When I heard they debut, Out Of Myself, I was amazed of the melancholic depth these guys were able to sink into, with Second Life Syndrome the dark waters continue to flow with a steady, almost hypnotizing rhythm.
The mystic intro with the odd title
After,
features a spoken part that offers a glimpse of the hopelessness our main character is going through, a good way to get the story rolling.
This album is number two of a trilogy where we follow a person's quest in life, the battles he fights with himself and his surroundings. Easy to relate to, painful and theme-wise important and relevant in many ways, so the lyrical aspect of this concept is working out splendidly.
A song like
Volte-Face shows the band from a very diverse and jamming side, comprehensively injecting melodic guitar licks, aggressive vocals and technical drumming into an always-evolving symbiosis.
One of my favourite cuts is the ballad
Conceiving You, a soulful and atmospheric song with a wonderful chorus leading into a phenomenal guitar harmony. The comforting underlying piano adds even more depth to a very emotional composition.
The overwhelming 15-minute title track is the most important piece on the disc, it somehow manifests both the musical ideology and lyrical identity of the band. The innovative bass chords give the song a very dynamic rhythm path, but also a special sombre mood, it's all about the way it is used.
Towards the end of the track guitarist Piotr steps in and performs an extensive but fantastic solo spot, slow, mesmerizing and ingenious in style.
I somehow came to think a bit of Dream Theater's Awake and Pain Of Salvation's Perfect Element album while listening to this one.
Artificial Face is an angry outburst where the varied vocal approach takes a very dramatic role; again we find the dreaming guitar work trying to appease things.
I Turned You Down shows just how important a creative and dominant keyboard performance can be when you are trying to create a soft, but also very layered track. This is truly music with a calming effect on ones state of mind, even though the context largely reflects pure affliction.
To follow in the wake of its two predecessors,
Reality Dream III unfolds an expansive and complex set of instrumental structures, flowing together very fluently and gives a soothing breather before
Dance With The Shadow sets off its almost 12-minute journey.
A central focus point is the fruitful collaboration between the detailed drumming and very creative bass performance, an important trademark for this band.
The song nevertheless has a tendency to loose the listener once in a while, getting a bit too complex and drifting away from the recurring main elements.
With
Before the person realises that he has been able too change himself for the better, coming to terms with old ghost and other haunting memories, ending the album in a brighter but fitting tone. The song kind of turns in circles and function as an atmospheric loophole into what will be part 3. I'm already eagerly awaiting it.
Through these songs the band shows great musical skill, the details are plenty and the rhythm section is immensely tight. A few more colourful detours could nevertheless have been wished for, just to break the very thick wall of recognisable dark moods.
Singer Mariusz Duda is one of the main reasons why this band is a success, and has managed to create its own niche in the more and more crowded progressive world.
His distinct and apathetic approach gives these songs just the last finesse.
Sound-wise we find ourselves in the sombre and quite heavy area, all in all a quite powerful and successful production.
If you are in the mood for some depressing and sedative music, this exciting progressive band could very well be just up your alley.
Written by
Tommy Sunday, December 11, 2005
Show all reviews by TommyRatingsTommy: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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