| The
Review |
I am continually amazed at the number
of new bands who come on the scene with the desire to create
and perform music that falls in the progressive rock genre.
Given the seeming utter lack of mass-media success it is rather
astounding. More than anything it speaks to the artist's desire
to create something that is perhaps a little more creatively
honest, rather than simply pandering to the latest musical
fad or style. One of these new groups is a Polish band called
Believe and their first CD is entitled Hope To See Another
Day. ***
Progressive rock fans familiar
with the work of Collage and Satellite will have a head start
here, as Believe is the new band of guitarist Mirek Gil who
not only was a founding member of Collage but played with
Satellite as well. For Believe he's recruited former Satellite
bassist Przemas Zawadzki along with Tomek Rozycki (vocals,
guitars), Adam Milosz (keyboards), Wlodek Tafel (drums), and
Satomi (violin). All lyrics for the eight compositions come
from Robert Sieradzki. ***
The sound as such is unique and
doesn't really sound like either of Gil's previous bands,
and yet there is a stylistic link with his guitar playing.
This is what I call modern symphonic progressive rock. It's
lush, it's powerful, and it's very contemporary in terms of
the instrument sounds and production. The twin guitars allow
for a nice rich lead and rhythm that gives Believe a real
full crunch and yet there are many time where the guitars
take a softer acoustic approach, and that's a strong point
here. Unlike so much modern pop or rock music where the music
stays somewhat linear, here the prog influence is very much
present allowing the compositions to open-up a little more.
That being said the music of Believe isn't overly complex.
They clearly rely on a song structure to convey their emotional
messages. Nothing on the CD is under five-minutes long. There
are a couple six-minute, a couple seven and one just over
twelve minutes. Each of the songs tends to build in texture
moving through various movements. The arrangements are pristine,
with great dynamics. Bold crescendos are used to either introduce
a song or to separate segments. Harmonically the material
is heavily melodic. So while the compositions tend to be more
or less mainstream they have a lot to offer the listener.
The promo release for Believe says "The band has a modern
dynamic sound" and their website makes a point about how passionate
each of the members are about their craft. And it certainly
shows in the music. Fans of Mirek Gil's previous band adventures
or the work of bands such as RPWL, Moongarden or even Hogarth
era Marillion I think will really enjoy the music on Hope
To See Another Day. While not so much a first outing as each
of the members comes with loads of experience this is a great
first effort together and promises much for the future.
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