The Real Deal (History of Margovya)

The Real Deal is a Margovyan rock band that was formed in 1994 as an independent band before getting signed in to Tidzhomov Music Records in 1998 following vocalist finishing as first runner-up in the 1998 season of . The band is currently composed of 1994 Svolochy Showdown Top 9 contestant, his brother , former  bassist , and 2016 Svolochy Showdown winner , with touring members consisting of actor-singers  and , the latter being a former lead singer of the band.

During their entire career as a band, The Real Deal has released a total of eighteen albums, which include one independent album, The Raging Fire (1997), nine studio albums, five live albums, and three compilation albums.

Formation and The Raging Fire (1994-1998)
Shortly after getting eliminated from the 1994 season of the Margovyan singing contest Svolochy Showdown, Top 6 contestant formed the band with his best friend, 18 year old, along with Vizinski's fellow contestant in Svolochy Showdown, , who finished at Top 9, and his younger brother. They started as an independent band, going on gigs at bars and covering mostly, , and songs, citing those bands as their primary musical influences. They also tried venturing out of their own comfort zone by performing covers of bands like, and.

According to Vizinsky, the band's first gig was at their favorite college bar near Ikanua State University on November 14, 1994, when the band voluntarily performed as replacements for then famous Margovyan girl group, who got into a freak accident on the way. However, their performance consisting thirteen covers of late 80's and early 90's grunge and post-grunge songs earned them regular performer status at the bar. By the time the band was famous enough to be requested outside of Svelovsk, they started performing original songs, most of them composed by Vizinsky himself. Shevchenko helped a lot, so did the Rondayev brothers, but according to Marvik, Vizinsky was the most knowledgeable person in the band in terms of writing his own songs. "That's why I'm kinda glad I got eliminated in Svolochy Showdown '94," Marvik Rondayev said in an interview with Treble magazine. "Because if I actually got a step away from earning the grand champion title, I'd be going nuts thinking of what the f*** I'm gonna do for winner's single."

By the time The Real Deal was starting to make a name ouside of the Ikanua province, they started recording their own album, using the soundproof room Vizinsky's older brother built for him in their house for his 21st birthday as a studio. In 1997, the band manage to record their first and only album as an independent band, which was entitled, The Raging Fire. They released the album on August 6, 1997, which sold as much as 3,800 copies throughout the province of Ikanua, and on some of its neighboring provinces.

The Real Deal and transition to mainstream (1998-1999)
By the time the band's independent album The Raging Fire sold outside Ikanua, they started submitting the album to major record labels in Margovya. However, from August 1997 to January 1998, the band receive mostly negative remarks regarding their submissions. According to Pyotr Shevchenko, they even submitted one of the songs in the album to a songwriting competition in Margovya, but lost favor to a bunch of bubblegum pop songs, which became a trend in Margovya since 's "." This prompted the band to re-audition for the upcoming Svolochy Shodown season. However, they all agreed that Vizinsky would be their best shot.

On January 1998, Vizinsky auditioned for the competition's 1998 season and got a unanimous 'yes' from all three judges. Not only that; he also got the second-highest score from judge during the One Judge Judgment, with a score of 9.74 compared to a 9.80 given to. As expected by many, Vizinsky only finished second to Janduva, who went on to be a very successful pop sensation in Margovya and in other parts of South America. However, despite that, Tidzhomov signed Vizinsky into the label on May 28, 1998, before the series was even over. However, Vizinsky said he would only join if the other members of the band would be signed as well, to which producer Denis Tidzhomov agreed.

At the band's first press conference as a recording artist on September 27, 1998, two weeks after Vizinsky finished second in Svolochy Showdown, they announced that they will be releasing their, and that , Vizinsky's piece for the winner's single at the competition, will be released as the band's debut single. The single was released on November 28, 1998, while the album itself was released on December 12, 1998. Because of the unprecedented success of the album, the band earned itself a place in Tidzhomov's 1999 Great Continental Tour, which was only for the label's most well-known talents. However, they only appeared in a few events, as they were given their own tour, introducing themselves as a band and as a recording artist in Margovya and in other parts of South America, shortly after the release of all the singles in the album.

On January 8, 1999, the album's second single, "Burning House," was released, where it debuted at number 4 of the Margovyan Top 100, and stayed at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks. The album reached gold status on December 31, 1998, and got platinum on January 12, 1999. The release of the album's third single "" on February 3 got the album gold status in Mexico, the first time The Real Deal has earned certifications outside of South America.

The album's fourth and final single, "Lost in the Sea," was released on March 2, 1999. On March 13, the band announced that they are leaving the Great Continental Tour for a moment, as they were given their very own tour around Margovya and the rest of South America. After releasing an album that sold 9.6 million copies around the world, and going on a concert tour in 23 cities around South America, the band proceeded to write songs for their next album.

Twenty oh-oh and International Breakout (1999-2000)
During the Real Deal tour following the success of the band's eponymous debut studio album, Vizinsky started writing songs for a second album, which was going to coincide with Tidzhomov's New Millennium for the turn of the millennium in 2000. On an another press conference in Ikanua on April 24, 1999, the band announced that the second album is currently under recording, and will be released on a set date of January 1, 2000. During an interview with Svetlana Lanuva on September 12, 1999, Vizinsky confirmed that the title of the upcoming second album will be entitled Twenty oh-oh, which, according to him, is how they would pronounce the year 2000 if they were as pretentious as people think of them.

