Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, on… Read Full Bio ↴Alisa (Алиса, Russian for Alice) is a Russian and Soviet hard rock band, one of the most influential in the Russian rock movement. Their lyrics, written by vocalist Konstantin Kinchev, are about social problems, rock lifestyle, Slavic culture and, recently, Christian faith. Alisa's music evolved from post punk in the 1980s to heavier metal sound of recent albums.

Alisa was founded in November 1983 by bassist Svetoslav Zadery. The name of the band is borrowed from Lewis Carroll's book "Alice in Wonderland". The band's lineup was finally completed in 1984, when new vocalist Kostya Kinchev (born Konstantin Panfilov) and guitarist Pyotr Samoylov joined Alisa. Their debut album "Energia" (Energy) was released by Melodia, the state publishing monopoly, and was sold in numbers of more than one million.

But the relations between the two leaders, Konstantin and Zadery, were poor, and finally Svetoslav left the band. This occurred just one hour before Alisa was to perform at a concert. Alisa had to ask Кино bassist Igor Tihomirov to replace him for one concert. Later Zadery created his own band 'Nate!' ('Take it!').

The growing popularity of the band created a fan community called the 'Army of Alisa', known for their rough behaviour at concerts. It led to animosity between the band and Soviet officials. In 1987 the newspaper Smena accused Kinchev of Nazi propaganda and worshipping Hitler. Alisa's leader Kinchev filed a suit for calumny and moral loss compensation. After the year-long court process the magazine published the refutation. Alisa's next album was titled Article 206 part 2, a chapter ('Hooliganism') of the USSR Procedural Code, alluding to this process.

There were new lineup changes in 1988, when guitarist Igor 'Chuma' Chumykin joined Alisa. This change was followed by the heavier sound of next albums Shabash and For those Who Fell From the Moon. Alisa toured through Europe and Israel together with Aria. The album Black Mark, 1994, was dedicated to the memory of Chuma, who committed suicide by jumping from the window.

In the new millennium, with albums such as Seychas Pozdnee Chem Ty Dumaesh (It is Later Than You Think, 2003) and Izgoy (Exile, 2005), the sound of Alisa was changed to a heavier one, including elements of nu-metal, industrial and heavy metal. Music critics credited Clawfinger as Kinchev's greatest new music influence. This gave Alisa a new fan base among Russian hard rock fans, and three songs from Izgoy continually reached the top of the NASHE radio chart.

Kinchev was baptised in 1990, and since then Christianity has been the main influence on his alignment and his lyrics. Although early Alisa lyrics were typical for Russian rock - the social protest and rock 'n' roll hype - since the late 1990's their main theme has been ideas of Christianity, Russian patriotism, and Slavic unity.

Konstantin is in good relations with the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church, especially Andrey Kuraev. Alisa has participated in many religion-supporting festivals, such as 'Musicians for the Christ Savior Cathedral'.

20.12
АлисА Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

То ли символ, то ли знак судьбы -
Первый крик, последний вдох.
От пустыни до большой воды
Сбой орбит, переполох.
Каждый третий не готов принять
Соль вины, как путь наверх.
В этом мире слишком много тех,
Кто хотел стать выше всех.

2012 - код доступа к игре,
2012 - пурпур на серебре,
2012 - решай, где правда, где молва,
2012 возьмет свое, как дважды два.

Вирус памяти, обвал систем -
Главный приз, последний штрих.
Вряд ли можно оцифровкой схем,
Вызвать сны и скрыться в них,
Греться в копоти земных утех,
И принять аскезу звезд.
В это мире слишком много тех,
Кто в грязи себя вознес.

09.06.2010. Саба

Overall Meaning

The song 20.12 by Алиса reflects on the chaos and uncertainty that surrounds us as individuals and as a society. The lyrics suggest that the first cry and the last breath are both symbols of fate that define our existence. The disruptions in the orbits of our lives and the upheaval that follows disrupts our sense of balance and order. The song highlights the fact that not everyone is ready to accept the hard truth of their own responsibility for their actions, and many strive to elevate themselves above others without realizing the consequences of their actions.

The song also alludes to the concept of 2012 and the code it provides for entrance into the game of life. The purple on silver mentioned in the lyrics could be a reference to the Mayan prophecy that predicted the end of the world in December 2012. The lyricist poses the question of truth versus rumor, and how the year will take its toll on humanity, just like the mathematical equation of “two times two.”

Line by Line Meaning

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Uncertainty whether it's a symbol or a sign of fate -

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From birth to death, every breath is important.

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From the deserts to the oceans,

???? ?????, ?????????.
Chaos and orbit malfunctions.

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Every third person refuses to accept

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The responsibility and guilt that can lead to growth.

? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ???,
In this world, there are too many people

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Who want to rise above everyone else.

2012 - ??? ??????? ? ????,
2012 - access code to the game,

2012 - ?????? ?? ???????,
2012 - purple on silver,

2012 - ?????, ??? ??????, ??? ?????,
2012 - decide where truth lies and where rumors exist,