MEGALÁZOTTAK ÉS MEGSZOMORÍTOTTAK

Very quiet and symphonic, very good. The first track is the highlight: a dark mini-suite, plenty of beauty, with magnificent piano and chamber strings interplay. The following numbers don't reach the same brightness, but they are very good indeed, all showing the AFTER CRYING vein: A sort of dark and melodic chamber music, with some Hungarian lyrics and sometimes closer to RIO, but essentially symphonic prog. Recommended.

AFTER CRYING have been "at it" for at least 10 years, and, thanks to the internet, they have slowly built a strong international fan base outside of Hungary. "Megalázottak és Megszomorítottak", released in 1992, is a unique album in the world of prog. The new listener quickly notices that the band is more classical, in nature, than rock, and consists of a pianist, cello player, trumpet player, bassist, and drummer. The music on this album is done in a post-minimalist style. By that, I mean that the compositions feature slow extended notes, and relaxed attitudes, but the band isn't afraid to flirt with complexity (almost like some of John Adam's work) every once in a while. The musicians focus on creating beautiful atmospheres that are haunting, sometimes depressed, and dark. In fact, once in a while I'm reminded of UNIVERS ZERO, yet AFTER CRYING are less frantic. The first track "A Gadarai Megszállott" is a 22-minute masterpiece. The first 7-minutes features slow, tension-building, interaction between piano and cello. I quickly noticed that the drummer tends to lay low, and he usually taps out variations of the melodies on his cymbals. The vocal section that starts around the 8-minute mark really surprised me. My only experience previously with the Hungarian language in music came via my dad's Hungarian folk albums. I was actually expecting the vocals here to sound closer to vocals featured in Russian, German, and Romanian music, but, surprisingly, the singing on this album is actually closer to Italian. By that, I mean that the vocal melodies are very close to the ones found on Italian prog albums. The singer tends to sing in a sad, reflective sort of way. Towards the end of that vocal section the band starts heading towards more aggressive territories, yet even at their most aggressive, the band sounds controlled and reserved. The pianist, at one point towards the last part of the piece, bursts out a BANCO-like piano riff. At this point, the trumpet is also noticeable. The trumpet-style is minimalist, and usually involves a few sustained notes. Once in a while, I also hear a bit of a Miles Davis influence. Now, if I had to point out a flaw, I would mention the climatic(or release) section of the composition. After building-up tension for about 15-minutes, the ending isn't strong enough to resolve the piece (it's quite possible that the band meant for it to sound unresolved). The 4 other pieces that finish the CD are not as strong as the epic. Overall, this is one of the top 1990s prog CD that I've heard.

Well I prefer "De Profundis", nevertheless this album represents their definitive effort, as a symphonic minimalist work without guitars, characterized by a dark mood, sometimes a bit depressing, but always unique... actually its right rate should be 4 stars at most, but the originality of this album and such personal strong imprinting too, make this album well worth checking out, at least!!

Not for the first time, I have decided to re-review an album. And in this case, I am adding a star to this superb album, since it has become one of my favorite mostly-instrumental prog albums of all time.

I simply love the overall effect of this album, which is instrumental, with only occasional, but always compellingly plaintive, vocals. The 22-minute opening track is a fabulous classically-oriented pastiche that reminds me in many places of Crimson's Wake of Poseidon/Lizard/Islands period. Contrary to other reviewers, I found the other four tracks equally delightful in their own ways. Especially good is the fourth (title) track, which has the most recognizable "prog-rock" (as opposed to more "classical") approach. The final track is also an excellent composition, accomplishing a great deal in a short time.

There is a great deal of creativity going on here within a seemingly loose framework. and the virtuosity of the players is almost frightening: the cellist is world-class, and the violinist and trumpeter are superb. (BTW, where is the drummer's credit?...)

This is a wonderfully interesting, eminently listenable and highly enjoyable album that really grows on you. (And I just love trying to get my mouth around the title!). And although it came out somewhat late in the game to qualify as "essential," it is without question an excellent addition to any prog rock collection.

