THE WYRDING WAY

It seems that, in Polish neo prog circles, as COLLAGE and its successor SATELLITE go, so goes long detached offshoot BELIEVE, and I might even add vice versa. Some time after BELIEVE's 2017 triumph "Seven Widows" came the first COLLAGE album in a quarter century, With the splendid "Over and Out", in addition to picking up where they and SATELLITE had left off, Woljek Szadowski had been listening intently to Mirek Gil's BELIEVE, and, apart from incorporating those atmospheres, got caught in the revolving vocalist saga that has dogged both groups throughout their colorful history. To close the loop for the here and now, Gil has taken lessons from the COLLAGE reunion for good and bad, and returned with a new vocalist (duh) Jinian Wilde in "The Wyrding Way". It also coincidentally begins with a 20+ minute track followed by mostly pieces in the 10 minute range from there. If you aren't confused yet, I endeavor to finish that job in the next few minutes.

The titular expression refers to the use of witchcraft and such to plot one's own destiny. Appropriately the music here is perhaps a tad more in the spacey realm than we are used to, with the virtuosic Satomi mostly occupied with keyboards rather than the violin which dominated "Seven Widows". Of course, Gil is still sizzling on expressive occasionally Frippian lead guitars and even a bit of acoustic guitar here and there, and Jinian luckily hails from the school of BELIEVE vocalists. While the rhythm section cannot ever match the freneticism of COLLAGE/SATELLITE, this is almost uniformly excellent, with only "Be My Tears" sacrificing, so to speak, some quality for message.

My two complaints are the slashing of violin bits and their infusion into the arrangements rather than soli, and this continued tendency among our cult favorites to string together concepts into overly long epics for the sake of it. For instance, "Wicked Flame" should be the centerpiece but substitutes a wall of sound for the subtle tension and intensity in its last 4 or 5 minutes. Both "Shadowland" and "Shine" more than compensate and are my pics here, though the massive opener runs a close second.

From the perspective of a student of this musical family tree, even mediocre productions are worth the time, but this is anything but. Kudos again to Mirek Gil and company, and may you and your former bandmates continue to spur each other on in spellbinding competition where we are all winners.

A seven-year wait is way too long a penitence, after the sublime Seven Windows (2017), this celebrated Polish combo launches The Wyrding Way, reuniting the core of guitarist extraordinaire Miroslaw Gil, the exotic Satomi on violin and keyboards, bassist Przemas Zawadzki and new recruit Maciek Caputa on the percussion front. The lead vocalist chair has been historically an endless revolving door, resembling the infamous Roxy Music bassist position, as the band introduces Jinian Wilde. The Polish scene has always been somewhat volatile with groups vanishing (the sadly dormant Albion, State Urge, Lebowski, Thrilos and Satellite) and others returning into the spotlight (Collage, The Adekaem and Fren).

Five beefy tracks with well over an hour of glittering music, Believe lights the fuse with a comprehensive 21 minute + megalodon "Hold On" that makes you want to grab the hand rails for the unflinching adventure will provide many twists and turns along the way. Satomi's famed violin paves the path with an immutable sorrow, the thoughtful Wilde vocals treading onto the solemn theme, displaying an adamant restraint, as the melody takes shape. Mirek Gil' s illuminating guitar gathers in the crew as they trespass into the fold, the bass expertly surveying the road ahead. The lyrics are clever, with its Le Carre hints that have more to do with the daily routine as opposed to the spy game. The fluid electric guitar and the graceful violin trade strings throughout the blossoming arrangement, unflinchingly assisted by a solid rhythm section that keeps things nice and tight. An acoustic guitar inflection indicates a noticeable variation that further widens the scope, a rousing organ sway underpinned by a swirling bass and drum channel. Gil infuses a trembling riff that speaks volumes, Wilde suggesting an urgent sense of 'helter-skelter in a masquerade' and 'perhaps another chance to be reborn', the fuse is now lit for a patented Gil solo that stamps his soaring style with the seal of perfection. Still holding on tightly as the piece veers once again into despondency and desolation, the second axe solo now way more dejected and apprehensive, as if the fear of letting go may appear just around the corner. When the strings infringe on the pain by elevating the numbness, the pensive solitude returns to its initial opening theme.