On September 2, 1999, before the title of the album can even be confirmed, "25," the first single of the second album, was released, coinciding with Vizinsky's 25th birthday. It debuted at number 2 in the Margovyan Top 100 before it peaked at number one and stayed for six consecutive weeks. The single eventually debuted at number 99 in the US Billboard Hot 100 on October 2, 1999 and peaked at number 76 on November 13. Because of this, US and some parts of Europe requested a performance on their respective countries during what turned out as the band's "Party Like It's 1999" tour.

The album's second single, "Poser" was released on November 6, 1999, where it debuted at number 68 of the Margovyan Top 100, and peaked at number 13. The third single, "Livin' Like a Douche," which was released on December 12, 1999, reached number one and reigned supreme for four consecutive weeks. It fell to number two the following week, but reclaimed the top spot after.

The second studio album Twenty oh-oh was released on January 1, 2000, almost immediately gaining gold status in Margovya by January 18. Upon the release of the album's fourth single "Year End Jam" on February 6, 2000, the album reached platinum status in Margovya, gold status in Brazil, and gold status in Mexico.

The fifth and final single for the album, "," which was originally intended for the official soundtrack of the, was released on March 29, 2000, a week after the release of the movie. Because of this not only did fans from the US and Europe demand an American and European leg of the tour; they also wanted a release of the movie on their respective countries. On April 6, 2000, the album reached double platinum status in Margovya. On April 10, 2000, the band announced that they will be going on a "Party Like It's 1999" tour all around the world, and coming to tour with them was, who starred in the movie.

The album sold a total of 27.4 million copies around the world, which eventually prompted them to immediately start working on a third studio album.

Scream and Shout and then-untitled Fourth Album (2000-2002)
During the band's participation in Tidzhomov Music Records' Great Continental Tour 2000, Vizinsky announced the possibility of a third studio album, to be released some time in 2001. During a press conference on August 5, 2000, the band confirmed the title of the album to be , during which time one song has been recorded and has finished production. It turned out to be the album's, which was released on December 20, 2000. It debuted at number one in the Margovyan Top 100 on December 24, 2000, and stayed at the top of the charts for eighteen consecutive weeks. Not only that, it debuted at number 52 at the US Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number 1. Due to the success of the single, the studio pushed back the supposed February 12 release of the album.

The album was ultimately released on March 15, 2001, where it sold 193,000 copies all over Margovya on the release date alone. The album reached gold status in Margovya on March 23, and platinum status on March 29. It reached double platinum status in Margovya two weeks after the release of the album's second single, "Hell is Waiting for You," on April 1, 2001.

The album started achieving platinum status in other South American countries by the time that the album's third single "Sound Asleep" was released on May 7, 2001. The album's fourth single, "January 24th," which was released on May 29, 2001, was believed by music critics to have correctly predicted Vizinsky's death on January 24th of the following year. Around this time, the band was already granted a "Scream and Shout" Tour, which was announced by the time that the album's fifth single, "Kiss," which featured actor-singer and touring member, was released on June 27, 2001.

During the tour, the band announced that they were already in the middle of production for the yet-untitled fourth studio album, which will be released some time in 2002. However, despite that, two more singles from Scream and Shout was released. The first of which was entitled "Three Good Friends," which was released on September 1, 2001. During the US leg of the tour, The Real Deal was supposed to fly from Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angeles, California aboard on the morning of September 11, 2001; however, they got drunk the night before, and Vizinsky apparently overslept the following morning. "We spent the last hour and a half trying to wake him up, but he really was out cold," Marvik Rondayev said in an interview with Svetlana Lanuva in 2010. "But then we stopped trying after we did miss the flight. But the funny thing is, [Andrey] woke up to the news of Flight 11 being involved in the terrorist attacks, and as the three of us have gone to have some breakfast, he thought we went and boarded the ill-fated plane."

Because of that, their September 11 concert in Los Angeles was postponed to September 12. Unable to book another flight to California, the band just rented a car and drove. Their first live performance of "Three Good Friends" in their LA concert was dedicated to the victims of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The single became their second-biggest hit, only next to "Scream and Shout." One more single from the album was released, entitled "Mother's Litany," which featured Margovyan actress and rapper. The album sold a total of 50.4 million copies worldwide, and won an award for "Album of the Year," as well as the eponymous lead single for "Song of the Year," at the Grammy Awards, which the band received the awards on February 5, 2002 in tribute to the then-late Andrey Vizinsky.

On a press conference on October 21, 2001, the band confirmed the title of the album to be Solar Eclipse, and the released date would be on September 2002. Vizinsky also said in an interview with Treble magazine that they also plan to release a greatest hits album on the exact tenth anniversary of the band on August 6, 2004, featuring their biggest hits in their career as a band.

Vizinsky's Death and Eventual Hiatus (2002-2003)
During the band's "Scream and Shout" tour, they started writing, recording and producing what would eventually turn out to be their fourth studio album, . They have recorded one song, "," which would also turn out to be the album's lead single, which was targeted to be released between March and April 2002. However, Andrey Vizinsky's death in a car crash on the way to a concert in Filipiniana, Arbatskaya on January 24, 2002 had the production of the band's current album completely halted. And since they have only recorded one out of the twelve songs that was originally written by the band while the tour was on-going, they tried completing it on their own, but couldn't make it work. "I tried to take the lead vocals just for us to be able to complete the album, but sorry, I'm no Andrey Vizinsky," Marvik Rondayev said in an interview of Treble magazine on January 2003. "If only I had the same magic on turning words into music as him, I think we could have followed our September 2002 target for the release of the album."