Usually the rallying cry "play it loud!" is attached to music that is loud and noisy by nature, but in this case one needs to bump up the volume to hear all the beautiful subtleties. AFTER CRYING is one of the few bands (along with TALK TALK) that is not afraid of making a point with quiet or even silent passages. Individual songs come and go softly- you may still be waiting for the end of one when another begins. This is a moody, dramatic album, but rarely pretentious; a remarkable compromise between a classical requiem and a modern minimalist composition (without the detached conceit). The vocals are reverently hushed; low in the mix and generally understated- as if I could understand the lyrics anyway- but complement the instrumentation perfectly. The violin is particularly expressive- fans of David Cross' playing may enjoy comparing the two styles. Occasionally there is a discordant free-jazz influence which can contrast harshly with the dark and lovely moods, as in the last third of "A Gadarai Megszállott". The influence seems much more at home on the title track, which is the most prog-like of all the pieces, at times bringing to mind early-70s KING CRIMSON. I find it more similar to STEREOLAB's softer moments (parts of the COBRA AND PHASES GROUP album especially) than to almost anything in the prog stable. I wish I was more well-versed in Hungarian music, in order to get a better sense of context, but to me it sounds worthy of respect and very unique (despite the fact that I've just compared them to three other bands). Often the songs sound like highlights from an improvisational session rather than actual prepared pieces, and as such I never quite feel that I get enough of anything. Perhaps they are purposefully denying closure, or encouraging repeated listenings, but ultimately there are no truly moving moments to elevate the album beyond simply a good ambient soundtrack for a melancholy mood. I just wish they'd explored this style more fully rather than the ELP-ish offerings of the later works.

Predominantly very calm art rock (in the original sense of the term), the antithesis of metal, from these classically trained musicians. In fact a lot of this music need not be classified as rock in my opinion. Relaxing and totally pleasant to listen to either attentively or in the background, I can have this playing when working at my desk, which is not something I can do with a lot of rock music. The music is primarily instrumental, with some understated singing (in Hungarian), some almost susurrant. Actually, the playing is understated too, and the music has an innate simplicity. Melodious, a few parts sound almost ecclesiastical (chanting, or choirboy-like vocalisations, or organ). There is some interesting use of instruments, such as the cello, viola and trumpet, and I also like the use of piano and percussion. Birdsong, including the call of the cuckoo, is used atmospherically in places. There are some similarities to classical music, but it does not feel classical in the way that, say, the music of Russian band HORIZONT feels classical; this music sounds more like the music of Bartók, which is perhaps not surprising given the band's provenance, so there is an eastern European folk or Romany feel to it. However in my opinion the music is truly progressive. Some little snippets are even jazzy, and sometimes the trumpet even reminds me of those Tijuana refrains in spaghetti westerns. Different mental pictures I get throughout the tracks are of being in a deep forest at dawn or sunset, or of being on a windswept moor, or of sitting near the edge of a cliff overlooking a wide plain. Some of the music feels a bit as if it could be the soundtrack of a film or TV drama. The music is not calm in the sense of the music of Italian band CELESTE, which has a sunny, carefree air. This album's music has a more serious, sombre feel to it. The second track, which is equally pleasing, even makes me think of the novels of Thomas Hardy. This music is a refreshing change. After listening to the album I come away feeling tranquil. If such a thing were possible, I would award it 3.5 stars, but will go with 3 (Good, but non-essential), but if you want to try something novel and relaxing you should find this album a worthwhile addition to your collection.

I really liked this 1992 debut from Hungarian progressive outfit After Crying the first time I heard it, and now, some ten or twelve listens later, I like it even more. While this moody, magnificent music may not appeal to listeners who like their prog to fall on the "rockier" side of the equation, those with a taste for the truly symphonic and lovely in progressive should find plenty to please them here. (It is worth mentioning that my wife -- whose tastes in prog rarely extend beyond some classic Yes, Genesis, and Rush -- also quite likes this one, though it bears little resemblance to the work of those prog heavyweights.)