A trio of 11-minute tracks take over the menu, "Wicked Flame" comes across as a sublime Bond-like prog theme (the title rhymes with the spy game after all), the undaunted violin egging on Wilde's steadfast microphone performance, the adamant pace navigating carefully the scorching sparks of orange light. The sweltering bass shuffles the mood into a short Gil sizzle, the drumbeats crackling, warm keyboards maintaining the temperature and a lead vocalist on fire. The final ember is a volcanic explosion that sputters gently into ashes. Absolutely brilliant track. Jinian Wilde unwraps his gifts of voice eloquently on "Shadowland", a swooning ballad guided by a bass undertow and an overhead violin that bursts into a musical inflorescence, leaving the insistent Mirek Gil guitar to weave its unbounded magic, lush with both tone and technique. Grandiose and bombastic as it keeps expanding in emotion, the violin encroaches with authority, boldly suggesting an imminent hope for freedom, haunted by an unexpected piano solo from drummer Maciek Caputa that coronates this piece with even more class. Crushingly poignant, a truly Polish attribute by all accounts, the obscure "By My Tears" hits the lachrymose glands with no mercy, a painful musical memory of a bruised soul. The instrumental palette is desirably intimate, the harmony vocal work stupendous, the velvet violin intense and the two Gil fretboard moments are just plain out of this world, insistent, dramatic and immutable solos that singe the mind. Stunning piece.

I have never come across a track entitled "Shine" that stunk, seemingly a glistening word that can evoke nothing but excellence, just like the Sylvan piece of the same name. Wilde consolidates his credentials with another compelling performance. A mere 7 and a half minutes in length, it serves as a fitting illumination on the horizon, encompassing all the classic Collage/Satellite/Believe tradition. The Poles are such a passionate, romantic, at times even fatalistic people, having survived more tragedies than one could possibly imagine, and it reflects in their music and their culture. Hopeful, at times sad, resolute and courageous. That is why they shine. The band should never allow itself to stay away from the public eye for such extended biblical periods, its unfair. Both "Seven Windows" and "The Wyrding Way" are testaments to the quality of this meticulous prog combo, and we can only wish for more, and soon.

Shout out at the cover art, it is ingeniously attractive. 5 unimaginable maneuvers

I have to start off by saying that I am an absolute sucker for the searing lead guitar playing of Mirek Gil--and have been since I first heard his play on COLLAGE's Moonshine. Though it is my opinion that Mirek has never achieved the gut- wrenching adrenaline highs of that album, I can and will never stop listening to his music--always in hope for another fix of those Icarus-like soaring solos. And so here we have another Believe album. It's their seventh since peeling off of the Satellite wagon in 2006 but first in seven years--and yet another lead vocalist. They've all been good (I particularly loved Łukasz Ociepa from 2017's Seven Windows) but Jinian Wilde might be the most complete one they've had.

1. "Hold On" (21:22) opens with a very catchy two chord motif that is performed as by a string quartet. For three and a half minutes--even when new singer Jinian Wilde joins in--remains really engaging, really enteresting. Then, at 3:30 the rock band bursts forth with a typically-awesome Believe motif: great chord progression with Mirek Gil's signature lead guitar wailing away out front but everybody else sticking close by in a rich/lush weave. Man! Has prog ever generated a warm, comforting sound better than this! Jinian does a wonderful job with creating those great vocal melodies one expects from Mirek Gil songs but also with the layered harmony and background vocals. At the 12-minute mark there is a complete break and restart from the previous motif, this time a little heavier with ominous church organ chords and deep thick bass notes that are balanced by mandolin-like picked arpeggi up top. Here Jinian tries to go fiercer with his vocals, alternating his assertive delivery of the lyrics with some of Mirek's signatory electric guitar flash-leads. After a long instrumental slow-build and vehicle for some nice Mirek Gil soloing, the music drops down at 19:30 to an acoustic guitar-plus-"strings" variation of the opening two chord motif. This is what plays out to the song's end. What a gorgeous ride! I'd do that again in a hearbeat! There are no real innovative or truly astonishing high points, but the overall quality and enjoyability definitely counts for something. (37.5/40)