On March 27, 2002, during a press conference, the band announced that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus, saying that they will have to recreate their music to be able to make up for what turned out to be a huge loss in the band as a whole. During that time, they started trying to record the songs they have previously written for the album, and eventually, began performing it at the bar, like they used to before they got signed in to Tidzhomov.

At first, the band tried to continue with just the three of them, with Marvik Rondayev taking both lead vocals and lead guitar, Aleksei Rondayev in drums and percussion, and Pyotr Shevchenko taking back-up vocals and bass guitar. However, Rondayev admitted that he couldn't pull off what Vizinsky did in their past three albums that made them stand out as they did back then. Eventually, it was decided that they would hire a new vocalist to take Vizinsky's place. "I figured our last resort is to find a new vocalist, because, we just couldn't do it with just the three of us," Marvik Rondayev said at the same interview with Treble. "We figured, if we couldn't find another lead singer by, say, the end of the year, then I guess it's over for the Real Deal."

However, lucky, enough, they had to settle for actor-singer, whose musical style matches the style of rock music of the millennial period. "Believe me, he's no Andrey Vizinsky, either," Aleksei Rondayev said in an interview with Rock On! magazine on April 2003. "But it's better with him than my older brother doing the lead vocals." On April 1, 2003, the band announced that The Real Deal is back, introducing Talnaev as their new vocalist. Upon deciding to continue with the production of their fourth studio album, they also agreed on a new arrangement. Talnaev will be singing lead vocals, but will be playing rhythm guitar, instead of lead guitar like Andrey Vizinsky back then. Marvik Rondayev will be singing back-up vocals and playing lead guitar; Aleksei would still be on drums and percussion, and Shevchenko will no longer be singing back-up vocals, and instead focus on playing the bass guitar. Shevchenko also became the band's primary lyricist, as both the Rondayev brothers and Talnaev admitted they couldn't come up with decent lyrics for a rock piece.

The Real Deal's return, Mic Test and Solar Eclipse (2003-2005)
Introducing Hafimwahlid Talnaev as their new vocalist, the band recorded renditions of seven classic Real Deal songs with Talnaev as their lead vocalist. This list included "," ""," and "25." This turned out to be an extended play released by the studio as Mic Test on September 25, 2003. They also organized a tour themselves, performing every classic Real Deal song live in concerts, even those coming from the band's independent album, The Raging Fire. That tour came to be known as the "Mic Test" tour. They also recorded a live album containing audio clips of their live performances in the tour, released by the studio as Mic Test: The Live Shows on February 24, 2004.

Aside from this, the band also recorded the unreleased first single of the album Solar Eclipse, "Have You Ever," with Talnaev as the lead vocalist. This was featured in both the Mic Test EP and the official track listing of the album. The band announced on a press conference on May 25, 2004 that the album Solar Eclipse is now under production and will be released sometime before the end of 2004. The first single, "Have You Ever," which contained both the original and the Mic Test version, was released on September 2, 2004, Andrey Vizinsky's 30th birth anniversary. The song debuted at number 66 at the Margovyan Top 100, and peaked at number 1 and stayed there for three consecutive weeks. The album's second single, their cover of Frisbee's 1981 classic hit "Mockery" was released on November 10, 2004.

The album itself was released on December 4, 2004, and sold out 93,950 copies on the release date alone. It went on to be the second-most successful album in Margovya in 2005, only next to TPB's The Break-Up Soundtrack, which contained the 2005 monster hit "Road Trip Gone Wrong." The third single, "Never Again, was released on February 12, 2005. The album's fourth single, "Heaven," which was released on April 18, 2005, was recorded by the band in late December 2003 to pay tribute to Andrey Vizinsky. The single debuted at number 3 on the Margovyan Top 100, and peaked at number one by the following week. It stayed there for ten consecutive weeks before being dethroned by "Road Trip Gone Wrong" on July 2005.

The of the album, which featured  of Admit One, was recorded by the band on January 2002 with Vizinsky, but remained unfinished by the time of his death in January 24. They then reworked the song with some other clips of Vizinsky's singing voice in other recordings, along with some unused clips. The single was released on August 6, 2005, debuting at number 32 of the Margovyan Top 100, but only peaking at number 2.

The album sold a total of 15.9 million copies worldwide, following which was a worldwide tour called "Victory, My Name is Vizinsky," as announced by the band at a press conference on February 10, 2005, two days before the release of "Never Again." The tour lasted for four years, with pop singers and  going on the tour with them, alongside permanent touring member. During the tour, the band managed to record and release their first greatest hits album, and their fifth studio album, before they have completed it on January 24, 2009.

Greatest Hits, Chapter One and Shevchenko's departure (2005-2007)
During their worldwide "Victory, My Name is Vizinsky" tour, the band announced at a press conference on September 21, 2005 that they will be releasing their first greatest hits album, which will contain the most successful and most promising hits from the early years of their career. On an interview with Svetlana Lanuva on November 19, 2005, Hafimwahlid Talnaev confirmed the title of the compilation album to be , and is scheduled to be released early in 2006. The album contained a mix of hits from their first four studio albums, plus two previously unreleased songs, which will both be released as singles from the album itself.

The album was released on January 12, 2006, and contained a total of sixteen songs: three from The Real Deal, three from Twenty oh-oh, five from Scream and Shout, and three from Solar Eclipse. Two previously unreleased songs were almost immediately released as the two singles of the album. The first one, entitled "Go," was released on March 13, 2006. The second single, entitled "Save Me," was released on May 12, 2006, and peaked at number one of the Margovyan Top 100 and stayed at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks.