The first of the album's five tracks, the twenty-two minute long "A Gadarai Megszallot," is perhaps the single best piece of latter-day prog that I've yet had the good fortune to hear. After a gentle intro of keyboard "atmospherics," birdsong, and piano that puts me in mind of early-morning mist rising from the ground, the song "proper" opens to the haunting strains of that most expressive of bowed instruments, the cello, and the stately grandeur continues to build from there. The nearest comparison that comes to mind within the prog genre is King Crimson's oft-maligned, understated "Islands," but fans of classical (the band is classically trained, and it certainly shows), new age, or just plain beautiful, soothing music should also love this piece. The restrained vocals (no screaming or growling here!), all delivered in Hungarian, are of a very high quality -- they add to the overall exotic, eastern-European feel, and compliment the music wonderfully. Instrumentation includes the aforementioned keyboards, piano and cello, with the addition of trumpet and restrained drums (the snare is particularly effective), that again reminds me of LIZARD/ISLANDS-era Crimson. At around the seventeen minute mark, a spoken female voice prefaces a brief, comparatively frantic section, replete with wailing brass, that favourably evokes Crimson's "Pictures of a City," before a magnificent trumpet theme emerges, and the birdsong again gently rises from the mix for the fadeout. Absolutely superb stuff!

Track two, "A Kis Hos," is a shorter mood piece that serves up more cello, some nice female vocals, tasteful viola, and some male vocals that are reminiscent of monastic chanting.

The third track, the aptly-named "Nokturn," is another shorter number that showcases a somewhat mournful keyboard, a solo male voice, and a bassoon. Guaranteed to restore jangled nerves, and set you gently adrift upon sublime seas of slumber or contemplative meditation; the only fault I can find with this one is its just under two-minute duration -- too soon to be torn from the comforting arms of Morpheus!

"Megalazottak Es Megszomoritottak," at a trifle less than twelve minutes, is another longer, fully-realized suite, and the most varied offering of the session. An opening, up-tempo section contrasts with a second of sad, stark beauty, and the masterful, sparing use of snare, trumpet and piano once more hearken back to the prettier moments of KC's ISLANDS. (Sorry to repeat myself, but for me, at least, the musical kinship is obvious, and welcome.)

The final song, "Vegul," is yet another only-too-brief offering that starts off with a lonely viola, before an exotic Middle-Eastern flavour is imparted, courtesy of an acoustic bass. Next come some jazzily-soloing drums, and a gentle synth fadeout that brings our Hungarian journey to a close, but leaves me longing to return to After Crying's magical musical realm.

A truly superb disc! I award it four well-justified stars -- only withholding the fifth because of the almost jarring briefness of three of the five tracks. No, this will not appeal to everyone -- adherents of "progressive metal," in particular, should probably stay away (they'd likely find it "boring") -- but all others with a taste for the beautiful and exotic are strongly urged to check this one out. I love it!

My one complaint about After Crying is that their albums tend toward the more expensive side, at least here in the United States. This isn’t the kind of band whose albums you’ll find in a ‘normal’ record store either, so mail-order is about the only option if you live well inland from either coast and away from any large metropolitan areas like I do.

But that’s about it – everything else about this band is simply superb. Their second album ‘Megalázottak és Megszomorítottak’ takes a step forward from ‘Overground Music’, which for me was a great find. The band’s mildly post-rock-meets-classical style blends the best of the intensely reflective sounds of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sigur Rós with the somber qualities of groups like the 3rd & the Mortal, but in the case of the latter seem to avoid the wrist-slashing depressive moods that band seems to heavily favor.

This is not simple music by any means, and I suppose hard-core musicians will find much to critique and admire in the arrangements. I’m just a simple music fan, so for me it’s all about the moods that the band evokes. And each track here sets a strong atmosphere indeed, beginning with the ambitious “A Gadarai Megszállott” and following through with admirable continuity to the closing “Végül”. As with ‘Overground Music’ there are no guitars here, and again as with that album I don’t miss them at all. I love the classical strings, and of those the ones that have the most emotive sounds are viola and cello. Both are featured very prominently in all of After Crying’s music, so this stuff is a no- brainer for me. And while I love saxophone in pop and jazz music, the oboe, bassoon, and trombone are a bit more exotic and fit these compositions much better. The trumpet can be an overpowering instrument, but especially on the opening track it is used sparingly and too great effect, especially at the end of “A Gadarai Megszállott” with the trombone (and I believe bassoon again) with a little repetitive staccato piece that is warm and pleasant to sit back and enjoy.

