FORSAKEN

Bartosz Ogrodowicz has opened my ears to instrumental prog with metal hints to it. I really like instrumental music, especially when it is accompanied with prog and metal, but I usually like at least some vocals to round it out. But, even though this album has no vocals at all it is has still grabbed my attention and, to not be to clich'd hopefully, shown me the light.

One thing that I like about this album is that within the first five or so songs a different instrument is showcased. While all of them have superb keyboard melodies in them, Ogrodowicz's main instrument as far as I can tell, different instruments such as drums and synths take the lead at certain points. The drums, if placed on any other album would seem too rigid and march like, but they fit right in with this style of music. They really drive the whole album, mainly with a high sound, and add a whole different dimension to his playing. The track 'Intro', as you may be able to tell from the name, offers a great starting point for the album with samplings of great things to come.

My favorite track would have to be 'Forsaken' mostly because it is the fastest and has the best melodies, in my opinion. The superb synth keyboard and drum rhythm in the beginning all set up for a great song. After the melody plays for a bit it gets into a power metal-ish section that provides an awesome synth solo and a different drum sound. The drums on this track are much deeper, and have a more treble sound to them. Another song of mention is 'Love' since it splits up the album a bit. While most of the songs before it are mostly fast and synth driven, this song, led mostly by pure piano provides a great change in feeling and listening pleasure. This is just what Bartosz wanted since he wanted the listener to imagine the songs and not be told by lyrics and such, according to his official website. 'Judgement Part 1' is also a great song, and serves as a very good intro into 'Judgement Part 2' exactly like the song 'Intro' did to the whole album. This theme of leading into songs and samplings of tracks is used often and well throughout this album and adds to the enjoyment of it.

The production is pretty basic, but for a self produced work it's not that bad. Even though the production isn't the best it doesn't detract that much from the album.

'Forsaken' is a great instrumental album for any fan of instrumental prog metal or for any fans of instrumental music in general. It features great songs such as 'Forsaken', nice ballads like 'Love' and even epics such as the tow part song 'Judgement'. For his great work and sound Bartosz Ogrodowicz gets 3.5 stars for his first full length release.

Bartosz OGRODOWICZ is a young and talented composer and keyboardist hailing from Poland, who despite only being 22-years-old already has had some tenures with band projects. "Forsaken" is his first solo album, and was released in the fall of 2010.

If you enjoy symphonic progressive rock and don't mind listening to an album made within a framework of limited instrumental possibilities, Bartosz Ogrodowicz has launched an enjoyable debut with "Forsaken". Synthetic in sound and with a distinct self-produced air, it isn't an album that will appeal to all and sundry. But if you enjoy good compositions and can envision and appreciate their quality also when explored within a confined setting, you will probably find this CD to be a surprisingly enjoyable example of its kind.