On April 14, 2006, the band announced that alongside their "Victory, My Name is Vizinsky" Tour, they will be going on another worldwide tour, called "The Great All Around the World" tour. However, on May 15, 2006, the band announced that bassist Pyotr Shevchenko will be leaving the band for personal reasons. "I want to focus on myself and my family for a while," Shevchenko said in an interview with Treble on June 1, 2006. "I'm 31 years old, I have two kids, I guess performing on a rock band, I guess I'm too old for that." However, less than a year later, Shevchenko released a solo album under Black Box Records.

Both the "Victory, My Name is Vizinsky" and the "Great All Around the World" tours were paused after Shevchenko's departure. During an interview with Svetlana Lanuva on June 20, 2006, Marvik Rondayev said that the band was on the verge of splitting up. "Of course, it wasn't easy letting him go. I mean, first of all, he's the next best thing after Andrey [Vizinsky]. Without him, we're just three idiots with a guitar and a drum set in a garage," Marvik Rondayev said.

However, following a dispute, Admit One bassist, brother of actor , decided to leave the band, and almost immediately signed in with The Real Deal as their new bassist and primary lyricist. The band continued with both tours, and music critics saw an improvement within the band's music as Tramvitumov was brought in.

Two Steps to Paradise and Return to Recording (2007-2009)
During both the "Victory, My Name is Vizinsky" and "The Great All Around the World" tours, the band announced in another press conference on October 15, 2007 that a new album is currently under production. According to Marvik Rondadyev, the band is finally back to recording brand new songs after a brief hiatus following the death of Andrey Vizinsky, the release of their greatest hits compilation album, and the departure of Pyotr Shevchenko.

The album was confirmed by Hafimwahlid Talnaev during an interview with as having the title Two Steps to Paradise. "This time, we're venturing to pop rock and modern rock," Talnaev said. "It's not that we don't want metalcore anymore; it's just I can't do hardcore metal like what Vizinsky used to do earlier in the decade. Maybe in some recordings, I'll try, but right now, I don't want to take the risk."

The first single of the album, entitled "From Tonight, Here On Out," was released on May 10, 2008. It debuted on number 64 of the Margovyan Top 100, and peaked at number 5. It wasn't until the release of the album's second single "Full Disclosure"" on August 16, 2008 that the Real Deal will have reached the top spot in the charts.

The band's fifth studio album, entitled Two Steps to Paradise, was released on September 28, 2008, but was only given limited release outside of South America. Because of this, it only sold a total of 9.3 million copies total, even less than the total sale of their eponymous first album ten years prior. However, despite of this, the album reached gold status in Margovya on October 28, 2008, and gold status in Bolivia, Brazil and Chile by the time of the release of the album's third single, "Out Cold," on January 2, 2009.

The album's fourth single, "Rue the Day," was released on March 29, 2009, and the fifth and final single, "Dance All Night," was released on May 5, 2009, both songs peaking at the top of the Margovyan Top 100. However, as expected by the band, the studio and music critics, the album wasn't as successful as their first four albums, let alone their least successful first album.

However, despite of this, the band was still granted a "Summer Paradise" Tour by the time the album was released, still overlapping with their four-year-long "Victory, My Name is Vizinsky" tour. The tour ended on June 2009, prompting the band to start working on another album.

Clutch and Worldwide Comeback (2009-2011)
During their "Summer Paradise" tour, the band announced that a sixth studio album is currently under the works. However, on July 12, 2009, a leaked video was uploaded on YouTube showing the band rehearsing in their old studio in Ikanua, with the official title of the album being written in a little whiteboard as "Clutch." On August 4, 2009, Hafimwahlid Talnaev confirmed in an interview with Svetlana Lanuva that the album's title is Clutch.

However, before production of the new album has began, the band recorded clips of their concert performances during their last three tours, performing both classic and new Real Deal songs with famous Margovyan and International celebrities, which included, , , , , and. The clips were put together as a live album released under the title Live with the Stars on July 24, 2009.

A recording of their cover of 's "" featuring a duet with, which was performed by Rimes and The Real Deal during the US leg of the "Victory, My Name is Vizinsky" Tour, and included in the live album, was released as the first single of the band's sixth studio album, Clutch on November 12, 2009. The single went on to top both the Margovyan Top 100 and the US Billboard Hot 100 some time in late 2009, officially marking The Real Deal's worldwide comeback.

The album's was released on January 5, 2010, garnering generally positive feedback from music critics and peaked at number one in thirteen countries worldwide. Upon the release of the album itself on March 30, 2010, the band announced its upcoming "Clutch" tour around the world, celebrating their worldwide comeback.

The album reached gold status by April 12, 2010, and platinum status on April 27. It also reached gold in two other South American countries by the time of the release of its third single, "People, People," on May 20, 2010. The fourth single, entitled "Roundhouse Kick," was released on September 25, 2010, while the fifth and final single "Love It" was released on January 13, 2011. The album has sold a total of 13.3 million copies worldwide, prompting them for another studio album, which, according to them, will be another tribute for Vizinsky.

