NOSTALGIA

I was quite surprised to hear there was a new album from polish band Satellite. Those guys are quite prolific. but since their previous one was a notch or two below the quality of the first two CDs, I was afraid there would be some loss of quality. But since Satellite is one of the most important prog groups of the world, I had to have the album anyway. And fortunately Nostalgia shows the band in great form! In fact , leader and drummer Wojtek Szadkowsk does some of his best ever playing. Robert Amirian´s vocals are also more varied and versatile. And Krzysiek Palczewski´s personal, symphonic keyboards are simply as marvellous as ever.

Like all Satellite´s output this one is a little different from the others. There are new elements here and there to make an interesting collage (sorry for the pun) of sounds. The CD starts very well with Every Desert Got Its Ocean, a very strong tune that is set to be a classic. The second is more experimental and reminds me of the Into The Night style. But the real gem is the third: Afraid Of What We Say is a fantastic piece that has a incredible guitar solo a la Santana, plus a lush keyboard solo much in the vein of Tony Banks around the Trick Of The Tale era. The remaining tracks are not as powerful but are still very good. Unlike Into The Night, Nostalgia is very even and enjoyable all the way through. I bought the Digipack version with two extra tracks: they are not really outstanding, but are nice additions anyway (including the first ever Satellite instrumental, Relaxed).

Conclusion: another winner by this Polland´s greatest band nowadays. Maybe their very best since Satellite´s classic debut. It may take some hearings to really sink in, but well worth the effort, like all great prog records demand. Excellent addition to any prog collection.