2. "Wicked Flame" (11:44) I'm not sure what happened here but the mixing of Jinian's vocal track is both muted and far farther back than I would ever have expected. On the positive side, the recording/engineering and mix of all of the other instruments are incredible: Satomi's violin rarely gets this kind of forward presence or crystal clarity--though it still sounds perfectly set within the mix of the other instruments. Jinian's performance feels a bit forced and, therefore, false in the fourth and fifth minutes, but then an acoustic guitar strumming section bridges the music over into some fine string-woven heavy prog--almost string quartet-like even though some of the instruments in the weave are electric. This is by no means a bad song it's just got some flaws (besides feeling not-fully-polished). The cool instrumental groove that picks up at 6:40 is nurturing my soul, though the ensuing Mirek Gil guitar flourish falls a bit flat, but the following vocalized section feels like Jinian's best part of the song. (17.75/20)

3. "Shadowland" (11:21) opening with Jinian in the lead role, his vocal and melody choices are okay. The keyboard music beneath gets more and more interesting as they careen through the second minute, but then they coalesce into a full-band motif for a bit before cutting out and leaving a droning spaciousness for Jinian to try again. The progression into the heavy prog instrumental motif is this time almost perfection: great keyboards, great upper register electric violin, great supportive electric guitar and bass staccato chords, great drum punctuation. This is one of Believe's more interesting (and, for them, unusual) song constructs I've heard in long time. The instrumental section plays out for a few minutes with some nice violin soloing, electric guitar riffing, and doubling up by the two. At 6:40 we return to another sparsely-(synth-)supported vocals--which then takes an unexpected turn at 7:30. There's an overall very STYX- like feeling to this music--to this song. I think it's due to both the vocal and the unusual keyboard sounds used (which I really like). And then, as if on cue, a piano solo! Again, it's not a great song, but there's not much else as good out there today. (I always have this gnawing feeling that if some great producer were able to get involved with these artists they could easily produce one of the greatest progressive rock albums of all-time.) (17.875/20)

4. "By My Tears" (11:17) the first minutes of this song are very bland, almost flat, and definitely not very engaging or exciting. It just sounds like every NeoProg band of the last 15 years. In the fifth minute, however, the introduction of some great background vocals and fiery Satomi violin play lift the song from boring mediocrity to a different level. Mirek's superheated guitar begins to join in, to try to lift it even higher, but then the music steps back into a more Prog Folk palette and then, shockingly, at 6:45, into a symphonic/theater-like bridge of staccato chords progressing toward something crescendo like--which Mirek Gil tries to fill (but, once again, never quite reaches the mountain top). The weave that surrounds, supports, and lifts Mirek up over the next minute is awesome--and works to a degree as Mirek seems to come flying out of the melée like Tom Cruise out of a perilous situation. Wow! Now that I was not expecting. Another song that is really tough to rate. (17.75/20)

5. "Shine" (7:28) a very nice NeoProg song with somewhat simple and oddly incongruously mixed sound palette that happens to hit on several awesome ear-candy riffs and motifs. I do, however, feel compelled to rate this down slightly for "uneven" or even "layered" mixing. (13.375/15)

Total Time 63:13

New vocalist Jinian Wilde is quite talented, his highs very high, though he has some weaknesses that, hopefully, will be improved upon, I really enjoyed his workings of the background vocal arrangements. But the real revelation of this album comes from Satomi! Her keyboard play (and sound choices) are so creative. And it's so wonderful to hear her violin not only so distinctly but also moved forward into prominence in the mix. On previous albums' songs there were many, many times that I felt the violin was completely buried in the mix.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of quite enjoyable progressive rock music. The first song is the best but each of the others are close behind. The Wyrding Way definitely offers a refreshing reboot of the Believe sound and way.