Andrey Vizinsky's 10th Death Anniversary and 27 (2011-2013)
On January 24, 2011, eleven days after the release of the last single from the band's sixth album Clutch, the band put together on their official website a countdown timer of 365 days, apparently ending on 12:00 midnight of January 24, 2012, the tenth death anniversary of their late frontman Andrey Vizinsky. During an interview with Svetlana Lanuva on March 22, 2011, Marvik Rondayev explained that the countdown isn't just for Vizinsky's tenth death anniversary, but also a countdown for the release of a seventh studio album, which was confirmed on the same day as having the title 27. "This isn't just a tribute to Vizinsky; it's also a tribute to other musicians who went on to be part of the dreaded "," Rondayev said.

The album's was released on September 2, 2011, Vizinsky's 37th birth anniversary. It debuted at number 2 of the Margovyan Top 100, and topped the charts for five consecutive weeks. The album's second single, a dance-themed song entitled "Mashed Potatoes," was released on November 30, 2011, which started a worldwide trend following the release of its music video on December 2.

The album itself was released on January 24, 2012, Vizinsky's tenth death anniversary, followed by a concert party on the college bar where the band used to perform before getting discovered, which was attended by fellow singers and bands that were either featured on previous Real Deal songs, or part of the development of the band's career. Among the notable guests in the concert party were (minus ),, , former bassist Pyotr Shevchenko, and then-Incumbent President.

The album's third single, entitled "Peripheral Vision," was released on April 11, 2012, earning the album platinum status in Margovya, and gold status in seven other countries worldwide. Upon the release of the album's fourth single "Divorce" on July 7, 2012, the band announced its upcoming "27 Club" tour, wherein they performed only classic Real Deal songs originally recorded with Vizinsky as the lead singer. During the tour, they also performed songs originally popularized by musicians who became part of the 27 Club.

The album's fifth and final single, "Party Like It's 2012," which served as a parody tribute to both their earlier single "" and the worldwide, was released on the date of the predicted "Doomsday" on December 21, 2012. The music video for the single was released on January 1, 2013, as the band's response to the speculation that 2012 is the end of the world. The album 27 sold a total of 18.4 million copies worldwide, immediately prompting the band to work an an eighth studio album, the last one before they release another compilation album celebrating the band's 20th anniversary.

Underneath My Balls, Greatest Hits, Chapter Two and The Real Deal's 20th Anniversary (2013-2014)
During their "27 Club" tour, the band started working on an eighth studio album, announcing its impending release on December 8, 2012, two weeks before the release of the final single of their previous album, 27. The title was confirmed by Tramvitumov during an interview with Rock On! magazine has Underneath My Balls. According to the band, this will mark the first time they will be venturing the promiscuity and vulgarity area since  in 2001.

On April 1, 2013, a video was uploaded in the band's official website, labeled as the official music video for their first single, entitled "Do Me." The video is apparently a gay sex scandal by lead singer Hafimwahlid Talnaev and touring member and featured no part of the song. The band stated that the video was an April Fools' Day prank, as the single wasn't even released yet. The single "Do Me" was released on April 6, 2013, with the official music video being released the day after. The video also contained part of the sex scene between Gibitov and Talnaev in the April Fools' Day video, and somehow managed to garner 24 million views in the first 24 hours.

The album was released on June 27, 2013, and sold 173,300 copies on the release date alone, almost beating the record set by Scream and Shout. However, unlike the Real Deal classic album, Underneath My Balls only sold 23.1 million copies worldwide, and only featured three singles. The second single, "Unrated and Uncut," was released on October 6, 2013, and the was released on January 4, 2014. On January 5, along with the announcement of the band's upcoming "Rock On!" tour, they also announced that a second greatest hits compilation album is currently under production.

The album Underneath My Balls was considered the third most successful album by the Real Daal, and one of its most controversial ones. Treble magazine compared this to 's  and commented on how an album released in an era where promiscuity, nudity and vulgarity is the mainstream still can contain the essence of the late 90's and early 2000's. Even international music critics can't even compare the songs in the album to the likes of, and.

Upon the conclusion of their "Rock On!" tour on February 2014, the band started working on their second greatest hits album, its title being confirmed by Talnaev during an interview with Conrada Cortesova on March 12, 2014 as Greatest Hits, Chapter Two. The album contained thirteen songs: two singles from Solar Eclipse that weren't included in Chapter One, four songs from Two Steps to Paradise, three from Clutch, three from  27, and one previously unreleased song, entitled "Old People."

Chapter Two was released on August 6, 2014, the twentieth anniversary of the formation of The Real Deal, while the only previously unreleased song in the album, "Old People," was released on September 2, 2014, Andrey Vizinsky's 40th birth anniversary. According to Marvik Rondayev, it would have been "spectacular" if Vizinsky was actually there to celebrate his 40th birthday with the band.

Greatest Hits, Chapter Two sold out a total of 17.9 million copies worldwide, which, according to them, was "okay for a comeback compilation album." The single "Old People" reached the top of the Margovyan Top 100, and peaked on the top 10 on seven countries all over the world.

Suit Up! and The Cover-Up (2014-2016)
During the success of their second greatest hits compilation album, the band recorded covers of songs which were featured in the American sitcom , which included Bad Books' "Forest Whitaker" and The Walkmen's "Heaven". The songs were recorded and released as a five-track extended play called Suit Up! on November 25, 2014.

On January 2, 2015, the band posted a video on their official website containing Hafimwahlid Talnaev saying "Seven years ago, I promised that I will try doing metalcore. Now, I give you me doing Andrey Vizinsky-style metalcore. Enjoy, folks," plus a fifty-second chunk of a then-unreleased song, which was confirmed by Talnaev as the first single of their yet-untitled ninth studio album, entitled "The Cover-Up."

