LOST IN PERCEPTION

I don't know why it has taken these Polish proggers four years since 'Stolen Thoughts', but at last they are back with their new album. What we have here is a solid combination of prog rock, prog metal, classic rock and a host of other influences. Jakub Roszak has a very strong voice and can either drive a song along or be more reflective as on "Lunch" where he duets with Beata Łagoda. They mix Muse with Porcupine Tree in a way that is immediate and inviting to the proghead, while never losing any of the power and thrust of a hard rock band. They can slow it down or speed it up, yet always with the vocals at the heart of what they are doing.

In many ways this is a very mature piece of work, layered and thoughtful with strong production. This is yet another album that proves that prog music is very much alive and well in Poland, and luckily their website can be read by those who prefer English at www.retrospective.pl . Sheer class from beginning to end.

This is a band that I had VERY high expectations for after falling under their spell with their first and second albums, 2007's EP, Spectrum of the Green Morning, and 2008's Stolen Thoughts, but this output is sorely disappointing. The music lacks any interesting development or emotional impact. There is plenty of solid heavy prog, each song seems to constantly threaten to explode, but they rarely do. Each vocal from veteran Jakub Roszak is often set up as the highlight of each song--and yet it is not: the vocals never sock you or rock you; instead they are full of unrealized potential energy and Roszak's EDDIE VEDDER/MARCO GLÜHMANN- imitative presence--yet nothing here approaches the power and spine-tingling, haunting vocals of either of Spectrum of the Green Morning's classics, "Enemy World Vision" or "Regret and Frightened Child"--both of which rival anything fellow countrymen and Heavy Prog brothers RIVERSIDE have ever done. (IMHO.) With repeated listens I have discovered many subtleties that might be considered indicative of 'progress,' 'development' or 'maturation' of the band, yet after four years I can't help but have hoped for more. More surprises, more twists, more shifts, more. Perhaps it's in the lyrics (to which, as always, I am oblivious).

Album high points: 2. "Huge Black Hole" (3:59) (8/10); 6. "Tomorrow Will Change" (6:19) (8/10), and; 9. "Swallow the Green Tones" (10:34) (8/10).

3.5 stars, rated down for being non-essential.

Polish band RETROSPECTIVE started out back in 2005, formed by Robert Kusik and Maciej Klimek. Since then the band has expanded to a total of six members, and they now have one EP and two full length albums to their name. "Lost in Perception" is the most recent of these, and was released by the German label Progressive Promotion Records in the late fall of 2012.

Retrospective's second full length CD "Lost in Perception" is a production that should find favor amongst most with a taste for accessible, melodic progressive rock. Fans of bands like Porcupine Tree will perhaps be the main and key audience, although I suspect that quite a few followers of neo progressive rock might also find this disc to be a tantalizing and intriguing experience overall.