“A Kis Hos” is a lush string interlude with chamber-like vocals that are much improved from ‘Overground Music’, whose vocals I believe I once referred to as “Kermit-like”. Not so here – these are strong, classical, and very much complement the strings. “Noktürn” on the other hand sounds a bit like a child’s ballad, which it may in fact be, but is also the weakest and shortest track here. No matter, it makes for a nice bridge to the title track’s more ambitious arrangement. This is more animated than the first three tracks, and reminds me a bit more of ‘Overground Music’, except that this is where the piano finally makes a strong appearance and reminds me that the piano is much less prominent than on the band’s previous album. While I loved Csaba Vedres’ piano work on that album, it is not much missed here with the heavier use of the strings and brass, but especially the strings. The tempo shifts on the title track are amazingly fluid, and while I’ve no idea what the point of this song is, it is definitely a delight to the ears on a quiet evening at home.

“Végül” again features cello and viola heavily, although for some reason the band felt the need for quite a bit of drum soling throughout this short work, which is well-done but doesn’t add any meaning in particular for me.

This is a CD that I keep in my car and have been playing a fair amount lately while driving to and from work. Especially on the trips home it helps to calm me down after a stressful day, and as a result leaves me in a better mood when I open the door at home and face my family. So for that at least I thank the band, and recommend this highly to just about any progressive or classical music fan. Four stars.

peace

I thought you were bringing the guitar

Hungary's After Crying delivered their second album in 1992, a couple of years after their debut. From a prog perspective, the positioning of a 22 minute suite "A Gadarai Megszállott" right up front offers the hope of a damn good listen. A quick check of the line up on the other hand suggests a degree of caution. Completely absent are guitars of any kind; instead we have a quasi-classical assembly, with oboe, cello, flute and brass featuring strongly.

The aforementioned suite, as it turns out, is a sort of modern classical piece apparently based around various improvisations on themes. When the vocals are eventually added, they sound to my untrained ear to be of the type common on Italian Symphonic Prog albums. The language may be Hungarian, but the atmosphere is universal. It is perhaps these vocals which differentiate the piece from simply being classified as a modern classical suite, but surprisingly they do not sound out of context. Around the mid-point of the track, the brass section suddenly makes its presence felt with a brief but rousing burst of jazz rock.

Of the remaining four tracks three are brief, almost interlude, pieces. They are pretty, but of little real consequence. The other track of note is the 11 minute "Megalázottak És Megszomorítottak". There is more of a rock orientation to this piece, with occasional hints of ELP when the pace is lifted. Overall though, the atmosphere is less structured than the works of ELP, hinting more towards 1980's King Crimson.

Overall, the album is paradoxically difficult to get into but easy to listen to. Superficially, the sounds are easy on the ear and pleasant, but the improvisational style of composition means that there is little to grasp onto and retain. Certainly worth a listen or three.

As a footnote, for those of you who enjoy the music here, and especially the longer tracks, I would recommend the albums made by my good friend Yoel Schwarcz under the band name Continuum, in the early 1970's.

This is one of these albums with a hard first listening... Mainly because it's different of everything you've heard before!

The main element of this marvellous collection of intimistic songs is the Peter Pejtsik's cello, the true protagonist of this album... The first song opens with a very long section dominated by this instrument, and believe me if I say that it's one of the most beautifully played cello that I've heard. Then the peaceful and warm Peter vocals come, opening new sections of this first songs, where we can discover some King Crimson influences, a marvellous using of wind instruents like the oboe, along with even more incredible cello playing.

The rest of the album is pretty good too... A Kis Hos has a very curious gregorian singing influence, along with some female vocals. Nokturn has a very beautiful keyboard work, while the tittle track brings the cello back, but this time with a strong jazz feeling, and with some sections wich bring to my mind the weirdest Van der Graaf Generator's, thanks also to the using of wind instruments. Finally, Vegul closes the album like it started... Really good, with a wonderful drumming.