On February 25, 2015, during a press conference, the band confirmed the title of the album as being The Cover-Up, and will released in mid-2015. The eponymous lead single of the album was released on April 7, 2015, and was met with generally-positive feedback. During the 2015 season of , wherein the music video of the single premiered, presenter commented on the band's performance by saying "See, I told Hafim [Talnaev] he can do hardcore metal."

The album's second single, a heavy metal rendition of ' 2009 hit "" was released on June 20, 2015, and was an instant hit in Margovya. It debuted at number one in the Margovyan Top 100 and stayed in there for nine consecutive weeks.

The album itself was released on August 8, 2015. Though it wasn't so much of a hit worldwide as 27 and Underneath My Balls, The Cover-Up reached platinum status in Margovya on September 12, 2015, and double platinum status on November 1, 2015. The album's third single, "Overkill," was released on November 24, 2015, and the fourth and final single, "1974," was released on January 27, 2016.

The album sold a total of 15.2 million copies in Margovya and the rest of South America, and following success was the band's "The Cover-Up" tour, which was announced on November 30, 2015, a week after the release of "Overkill."

The Essential Real Deal and Talnaev's Departure (2016-present)
After the release of the band's ninth studio album, The Cover-Up, rumors have been spreading about another impending greatest hits album release by the Real Deal. Talnaev confirmed the speculations during an interview with Svetlana Lanuva on November 25, 2015 that they will be releasing a third compilation album entitled The Essential Real Deal, which will be featuring The Real Deal hits from their first nine studio albums. Talnaev added that while no additional previously unreleased songs will be released, the studio will grant them a digital remastered re-release of the twelve classic Real Deal songs that were featured in the compilation album.

The first classic hit to be re-released as a single was 2001's "" from their third album of the same name. The single was released on February 29, 2016, where it re-entered the Margovyan Top 100, and top it after six weeks. The studio immediately went on to release the album's second re-release, "Party Like It's 1999," on March 30. The single's new "B-side" or accompanying track, the band's cover of the 1999 monster hit "" started a trend in Margovya, especially after the release of its music video as per insistent public demand on April 12, 2016. The video featured the members of the band plus touring member Orental Gibitov performing the song as a boyband in the Juana Arbatskaya Memorial Airport, resembling the original song's music video.

The next song to be re-released from the compilation album was "" on April 27, 2016, followed by "" on May 21, 2016. Additionally, the band also posted a cover of 's "You Suck At Love" on their official website on May 28, during which time lead guitarist Marvik Rondayev was going through a divorce with his wife of 13 years, Karina Oslanova. "We were just listening to  when we found this as the opening track," Hafimwahlid Talnaev said in an interview with The Aggregator. "We all realized this is the perfect song for Marvik, for his wife. You might even wanna look out for this on our next album."

The next song to be re-released as a single is "" on June 18, 2016, wherein both versions were digitally remastered. Two "B-sides" were also released during the digital release: the band's cover of the ' 2005 hit "" featuring Talnaev as the lead vocalist, and an unfinished-and-reworked rendition of the 1981 classic "" from 2001 by Andrey Vizinsky, featuring  member.

The sixth song to be re-released was "25" on July 14, 2016. On August 12, 2016, The Essential Real Deal was officially released, where it garnered a 185,600 sale on the release date alone. The compilation album was released worldwide, while some of the classic songs that were given a digital remastered re-release re-entered the Margovyan Top 100, and for some of the other hits, re-entered the international charts.

On August 5, 2016, during a guest appearance in Arigov & Kumilyova Tonight, lead singer Hafimwahlid Talnaev announced his departure from the band, citing personal reasons. "The Real Deal has been my family for the past 13 years, and it really was an honor being a big part of their journey as a band. This was definitely a dream come true, but I think I overstayed my welcome," Talnaev said. "While singing and performing was all good, I think I have to fulfill my other dream, which is to serve the country. Although, I'll definitely be a touring member. I love these guys; they're like my brothers. When they get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seven years later, I may not be receiving the induction with them, but I'll definitely be there to support them." Along with that, Talnaev also announced his retirement from the music industry altogether.

Marvik Rondayev, who was selected as one of the judges for the of , has found potential for both Kiril Alakdanovich and Maya Laduva, the finalists in the competition. On August 12, the night where the finalists performed their winner's singles, Rondayev announced on TV that whoever gets the record deal with Tidzhomov will be given an option to join The Real Deal as the band's new vocalist. On the night of August 13, 2016, 23-year-old, the declared winner for Svolochy Showdown season 38, immediately signed to be the new frontman of the band.

Musical Style and Influences
According to Treble magazine, the fact that The Real Deal had formed and started their career months after the 1994 death of technically classifies the early years of the band under post-grunge era, although their first hits, especially with their independent album The Raging Fire, were heavily influenced by the grunge era of the late 80's and early 90's.

However, as the turn of the millennium strikes, the band's musical style quickly switched over to heavy metal and industrial metal. Metalcore or hardcore metal was what music critics used to describe the band's music just before the 2002 death of. When was brought in as the new lead singer, they started venturing to the softer aspects of rock, such as punk rock, soft rock, and pop rock. They also used alternative and hard rock in the early 2000's as well as the late 00's and early 10's. In their 2015 album The Cover-Up, the band relived their "metalcore" image, and "managed to pull it off," according to Rock On! magazine.

The band has cited, , , , , and  as their influences.

