HÜSÉG

When the anglos were swaying robotically to Gary Numan, the eastern Europeans were still gleefully playing high quality symphonic progressive rock. Nobody told them it was uncool or would not sell, and, perhaps as a result, this 1982 album makes few if any concessions to the commercial sound of its time. Or maybe they were just a few years behind the times. Regardless of the reasons or motivations, we should be thankful to have such a document.

On Huseg, East takes what seems like a simplistic approach, that of alternating instrumental tracks with songs sung in harmonious Hungarian, but it works fairly well because the instrumentals tend to the fusion side of things, at times reminding me of PASSPORT, while the vocal tracks are more Slavic symphonic in the manner of OMEGA or early BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST. This unlikely marriage does not seem to be arranged in the least, but perhaps sets out to explore different forms of faith or conflicts around them. The best way to experience Huseg is to listen from beginning to end and not worry about when one track ends and another begins.

The album opens with the title cut with some blistering leads as well as meters characteristic of the Eastern bloc, a pattern followed more or less on the other odd-numbered tracks. "Search Yourself" establishes the pattern of heartfelt singing of melancholy melodies to celestial keyboards that is reinforced by such beautiful songs as "It was me", "Born Again", "Losers", and "You must wait".

3.5 stars rounded up because this band kept the "faith" during some very dark years both musically and politically.