Best tracks: I really can't say... The first one is simply amazing, and the rest of the album is always at a high level.

Conclusion: this album is defnitely not for everyone's taste... But if you consider yourself an adventourous and open minded prog-listener, then give "MEGALÁZOTTAK ÉS MEGSZOMORÍTOTTAK" a try, beacuse it's a really captivating trip, specially if you like the more jazzy and classical influenced prog. Like I said, the first listening can be a bit traumatic, maingly because the lack of guitars, the gregorian elements, the hungarian lyrics... But after a pair of listenings you'll discover yourself coming back again and again to this magical, melancholic and enchanting music.

My rating: ****

4.5 stars. The music is as beautiful and melancholic as the gorgeous cover art. Man I like that album cover though. It reminds me when I used to jog on the beach in the dark and the only lighting was the from the moon. For me this is AFTER CRYING's best work. I like the debut ("Overground Music") a lot but this is more mature with a lot less vocals. And the vocals we do get are in their native language (Hungarian) this time. Lots of viola, cello, trombone, trumpet, aboe, flute and bassoon, besides the usual keyboards, bass and drums.

The album opens with a side long suite called "A Gadarai Megszaliott" which is over 22 minutes.Themes are repeated and we get lots of atmopshere especially early on and late. I like when it turns darker and heavier after 4 1/2 minutes, this is followed by atmosphere with piano, cymbals and cello.Vocals around 8 minutes. Horns before 10 minutes after the vocals stop. Spoken Hungarian words 12 minutes in then bass, cello, piano and drums take over. Drums and atmosphere dominate 16 minutes in. Female spoken words after 17 minutes until it kicks in with aggressive horns, drums and piano. Atmosphere only after 18 minutes then back to the drums, piano and horns before 19 1/2 minutes. It ends as it began.

"A Kis Hos" features strings and female vocal melodies. "Nokturn" has these reserved male vocals to open as a beat then aboe joins in. "Megalazottak Es Megszomoritottak" opens with dissonant strings of some sort with cymbals and bass, church organ floods in but it's brief as the viola or cello returns.The tempo picks up with piano and drums after 2 minutes. Strings join in. It settles with more dissonant strings before 3 minutes then it picks back up. Horns before 4 minutes as it settles again. Reserved male vocals before 6 minutes then when they stop we get trumpet. Great tune. "Vegul" opens with strings then the drums kick in and dominate right to the end.

If your into that Classical style or Chamber music you should really check this album out.

"Grieved and Humiliated" (Thanks to Google) is the second studio album of the Hungarian After Crying.

First of all this is a band, like the Slovakian "Collegium Musicum" with a strong classical background coming from behind the iron curtain. We can say all the bad of the life in the eastern Europe before the 1989, but the attention to culture and education was one of the positive things of the old regimes and it's something that has left a sign in the way of making art from Russia to East Germany.

"A Gadarai Megszállott" (The Gadaral Obsessed, or The Fanatic of Gadaral) is a side long track based on piano and strings with a classical feeling. A masterpiece of symphonic prog on which I can't hear the usual ELP influence that's evident, in example, in Marian Varga's playing. I can hear similarties with the Czech "Modry Efekt", but it's likely because of the common mittel-european origins. This is a slow and dark symphony good for a summer night (at least this is the mental image that it gives me), a dream just before sleeping.

Violin and Cello open the B side. "A Kis Hõs" (A little Hero), then pause and the choir sings "ahoo". This is the base of this short song whose mood is just a little darker than the first track. The dream is turning into a little nightmare.

"Noktürn" is a short song, very melodic and based on major chords. A brief interlude but not a filler. An oboe is not a common instrument in non-classical music.

The title track has a chaotic opening. Sliding violin and cello strings on a drumming background, then organ and drums play on odd signature and the cello makes the solo. Now the suite is started. The piano closes the intro and the jazzy section starts. Later it turns into symphonic with a base of percussions and trumpet. When they are replaced by keyboard and voice it gets a very dark flavour. The sound of the trumpet is very appropriate, it gives a particular touch of sadness. I think to Blade Runner Blues.