Controversy
Since their formation in 1994, the band has been a target of numerous controversies. They took turns to address the rumors, controversies, or bashes, although on their first years in show business, most of the controversies were answered by Vizinsky.

Road Rage
Long before hitting mainstream, The Real Deal was involved in one of the biggest crimes of the 90s. On October 14, 1996, after performing at the Arbatskaya State University to commemorate the second anniversary of the 1994 Arbatskaya State University Shootout, frontman Andrey Vizinsky allegedly shot and killed Venyamin Kirilov, son of business magnate Rostislav Kirilov, in a road rage after bumping into each other along Asturiyovskaya Approach in Bulshitovskaya, Arbatskaya.

It wasn't until 1999 until it was proven that it wasn't Vizinsky or any of the members of the band that killed Kirilov. Vizinsky later comments about this in an interview with Treble on October 16, 1999: "It's appalling how any person, at all, would use his son's death just to be able to pull money off big icons in the most legal way possible. Venyamin and I were actually really close friends, and sorry to say, but I was out cold and snoring in a hotel room in Arbatskaya the minute it happened. I woke up to the news the next morning, and I couldn't feel more awful to have lost a friend. And to Mr. Kirilov, if this is about the money, I'm poor. I sing on the streets for money; that's the musical equivalent of being a beggar. You company has been getting a psoitive image all over the world for the past 74 years; please do the people of Margovya a favor and don't ruin the legacy of your grandfather."

The Wagner Brothers Studios Lawsuit
During an interview on Svetlana Lanuva Late at Night in September 2000, Andrey Vizinsky revealed one of the real reasons why he decided to re-audition for Svolochy Showdown in 1998; the release of their independent album got a negative response from Wagner Brothers Studios. Vizinsky quoted the label's exact response: "Sorry, but if some sh*t of a street band is going to leave a poor excuse of an album on our doorstep, you guys might as well kill themselves, or show up on the label, so we can do the honors." The interview inadvertently initiated a boycott against Wagner Brothers Studios and all of its talents. On November 2000, Wagner Brothers Studios filed a libel case against Vizinsky, but eventually, things were settled out of court.

However, in March 2001, Vizinsky did make a public apology to Wagner Brothers Studios, its talents, and the fans of those talents, saying that it was very personal, and that he shouldn't have revealed the name of the label, and that he shouldn't have said their exact words. He also added that causing a great downfall to the careers of the talents of the said label wasn't in any way his intention, and that he wasn't trying to get revenge as well; he just "stated what the Margovyan public had to know about them, their career, and the challenges that made them stronger as a band."

Vizinsky also added that the insult thrown at them by the studio was the main inspiration for the 1999 smash hit "."

"Scream and Shout" music video
The band was involved in one of the biggest controversies in their entire career when they released the music video for their 2000 worldwide monster hit "." In the video, the character played by Andrey Vizinsky was shown to have beat up his girlfriend (played by ), and later stabbed her in the neck with a knife, then shot her three times in the head before burying her in his backyard. This sparked an outrage among the Margovyan feminist community, especially the Margovyan feminist group Paloma, who said that the video says that "it's okay for a guy to kill his girlfriend when she reprimands him for being such a sh*tty boyfriend." Paloma then-Spokeswoman Irina Petrovskaya even demanded that all the producers and the director of the music video shall "take down the video and replace it with something that does not say 'you should kill your girlfriend if you have to,' and make a public apology on national television."

Andrey Vizinsky, himself one of the producers of both the song and the music video, mocked Petrovskaya's demands during his March 2001 public apology to Wagner Brothers Studios. After he was done saying his apology statement towards Wagner Brothers and its talents, he said "I would also like to apologize... to every prissy b*tch in the republic of Margovya who has a problem with the 'Scream and Shout' music video, for I, as one of the producers, will not take down the video."

During a guest appearance in The Svetlana Lanuva Show on April 1, 2001, Vizinsky further elaborated on their on-going feud with Paloma, saying that he won't just follow what a woman tells he just because she's a woman and he's a man. "I want the record to show that I've beaten some really big guys growing up, and fought a lot of tough bullies in high school--I've even knocked out someone who was about to mug me when I was 14. Because my first brawl when the Real Deal started performing at the bar was with a woman," Vizinsky said. "We had this friend from college whose girlfriend only dates him because of the money. The night they got engaged and celebrated at the bar, we performed the 1986 hit 'Gold Digger,' while I stared at the woman the entire time. Exposed as she is, she made a scene and started throwing stools at us. Enraged, I threw down one of the stools back at her and she acted like a diva when she started getting hurt."

When asked by Lanuva if he was worried almost the entire female population of Margovya (and probably the rest of the world) will stop listening to the Real Deal because of both the music video and his earlier statements, this is what he said:

"'I know a lot of people might think I'm an insensitive little *sshole, but hey, if you're man enough to hit a man twice your size, then be man enough to conjure the pain from a man's jab to your face. She was looking for a fight, I sold her one; serves her right. And yeah, right after that, of course, half the crowd was about to walk away, and this is what I said: 'Fine, go. But if she was performing here and I was the one throwing stools at her, I'd bet all of this bar's money you'd all be ganging up on me. If you think that's not true, then go, but be honest to yourself.' And of course, a lot of them started getting all defensive, preparing to give me that all 'it's different' sexist crap. And I answered, 'It's a yes or a no; don't defend your answer. Bottomline is, you would be ganging up on me if I was the one throwing stools at her. I'll just let you go if you honestly think to yourself, 'I would never do that to you'.' And you know what, Svetlana? They all stayed--all of them. One of the women who were about to leave, stuck around in my life for too long, we ended up at the altar together, with a baby on the way. Now I'm saying this to every feminist in Margovya who was offended by the music video, if Fanniya was the one who put me to rest in the video, I'll bet the entire net worth of Ms. Lanuva you'd all be yelling 'you go, girl! Kill him! Kill him dead!' If you think that's not true, then go ahead; stop buying any Real Deal single, album, or even merchandise. And you may stop listening to us as well. But really, be honest to yourself.'"

