THE WINGS OF REVELATION

There was once an incredibly talented guitarist who belonged to one of the great secret prog giants from the arid eighties, the legendary Hungarian symphonic prog group East. In fact, their seminal masterpiece "Hüség" (Warmth) is one of the pillars of our beloved genre, as it had everything going for it: great compositions, original instrumentation while using the usual culprits (gt,k,b, drs and vocals) and ballsy attitude to boldly go against the current 1982 grain. Besides featuring the splendid drumming of István Király, the lead guitar slot was also ably manned by the hirsute Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top fame clone János Varga. So many years later, these two Magyars decide that the time is ripe to unleash the first chapter of their "Wings of Revelation" and what a revelation it is! My esteemed and revered colleague sinkadotentree and I have conspired secretly to get this essential artist onto our site (a gross negligence with 2 albums and a DVD already released, now corrected) and now, you all get to discover this marvelous music.(Thank you presents will be accepted!). So what's the big deal? Some of the finest vintage instrumental music anywhere, is on display here with some charismatic playing that doesn't really clone the Hacketts or Gilmours, mainly because János Varga has a slightly harder and faster style that oozes originality as well as passion, closer perhaps to Hillage actually. With Zoltán Lengyel of After Crying fame on keyboards, the trio really searches out some spiritual expanses where they can stretch their considerable talents, verging almost on guitar fueled space-rock but not at all in the Ashra, Björn Lynne or Eloy vein. On "I Must be Going", the mood is etched into the memory banks right from the get go with a blistering take-off into the upper reaches of the progressive stratosphere, with billowing electric clouds slashed by the opening bristles over his strings, caressing those chords with unrestrained vibrancy and exotic flair. Lengyel's slithering synths are positively beyond belief, displaying throughout some virtuoso playing as well as adding some dense background colorations. Another stellar highlight is "the Joy of Starting" which, besides giving the impression you may have heard this before, shines like a beacon of supreme ecstasy with a gripping guitar flight, handing the lead over to a scintillating Moog solo and then both musicians paralleling the melody with Wishbone Ashian dexterity. Jaw dropping! "Mysterious Stars" is led by a mesmerizing bass line with Varga slathering a series of almost mythical arpeggios, synthesizers bubbling uncontrollably and Király keeping time like a true rhythmic beast. A tempestuous guitar foray slings this into the ether, an incandescent version of Steve Hillage but just as evocative. "Matching Souls" offers a glimpse of Lengyel's unlimited mastery of the piano, with some twanging guitar backings and a fat six string lead that has a definite John McLaughlin tinge to it. Yeah! That kind of reference, especially when Lengyel does a superb Jan Hammer synthesizer solo replication! When both choose to play catch, tossing leads back and forth, the result is utterly spectacular! "Sunrise" is a floating breeze that is so expressive, you could almost imagine Carlos Santana playing this, it's such a controlled frenzy. I can't even continue describing how good this album is, saturated in such abundantly bold assurance and even upon first listen, a sure bet gold medal candidate. Welcome to the Pleasure Dome! The DVD is a live rendition of this colossal first chapter. John, we have lustily begun the conversion process. An intrepid five hot paprikas.