Strefa Wolnych Mysli - 2025 - Wiesci Ze Swiata

(40:11; Lynx Music)





















There are no prizes for realising this is a Polish release, and from the title one might surmise the lyrics are also in Polish, and that is indeed the case which is a real shame to my ears as there is no doubt whatsoever that the music is geared to keep the vocals front and centre. Strefa Wolnych Myśli (Free Thought Zone) is a project which was brought together by songwriter and guitarist Artur Krystek, who invited a host of Polish musicians (which includes five singers no less). The cover art reminds us of ‘Animal Farm’, and that is quite deliberate as apparently that and ‘1984’ were major inspirations for this four-track 40-minute-long album.

Given that my Polish is non-existent it means I must concentrate just on the music, and what we have here is an album which is many ways is tied much more firmly in the Seventies that many Polish prog albums I come across. The keyboards are often wonderfully dated, and the music swells and changes so one is never quite sure what is going to come next, and a gentle flute, acoustic guitars and delicately tapped cymbals can take us into the world of Camel while the music can just as easily become far more bombastic with real presence while Pink Floyd is never too far away. Some of the vocals are spoken as opposed to sung and given the name not only of the band but the album itself, ‘News From Around The World’, does make me think this is something where the lyrics are vitally important to the overall piece. The electric violin is also a nice addition.

However, there is still no doubt that this is a fascinating release with great breadth and depth, and fans of the Polish prog scene will find much here to enjoy, even if they have no idea at all of what is being sung!  

Kev Rowland, March 2026

Links:
https://www.lynxmusic.pl/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tonnen von Hall - 2025 - Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen

Image
(61:45; Iapetus [Unsung Records] ) Track list: 1. Erdmantel 4:05 2. Vorhalle 0:40 3. Antlitz 4:12 4. Stahlhalle 1:01 5. Kraken 5:02 6. Mitralsaal 0:55 7. Kanister 5:56 8. Sockelwald 0:49 9. Kaiserlicht 5:46 10. Schacht 0:43 11. Zivilisationsfolie 4:27 12. Nebelgarten 0:58 13. Donnermesser 6:41 14. Blutrille 1:01 15. Rauschmitte 5:22 16. Klingensaal 0:50 17. Endgegner 3:39 18. Ätzung 0:41 19. Thronfolge 3:09 20. Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen 4:55 21. Herzkammer 0:53 Line-up: Markus Reuter - guitars, loops, sounds Alexander Paul Dowerk - guitars Asaf Sirkis - drums, percussion, vocals Prolusion. Germany based band Tonnen Von Hall was established back in 2022 or thereabouts, and the threesome consisting of Marks Reuter, Alexander Paul Dowerk and Asaf Sirkis has been developing the style and sound of this new formation ever since. The results of that process first came to light on an EP released towards the end of 2024. A few months later the band have now released their debut album ...
Read more

Thirteen of Everything - 2023 - Time and Other Delusions

Image
(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic ...
Read more

Deaton Lemay Project - 2022 - The Fifth Element

Image
(63:04; Deaton Lemay Project) Track list: 1. The Great Awakening 5:32 2. A Different Place in Time 7:24 3. Dragonfly 3:35 4. The Nightmare 4:28 5. Exordium 6:24 - Elements of Life Suite 6. Overture 4:43 7. Fire 6:10 8. Water 6:11 9. Air 4:19 10. Earth 6:53 11. Music 7:25 Line-up: Roby Deaton - keyboards, guitars, vocals Craig LeMay - drums, percussion with: Hadi Kiani - vocals Ehsan Imani - guitars Josh Mark Raj - guitars John Haddad - bass Charles Berthoud - bass Liza Evans - violin Prolusion. US band DEATON LEMAY PROJECT started out officially back in 2018, following a 25 year long period of gestation. They released their debut album "Day After Yesterday" in 2019, and following what I suspect has been a rather busy planning and recording period during the years of the pandemic the creative twosome of Deaton and Lemay are back with their second album "The Fifth Element" at the start of 2022. Analysis. While the fifth element apparently used to be defined as aether ...
Read more