Because of this comment, Petrovskaya tried to file charges directly to the House of Justices, but they immediately dismissed the case five days later, saying, "there was no case," as Vizinsky never really violated any law with his statements in the talk show.

Other celebrities and media personalities also started speaking up regarding the matter. Fanniya Mejez, who was asked of her personal view regarding the video, said:

"'Why would I agree to co-star in this music video if I was even just a little offended by it? I don't really believe in that whole 'It's so bad and offensive, I'm embarrassed I even starred in this movie' crap. It's even a lot less convincing if you took your paycheck before you made that statement. It just proves the stereotype that we women are gold diggers, and it makes me sick. Look, I've known Andrey [Vizinsky] and his band for a long time; we were really close friends since I was in college, when he used to perform at ASU everytime since '96. And I can assure you people, he's a good guy. And he actually respects women; he just won't allow one to treat him like sh*t. And I actully support that. Hell, if I was the man in the video, I will do the same to my girfriend if she treats me that way.'"

Members

 * Current members
 * &mdash; lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2016-present)
 * &mdash; back-up vocals (1994-present); rhythm guitar (1994-2002); lead vocals (2002-2003); lead guitar (2002-present)
 * &mdash; drums (1994-present)
 * &mdash; bass (2006-present)


 * Touring members
 * &mdash; back-up vocals (2000-present)
 * &mdash; back-up vocals, percussion (2016-present)
 * &mdash; back-up vocals, percussion (2005-2009)
 * &mdash; back-up vocals, synthesizer, keyboards (2005-2009)


 * Past members
 * &mdash; lead vocals, lead guitar (1994-2002; deceased)
 * &mdash; bass, back-up vocals (1994-2006)
 * Hafimwahlid Talnaev &mdash; lead vocals (2003-2016)

Studio albums

 * The Raging Fire (independent) (1997)
 *  (1998)
 *  (2000)
 *  (2001)
 *  (2004)
 * Two Steps to Paradise (2008)
 * Clutch (2010)
 * 27 (2012)
 * Underneath My Balls (2013)
 * The Cover Up (2015)

Live Albums

 * The Real Deal: Live! (1999)
 * The Great Continental Album (2000)
 * Mic Test: The Live Shows (2004)
 * Live With the Stars (2009)
 * Drinking Sessions (2013)

Compilation Albums

 *  (2006)
 * Greatest Hits, Chapter Two (2014)
 * The Essential Real Deal (2016)

Extended plays

 * Mic Test (2003)
 * Suit Up! (2014)

Tours

 * The Raging Fire Tour (1998)
 * The Real Deal Tour (1998-1999)
 * Party Like It's 1999 Tour (2000)
 * Scream and Shout Tour (2001)
 * Mic Test Tour (2003-2004)
 * Victory, My Name is Vizinsky Tour (2005-2009)
 * The Great All Around the World Tour (2006-2008)
 * The Summer Paradise Tour (2008-2009)
 * Clutch Tour (2010-2011)
 * The 27 Club Tour (2011-2013)
 * Rock On! Tour (2013-2014)
 * The Cover Up Tour (2016-present)

Awards

 * 1997 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Indie Rock Album (The Raging Fire)
 * 1998 - Grammy Awards for Best New Artist
 * 1998 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Album (The Real Deal)
 * 1998 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Song ("Road's End")
 * 1998 - Sergei Eisenstein Performing Arts Awards for Best Cover ("Semi-Charmed Life")
 * 1999 - MNBN Awards for Best Artist
 * 1999 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Band
 * 2000 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Album (Twenty oh-oh)
 * 2000 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Rock Song ("25")
 * 2000 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Album (Twenty oh-oh)
 * 2001 - Academy Awards for Best Original Song ("Party Like It's 1999")
 * 2001 - Margovyan People's Choice Awards for Best Artist
 * 2001 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Band
 * 2001 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Collaboration ("Kiss" feat. )
 * 2001 - Margovyan Music Awards for Best Album (Scream and Shout)
 * 2001 - Margovyan Music Awards for Best Song ("Scream and Shout")
 * 2001 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Album (Scream and Shout)
 * 2001 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Hardcore Metal Song ("Scream and Shout")
 * 2001 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Artist
 * 2001 - Sergei Eisenstein Performaing Arts Awards for Best Artist
 * 2002 - Grammy Awards for Album of the Year (Scream and Shout)
 * 2002 - Grammy Awards for Song of the Year ("Scream and Shout")
 * 2002 - Margovyan Music Awards for Best Band
 * 2002 - Sergei Eisenstein Performing Arts Awards for Best Artist
 * 2002 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Artist
 * 2005 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Comeback Album (Solar Eclipse)
 * 2005 - Grammy Awards for Song of the Year ("Have You Ever")
 * 2006 - Margovyan Music Festival Awards for Best Compilation Album (Greatest Hits, Chapter One)
 * 2006 - Hardcore Underground Music Awards for Best Compilation Album (Greatest Hits, Chapter One)