2LP black vinyl gatefold - Brandneues Studioalbum der polnischen Neo-Prog-Legende COLLAGE!
Line-up Bartosz Kossowicz (Quidam) - vocals Michal Kirmuc - electric & acoustic guitars Krzysztof Palczewski - synthesizers Piotr Mintay Witkowski - bass Wojtek Szadkowski (Satellite, Peter Pan, Strawberry Fields, Travellers) - drums & percussion With: Steve Rothery (Marillion) - electric & acoustic guitars (5)
Collage cult group formed in 1985, releasing the unidentified musical object ‘Moonshine‘ in 94, prog standard meter if any; major group with fat and powerful synths, with expressive guitar, which explodes forming Satellite and Believe. Bartosz, who sang with Quidam, comes with Michal, a new guitarist with a Gilian sound, to resuscitate the group 27 years later; an obvious pressure, a feat of reshaping the sound and making you regress pleasantly in their melodic meanders.
‘Over and Out‘ begins sympho-electronic reminding me of the sound of the last Galahad which brings back through the keyboards of Krzysztof and the twirling guitars of Michal to the sound of yesteryear of Mirek, remarkable! Bartosz puts his voiceprint into phrasing-singing and lets the instruments navigate the era of Genesis and Marillion; the mid-term break becomes more symphonic, goes on snowy lands, with an obvious baroque touch; in short, a Collage re-energized as if 30 years had just passed in a few seconds; the final piano and floydian arpeggio launches a spellbinding vocal; piece for fans informed by its length. ‘What About the Pain?‘ looks easier to catch both by the vocals and the plaintive guitar, a melodic title where the synth can remind Tony Banks for a time before leaving on a sympho-atmospheric variation; the finale with children‘s choir brings an interesting singular touch, continuing with ‘One Empty Hand‘ in an unstoppable melody on a crystalline phrasing and the spleen guitar which made the heyday of ‘Moonshine‘, when memories collide with a updated sound. ‘A Moment, a Feeling‘ continues again, trademark prog, hovering intro that changes from the thundering ones; after that, we go on a retro journey on steep slopes, between symphonic and grandiloquence à la Spock‘s Beard; the Krzysztof sound and its elusive keys leads far, on a current and modern Collage, which makes me their best title with a vocal experience in withdrawal which has something to do with it. ‘Man in the Middle‘ piano arpeggio, smooth crescendo and a guitar that wants to be different, well Steve Rothery is there; a real solo that takes its place, not just in the lament, here the emotion is felt, the intensity of the musical light comes to light and it lasts; incredible melody far from the Marillion but with a Marillionesque feeling; the title which puts a dantesque end to an agreed, consensual and well-rehearsed album. The finish with finesse.
Collage will divide: on one side a beautiful copy/paste of what they‘ve done best; on the other, a neo-prog mix secretly dreamed of by everyone; a 27-year-old album, a nod to a long-matured whiskey consumed in moderation that you can listen to without moderation here; with enough innovation to enter a top.
