INTO THE NIGHT

The album of the year

"Into the night" is the final part of a trilogy by Poland's own Satellite, the previous parts being "A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset" (2003, the band's first album) and "Evening Games" (2005). Originally intended as a solo project by Collage's Wojtek Szadkowski, the band have rapidly evolved into one of the finest protagonists of neo-prog currently recording. Jarek Michalski takes over on bass, but the line up is otherwise unchanged. Jarek's bass playing is notable throughout the album, adding an underlying depth to the sound.

The music here will appeal not just to those who enjoy the melodic power of bands such as Arena and Porcupine Tree, but also to those who favour the classic prog bands such as Yes and Pink Floyd.

The Opening title track is a quite delightful piece with symphonic keyboards and some superlative guitar work. It stands proudly alongside the very best in neo-prog songs. "Dreams" is an epic 13½ minute suite in three parts. Here we find the dynamics of modern day Porcupine Tree merging seamlessly with the epic majesty of Arena. The third part of the track features the guitar playing of Sarhan Kubeisi backed by slower symphonic keyboards, the piece building towards a superb crescendo.

"Downtown skyline" has softer and sparser verses counterpointing with loud guitar bursts, Szadkowski adding some interesting percussion effects. I am reticent to mention Porcupine Tree again since this album is very much of its own character, but those who enjoy albums such as "Stupid dream" will find much to admire here. The track segues into the brief spacey instrumental "Lights", which provides a welcome breather from the almost overwhelming power which drives the album. This in turn becomes "Don't walk away in silence". The track is introduced by some fine John Mitchell (Arena) like guitar leading to what is probably the most accessible song on the album. Deceptively, this appears at first to be a melodic power ballad would have sounded superb on Arena's "The visitor" album, such is its beauty. Soon though, the pace is lifted and we find another magnificent guitar solo with symphonic synth strings.

"Heaven can wait" is a nine minute epic which is unrelated to any other songs of the same title. This is a heavier number with screaming guitar and driving bass. Even the quieter sections are menacing, with a haunting undercurrent. Krzysiek Palczewski's keyboard work is dominant here, his wave upon wave of synth creating a great atmosphere.

The closing "Forgiven and forgotten" gently returns us to earth with a fine vocal performance by Robert Amirian. The keyboards on this track have a distinctly mellotron like sound the song building through some symphonic effects to a grand conclusion.

It is difficult to review this album without constantly drifting into fawning praise and endless superlatives. This is through without doubt the album of 2007. I can only hope that "Into the night" receives the recognition it deserves.

Great sleeve illustration too!

This review is based on a promotional copy of the album kindly supplied by Metal Mind Productions.

