this song has got, and these treasures will not reveal themselves in the album version.

It appears right at the beginning of the song. The drums can be heard clearer than ever, you can see what an enormous job Ruxx is doing in this song. You clearly hear the kickdrum, all the cymbals as well as the snare and you see

in case you have eyes, ears, heart and soul

worry not, I don't have high expectations about you 😒

what a complex theme he's playing.

And he's playing it like an atomic clock, and the bass is faithfully accompanying him for the whole time.

Then Ruxx starts to sing, with that same fiery, strong, powerful voice we experienced in "The One-Eyed Wanderer" and "Odin's Wolves". 

Give it a thought, dear Reader. Give a thought of how much work, practice, focus, dedication and stamina it needs to sing with such a voice full of energy and fire, while at the same time you have to be the engine of the band behind your drumset. These two by themselves are demanding positions in a band - now imagine doing both at the same time. 

Ruxx is doing them both. On such a badass, professional and breathtaking level you will not see anywhere else. Keep your eyes, your ears and your heart open.

The bass is accompanying him.

This wonderful, deeply (and undeservedly) underrated instrument simply kicks you in the stomach here, and it doesn't even apologize. Deneb is controlling it with calmness and determination, while he takes over the singing part.

This. The way he is singing here. This will forever melt my heart. I have no idea how he's doing it. It must be some magic or some secret knowledge he's possessing. This voice, this energetic, full-of-fire, full-of-life, full-of-love voice that pushes fresh blood in your veins, that breathes life into the numb heart, that makes the dried-up eyes wet. This voice is heart-throbbing, playful, it tickles you, whispers into your ear, then giggles and runs away, and you can't get it out of your head. It's sweet and addictive and the more you try to forget it, the more it gets stuck in your head. Finally you give in, you tear off that one last padlock from your heart and open up its gates wide. And as if it was waiting for this moment, it jumps inside, giggles again and makes itself so comfortable as if it has always lived there.

And you, dear Reader, you're addicted.

The guitars - led by the forever collected Jota and Andrés, who will have his moment later - humbly whisper, allowing the rhythm section to radiate on 2 Cygnus/hour.

The chorus is flawless, the two warm, powerful male voices sing together, caressing your heart. Then in the tiny musical bridge watch closely Jota's hands; he is playing on the guitar that part which belongs to the tiple in the original.

I can make anyone sure that he's doing magic.

Meanwhile Deneb is kicking into the lazy ass of encouraging the audience, then the bass grunts loud, giving the signal to the guitars to return.

Ruxx sings, showing hidden flavors of his very flexible, powerful, sharp tenor. In the meantime he's tirelessly playing those complex drum themes only this live video reveals. Deneb takes over, his voice is like the sunshine after the rain, the guitars roar with quiet but firm power, then in the chorus the voices of these two wonderful musicians join to hold your heart tight again.

And then comes Andrés's moment.

The - until this point - quietly, humbly playing guitarist steps into the spotlight and shakes off the chains from his fingers. 

The original solo of this song is very calculated, very precise and - for my ears - a tiny bit "mathematical", or rather "engineer-alike". It's very complex, very precisely built, has a lot of details the guitarist has to memorize, and it demands a LOT of skills, focus and routine. No wonder; originally it's Blu playing it, who is known from his routine, the love for the most detailed, precise style and cleanness. It's definitely not for beginners.

Andrés, the Grand Maestro follows the original solo, but he adds his own spice to it. He makes the solo - for my ears - more "fluid", more "rounded", with less "rectangular" shapes. And for the end he lets his fingers run, he plays in his true, jaw-dropping, eye-wetting, elegant and virtuoso style.

The camera is focusing on him, watch his hands!

And Deneb, this magician is again doing the famous tapping!!!! 💓

The chorus returns with the heart-warming voice of our two favorite singers, hugging the listener before the outro. Andrés once again shows his breath-taking skills; Deneb and Jota throw out their picks into the lucky audience

a message to the MC from here: I personally would have given a bit more time to the band to say goodbye to the audience if I were you

jumping on the stage, demanding attention while the band is still playing the outro is considered rude at some part of the world

there's this thing called dignity, you know

and you can see them a bit as they walk off the stage.

I personally can only encourage the band to make more videos like these. I love how many treasures there still are in these songs that are waiting to be revealed, to find out new secrets about songs I have loved ever since I heard them for the first time; and call this my soft spot, and you will be right, but I can't resist watching these wonderful 4 musicians, Ruxx, Deneb, Jota and Andrés making magic on their instruments as they are playing. It's a never-ending miracle for me, whether it's a simple or complex theme, to watch their hands (and legs) as they play. So... a shoutout to you all, dear Ruxx, Deneb, Jota and Andrés. 

You're wonderful. All of you. You showed hidden qualities of your by default rich and admirable skills; you warmed my heart with your voices, you made me sure once again that there's still some beauty in this world that is worth fighting for. Be the beauty. Be yourselves, keep playing, keep being this wonderful. Keep the hope alive with your skills, your voices in those who are tired, sad, sick or hopeless. Keep playing. Keep sharing this beauty that blossoms right in your hands.

We love you.