"Vegul" (Finally) is just a closer made mainly of drums and keyboards with a jazzy flavour.

This is an excellent release and its biggest quality is the originality. The band's sound is unmistakable and the dark mood makes it less easy but more interesting than the debut.

4 stars

Back with the same cast as on Overground Music, the band has added more use of drums/percussion and have now included synthesizers and organ into their play. Less emphasis on piano, less employment of vocals, this has a bit of a darker complexion to it. I like the fact that After Crying evolves from album to album--hate coming in with expectations for 'more of the same.' New instruments, new listenings and new influences yield new ideas, growth and development. As others have pointed out, AC have continued to grow in confidence with regards to letting space and time spread out, letting their ideas percolate and develop slowly, thoughtfully, and, often, emotionally.

Favorite selections: the sublime DAVID SYLVIAN/jazz-tinged title piece (11:45) (10/10); the avant monastic chant-orchestral "A kis hös" (3:31) (10/10); the modernized folk étude, "Végül" (2:29) (9/10), and the subtley-slow developing, but beautifully powerful epic, "A gadarai megszállott" (22:14) (9/10).

I consider this another masterpiece, essential for the singularity of this band's unusual approach and high quality product during a time of relatively sparse contributions in the field of symphonic "rock." Yet, despite saying this, I stand firmly by the notion that this 1992 album stands as tall and as beacon-like now as it did then.

Another shout across the cloud-covered Earth: "Look what music can do!"

This one is it: After Crying's fantastic, wonderful masterpiece of symphonic prog, crafted with such a mastery of classical music, rock, and some jazz and ambient influences as to put every other band in the genre to shame. With a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere, the album focuses on instruments not traditionally at centre stage in rock music even in a symphonic prog context - oboes, cellos, violas, trombones, trumpets, bassoons and all the rest - and presents an emotional rollercoaster ride through moments of tranquil reflection and periods of intense, startling business. With this one album, After Crying make the classic symphonic prog bands of the 1970s look like utter children messing about with things they don't understand in comparison to the stately, mature, and exquisite performances captured here.

By 1991 After Crying would start to retake shape as a normal band.Balazs Winkler enters the picture on keyboards and trumpet and immediately he was given responsibilities as part of the composing team.Same goes for Laszlo Gacs, who took his place behind the drum kit in order to add to the band a more rockin' dimension.Gabor Egervari remained a strong contributor as a composer on After Crying's ''Megalazottak es megszomorítottak'', which for some reason the band had to release on the Quint label, who had become a part of EMI in Hungary.Several guests appear on choirs and wind instruments in this album released in 1992.

Of course the absolute centerpiece of the album is the 22-min. long ''A gadarai megszallott'', a true epitome on Chamber/Symphonic Rock with orchestral variations and some jazzy elements in the horn moves.This is dark, ambiental music with sound effects and lots of space for piano and cello themes, featuring an upgraded sound on the vocals, which now had a sensitive but expressive GREG LAKE echo, sung in the Hungarian language.For the most of its part this flows in a melancholic and atmospheric orchestral sound with vocals in evidence, rising a bit after the middle with a richer and more complex sound, based on cello, keyboards, piano and clarinet, eventually creating a unique atmosphere of jazzy horns, academic piano lines and monster symphonic grandieur, fading into a soft trumpet/piano execution with bass and drums supporting.The other piece to really remember is the 12-min. title-track and its obscure, very 70's-like KING CRIMSON atmosphere with the drums becoming a focal point in After Crying's music next to the piano, keyboard and cello solos.This might sound even better than the opening opus with everchanging moods, ranging from complex string-based Chamber Rock to retro-influenced keyboard Prog Rock to Lounge Music.Nice stuff.Three shorter tracks, not longer than 3 minutes each, complete this work, all of them sound like a mixture of Chamber Music, Experimental Rock and Orchestral Music in soft and ethereal arrangements.

Classical Music meets Jazz meets smooth Rock in a unique, very Avant-Garde-like way.Strongly recommended, despite its certain music experiments, likely to please both fans of Prog Rock and pure Classical Music...3.5 stars.