A RANDOM MOMENT OF STILLNESS

This is Polish heavy prog band's second album, coming after the 2018 debut "A Welcome Memory Loss", the line- up remaining unchanged. Lukasz Dumara handles all the vocal duties, while twin guitarists Michal Jablonski and Marcin Peczkowski marshal the noise with criss-crossing expertise, held together by a tough rhythmic duo of bass man Jacek Ksiazek and drumkit demon Lukasz Wszolek.

Coming in at 42 minutes, the album is a throttling adventure, launched by the 7-minute introductory piece "Bear with Me", with a perturbing Jacek bass grind, the depth-charge drums bashing harder than the dual fretboard assault, all drenched in dense atmospheric shuddering. As the grizzly arrangement morphs into overdrive, the tension becomes palpable, droplets of perspiration visible on the wrists , Dumara holding his own throughout. Gruesomely melancholic, the short but bruising "Unmanned" unleashes another trebly bass guitar barrage, very much in the Duda school, as the two-fold axe conveyance ratches up quite the tornado for what seems like only an instant, replaced by a fast-paced percussive segment seeping with frizzy electricity and polished (sorry!) by a screeching lead guitar flutter that agonizes long enough to segue into the more linear yet muscular "Dropping Upwards" , an inverted set of raspy guitars that chug along like a fast train from Warszawa to Szczecin , dropping skywards with passionate vocalizing by the singer , the mid-section transition keeping the eyes on the prize with some brutalizing cannonades , and tumbling to unexpected ambient pools of reflection. The entire track has a strong sense of disequilibrium, as if caught up in a claustrophobic daze. The hard concrete parts and the velvet softness collide in some semblance of tacit acceptance.

Steamroller time with the sadistic onslaught shown on "Resonate", once again showcasing Jacek Ksiazek's turbulent low-end bombast, providing the high-octane fuel to keep the fires burning rhythmically. The dueling guitar fusillade takes no prisoners, slicing one moment, slashing the next, yet fully controlled and focused. It's not messy at all , it just resonates. Trembling pools of reflective despair, drawing a line in the sand for a breath to survive, just a temporary lull before a colossal upward shift into bulky finality.

Playing the classic game of ebb and flow, "Attract/Deter" seeks out more spacier realms, the vocals more laid back, the mood cosmic due to uncredited synthesized winds, the guitarist preferring a demonstration of slash and burn , seductive and then suddenly wary. When the volume flirts with the red zone, the agony is almost excruciating, the colliding strings unrestrained, the tempo leaden, and the finality overpowering. A troubling slice of emotional paranoia and sonic dyslexia .

Finishing off with a final 10 minute + epic takes a lot of confidence in maintaining the quality to the bitter end, and "A Sun Blur" does not fail to impress, as it starts off with pleasant, almost optimistic reverberations, gently pressing down on the metal pedal, as it revs up into quite the dust maker. The vocals are on the lighter side, almost sweet at times, not far from RPWL. The sweeping electronics cannot be denied, as they add a symphonic sheen that was not as apparent earlier, though now emboldened by the final countdown, they will grow in stature. The quivering themes are certainly reminiscent of Anathema, as the crescendo of sound reaches apocalyptic heights, boldly overarching to a near impossible exuberance. The most accomplished track presented an absolute powerhouse apotheosis of a compelling ride. A sorrowful piano reminds the listener that the spirit remains true to their polish roots.

This was my first introduction to this band, I remain absolutely certain that the future will bring many thrilling future works to our community. 4 underwater moon crafts