LATENT AVIDITY

A nice return to form for these heavy proggers from Leszno (Poland). Like French band Children in Paradise (Dam Kat), they display a great command of how simple heavy prog can be. Plus they come up with great melodies.

1. "Intro" (0:49) atmospherics with clock ticking. (4.5/5)

2. "Still There" (6:07) great opening chord--sound and sequence. Vocals in verse and chorus are quite engaging. Nice guitar solo in the second and third minutes. Great background vocals and SAGA-like finale. (9.25/10)

3. "Loneliness" (5:13) another great opening with female lead vocal stepping in from the start. Jakub Roszak provides some awesome background and harmony vocals. Great FLOCK OF SEAGULLS guitar to support the bridge between the first two verses (which becomes the foundation for the chorus later). Great song design and construction. (8.75/10)

4. "The Seed Has Been Sown" (7:32) a song that takes some surprising twists and turns--turning more spacious just when you expect the power chords, vocals going artsy when you expect metal screams. The song final pulses with the expected heaviness during the "C" instrumental part in support of the guitar solo but then turns very quiet with pregnant latency for a brief delicate vocal before another soaring, emotional guitar solo takes us to the end. (13.5/15)

5. "Stop for a While" (5:53) opens with gravelly voice of Jakub Roszak singing plaintively with only the support of a piano. Spacious electric guitar notes take over for the second verse before the full band kicks in with something cool. Great drumming here! Synth washes and background vocals support the next verse as Jakub sings in a higher octave. I really love this more-spacious version of Retrospective! Final verses are sung with equal vocal weight given to Jakub and Beata. It's a love song! Nice! Great finish with synths, steady bass and drums and sensitive guitar solo followed by Jakub and Beata repeating their shared story once more. Beautiful! (9.25/10)

6. "In the Middle of the Forest" (6:50) solid SYLVAN/LIZARD-esque song. (13/15)

7. "Programmed Fear" (5:24) opens with a little VOTUM-like sound (guitar arpeggi) but the near-militaristic drumming is a bit off-putting. Again, excellent vocal work on all layers. (8.5/10)

8. "What Will Be Next?" (10:41) A good, solid, engaging heavy prog epic. Great vocal harmonies in the final couple minutes. Great finish! (17.5/20)

4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock on the heavy side. I swear: I'd rather listen to Retrospective than Riverside.

RETROSPECTIVE is a Polish group that started his musical activity in 2005, before passing through HOLLOW and desires to copy PINK FLOYD, ANATHEMA, RIVERSIDE and DREAM THEATER. RETROSPECTIVE work in a symphonic sound, metal, orchestral, finally the great prog metal as I was put the note in 2008 listening to "Stolen Thoughts". 4th, 5th album if you count their "single cover" of 2007, with a more gay, more air, more successful, more repetitive but less monolithic, more cheerful, more modern too. PAIN OF SALVATION, ANTIMATTER and PARADISE LOST come to me at different times give some singular sounds to disrupt the new auditor in seeking a clingy style to their skin; for insiders, these names will, I hope, give even more desire to listen and purchase.

"Time" for its progressive timed entry or New Age SF bringing "Still There" and a typical sound RETROSPECTIVE combining wonderfully with a digest of PARADISE LOST more prog, some ANATHEMA darker and a bit of PAIN OF SALVATION more calm, as their second specific time; an atmospheric air, mysterious, captivating, soothing air with nothing but intense voice Jakub. "Loneliness" and the voice of Beata in the preamble as "lead-singer" here, a bit like ANATHEMA did with Lee Douglas, a title more "dark-New Wave" peeping through the best and the best DEPECHE MODE PARADISE LOST, almost dancing title with a very present drums and riffs heady, spellbinding bringing a monotone solo, it's dark and clear, even a musical climax often brought up to date since the new decade. "The Seed Has Been Sown" returns with the voice of Jakub reminding me time singer PEARL JAM for delivered more tormented, alternative rock, gothic phrasing by now, a look even heady very syncopated, well paced, few keys TOOL from here and there, the guitar is very airy, low-battery basis giving a slow enough pace to a second part more "heavy" with fat riffs and plaintive guitar, a good progressive moment in itself, I can only do a similar atmosphere with PARADISE LOST here transcended by the longer solos and expressive Maciej. "Stop For a While" hand on a softer way, more air as piano at the start, a calm voice,

"In The Middle Of The Forest" from a partition to SIMPLE MINDS, when I was talking to air pop, there is! It's almost dancing, you feel the head move alone, a compliment in the extremely closed world of progressive rock if this is where everything is too internalized. The second partition on drift expressive phrasing, a solo THE CURE like those on "Disintegration" short ears attacking from all sides. "Programmed Fear" returns with a look a little more pop rock and some funky smells, the image that comes to mind is this nursing home photo with lil old progueux fighting suddenly group name, there they start dancing and singing in chorus rETROSPECTIVE, it warms the heart ... because it takes me back to my sentence worship "prog makes young"!

"What Will Be Next" closing the album with the longest piece and most successful; is at this point that we meet the phonic diversity of the group, there is pop, groove, some bluesy voice, dark-wave, of the depressive metal, melodic doom, atmospheric, guitars give into emotion, rhythmic base in the tortured and heavy sounds, staccato used giving more heaviness, under gravity thus achieving vibrating legs and head unexpectedly, a very good sign to the end with his didgeridoo to wake you from your prog trance.

Well, the fact RETROSPECTIVE RETROSPECTIVE, do not doubt! Only with time, their sounds are refined is to give the very substance marrow to their scores; no new drifts, no amplification of sound, just a rhythmic colorful, seasoned with purely atmospheric gay and dark atmospheres at once, all for a swim in a pleasant way in a dazzling smoothly. A great doom metal disc gay.