THE WINGS OF REVELATION

The first thing I should mention is that Janos Varga was the lead guitarist for the Hungarian band EAST, a band that i'm quite fond of. I had heard some really positive things about the two albums he put out under the name JANOS VARGA PROJECT,which really is Janos going solo. He has brought along former EAST drummer Istvan Kiraly who absolutely shines on this record. Also there is a keyboard / piano player named Zoltan Lengyel. Janos plays keys as well and composed and arranged all the songs. There are some nice pictures of Janos and Istvan in the liner notes with these words: "This music is a step into a world where fantasies fly high and nothing can stop the wings of revelation, where past meets present". The surprising thing for me about this album is how prominant the synths and keys are throughout. The music here is often spacey and dreamy with outbursts of guitar. Janos certainly doesn't hog the spotlight. This is melodic,uplifting and soaring instrumental music that is a pleasure to listen to. It made my day to see that this band had been recently added.

The first track "I Must Be Going" is an almost 20 minute song that is broken into 6 parts. It begins with "I Must Be Going" as we are taken away by waves of sounds gently breaking over and over as guitar and synth sounds are heard. Light drums and heavenly sounding guitar melodies arrive 1 1/2 minutes in.The guitar melodies become more passionate. Incredible. Synths replace the guitar after 3 1/2 minutes. Very PINK FLOYD-like 5 minutes in until it ends with more waves of sound. "Flight Of Mind" is a drum led track with outbursts of guitar and synths as they trade solos. Very cool. Check out the drumming though 1 1/2 minutes in. Heaviness follows with more great drumming. "Prayer" is a short one minte section where the guitar simply soars with spacey background synths. "The Joy Of Starting" is a catchy drum led tune with synths. Guitar 2 minutes in comes and goes. "Mysterious Stars" brings us back to the slower paced, spacey climate of earlier. Bass and synths provide a relaxing mood as guitar is added. "Welcome To The Jungle" is a fitting climax to this suite. The same melody from previous song blends into this one except we get this guitar that wails over top and it's all so much more emotional and passionate. Amazing sound as Janos offers up some blistering melodies on his guitar.

"Matching Souls" is such a bright,uplifting track. This one features some piano with prominant drums. Synths 2 minutes in. The guitar is fantastic after 4 minutes. "Sunrise is an apt title to this one as it features some " beautiful, intricate guitar to open. The guitar changes in tone and style before a minute as it soars as drums come in. Gorgeous. Synths after 3 minutes. An exhilarating tune to say the least. "Hard Life" has more heavy drums with synths as the guitar really winds out. A change in the mood 2 minutes in as the pace picks up and synths replace the guitar. Guitar is back before it ends though. "All I Can Give" is my favourite song on here. Like the first song this one has a spacey, atmospheric intro before piano, keys and bass gently arrive. The synths wash in the background. The second half of the song feature the most beautiful, Gilmour-like, soaring guitar melodies. Talk about drifting away in the music. Very moving. The final song is "The Wings Of Revelation". It opens ominously before drums come in before 1 1/2 minutes. And they sound great as usual as they lead the way. Synths after 2 minutes. Guitar 3 minutes in is raw sounding. Nice. Synths replace the guitar after 4 1/2 minutes. The raw sounding guitar is back ripping it up as drums pound relentlessly. The song ends ominously, just like it began.

This is a solid 4 star record that I recommend wholeheartedly.

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.

It's since a while that each time I give a try to something coming from the eastern Europe I find something amazing. Janos Varga is an excellent guitarist and composer, the sound quality is excellent. The music, sometimes jazzy, reminds to Canterbury but it's hard to classify. It's solar. The guitar leads but it's all well mixed, so when it gives space and alternates to the keyboards, as in Matching Souls, it does without interrupting the continuity. Bass and drums are well integrated in the ensemble. I won't comment each track, as this is one of the best albums that I have listened to recently.

While I'm writing there's "Hard Life" in my earphones. I'm at the second spin of this album and I can strongly recommend it to all the proggers. As I can't find anything imperfect or not fully enjoyable, I think it can have the top rating. Musical skill and technique don't always make good music, but this is the case.

Janos Varga Project is a project established by who else, Janos Varga, the talented guitarist of Hungarian Prog legends East.In late-90's, while East were put somewhat on ice, Varga decided to form his own band with bandmate Istvan Kiraly on drums, along with keyboardist Zoltan Lengyel from After Crying.The trio recorded their debut ''The Wings of Revelation I'' at the Zafir Studios and released it in 2000 on Periferic Records.

Apart from the guitar section, Varga is also responsible from many of the keyboard parts of the album, leaving the place for the piano parts and synth solos to Lengyel.What was more or less known from EAST is easily recognizable on Janos Varga Project.Varga is an extremely gifted guitarist with a great, personal and ultra-flexible style, which allows him to perform a wide range of different styles.The pieces of this album are quite short and have some sort of resemblances with EAST's sound, albeit more modern and all instrumental.Plenty of them have lots of Space and Symphonic Rock tendencies akin to Varga's first group with a huge room for atmospheric synthesizer flights and a delicate and more melodic style of guitar approach.Some others though are on the Fusion side of Progressive Rock with nice piano solos, more passionate keyboard themes and a heavier guitar style.The highlghts of the album include Varga's impressive and sometimes technical guitar solos and some quite spacey and grandiose soundscapes created by this Hungarian trio.It is a nice surprise to realize that Varga is completely up-to-date with the prog activity, producing a very fresh album with a fantastic production.

Really cool release by the mastermind behind East.Far from any narcistic mood, ''The Wings of Revelation I'' is a very balanced instrumental Prog album with some very interesting ideas and accomplished performances.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

This may be an instrumental progressive album that tinges on ambient at times, but there is no way that this called a relaxing album. In "Fight Of Mind" drummer István Király starts by setting a blistering pace, then Janos on guitar and Zoltán Lengyel on keyboards swap solos, trading off each other. The music keeps melding and moving, sometimes slowly and reflective while at others dynamic and powerful.

The use of different musical styles and rhythms, as well as different keyboard and guitar sounds, all driven along by powerful drumming, makes this an album that is exciting to listen to. It is never boring and while as an instrumental album it can be played as background music, the listener gets far more out of it if he pays careful attention.

There is little in the music to suggest its' origins, and this is a good place to start discovering just how good some of the prog music is that is coming out of Hungary.

Originally appeared in feedback #66, Feb 02