Santa's second 2007 Xmas gift (after Singularity's amazing new one) is the third sequel in the Satellite saga that simply confirms this Polish band's place on the Prog leader board, up there with Porcupine Tree, IQ, Dream Theater, the Flower Kings, After Crying etc.It takes a trio of great recordings to merit the lofty praise and these ex-Collage castoffs richly deserve their place. Their upbeat debut disc "A Street Between.." certainly made a strong worldwide impression on many a prog aficionado, with loads of highly melodic tracks featuring sublime lead guitars, cascading keyboard work, transcendent percussive work and emotive vocal. The second chapter equally hit the bell with a darker, more somber series of songs that wandered into less commercial territory, very much to our pleasure. "Into the Night" is very much a consolidation of both their winning formulas, a well-balanced musical adventure that borders on perfection. Again the Harry Potterish artwork is among the finest you will see anywhere, the production top-notch and under the uncanny leadership of drummer-composer extraordinaire Wojtek Szadkowski, Satellite has hit its stride with a breathtaking set of songs that combine the sweet and the tart, introducing thundering new bassist Jarek Michalski (who recently played on the Peter Pan debut, another Szadkowski side project that emphasizes a more energetic sound) who really etches a much stronger presence than previous bassists. Ex-Collage members Krysztof Palczewski on keyboards and Robert Amirian on lead vocals are now totally integral to the Satellite sound, having worked with Wojtek for ages. Master guitarist Sarhan Kubeisi has managed the unthinkable: forgetting the stellar Mirek Gil, whose own Believe project is nevertheless deserving of attention. Sarhan's style hints at all the usual prog suspects, yet his sound is quite original and by now immediately recognizable: bluesy, inventive and poignant without drawing comparisons to the Gilmour-Latimer school of guitar delivery. The title track dispels any threat of a ho hum "laissez faire" attitude, as it goes straight for the jugular with a sweeping mellotron infested romp that leaves no prisoners, everything well-oiled smooth prog perfection. This is powerful, passionate, sophisticated progressive bliss that winks respectfully at KC's "Epitath". "Dreams" is a massive three part epic that provides that "harder" edge and room for all the conspirators to stretch out their considerable talents, as the hysterical guitar howls, the brutal bass growls and the pounding drum prowls. Just like in a typical dream, there are shifting moods, swinging rhythms, unexpected swerves, flashbacks and sudden variations, displaying a decidedly non neo-prog creativity that suits these musicians to a tee. Wojtek's throbbing drum work in particular proves his top-notch reputation and Sarhan does a fine Manzanera freak-out guitar solo that sends shivers of glee down the dorsal. "Downtown Skyline" aka The Angel's Song serves up some fine obtuse flavors with odd atmospherics and an eerie undercurrent of doom, another reminder that they are no lightweight purveyors of bland neo-prog. Halfway through and not even one bum note, damn this is good! "Lights" is a brief instrumental interlude, providing a much needed emotional break, an interesting combination of swirling sonics and piano twinkles. Here it comes, "Don't Walk Away in Silence" is a classic Szadkowski composition, very much in the mold of Collage's stellar "Living in the Moonlight" or the more recent "Beautiful World", a bluesy, emotionally charged plea that exudes power, passion and utter musicality, in large part due to the plaintive vocals and the desperate lead guitar solos that keep the pace ablaze. How can anyone not like this is beyond my capacity to comprehend, it's that timeless. Three words: Simply beautiful prog. The grandiose finale hints again at the Court of the Crimson King. The 9 minute "Heaven Can Wait" returns to harder themes, serving up huge choruses with organs glowing and guitars screaming. Palczewski's piano work astounds once again, bridging the rage and fury back into the fold, caressing the senses with unexpected ecstasy. Almost done and still no dud, damn this is good stuff! The dazzling finale is "Forgiven and Forgotten", a poignantly breezy affair overflowing with feeling, extremely smooth ("Cool fingertips on your skin"), with an almost tropical/Egyptian tinge that ushers in deep symphonics and a killer gut wrenching guitar solo that moves like a sandstorm, a perfect musical farewell. Hey, this is an outright masterpiece, on par or even better than "Moonshine". This Satellite can spin around me forever, be in my proggy orbit eternally and become another progressive reason to live and love life. Thank You Santa! 5 polished orbits

I suppose that the signs were there in "Evening Games". A few passages in the epic title cut were cold and sharp edged, and both "Rush" and "Why" brilliantly toed the line between the harsh and the gentle, but ultimately "Evening Games" achieved a brilliant yin/yang blend that defied the trends and kept Satellite unique. They eschewed the overly self conscious approaches taken by their British peers, and produced two albums worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Collage, their progenitor. Then, Mr Szadowski, fairly bursting with aggressive energy, formed yet another project Peter Pan whose debut album "Days" is the essence of frenetic. It showed a style geared to heavy guitars and more than a nod to prog metal. So to find that Into the Night is far edgier and more guitar oriented than its two predecessors should not come as a surprise, but the degree to which metallic solos and droning riffs dominate the proceedings is striking. What was an occasional strength of the group has become merely trite, and, while as a neo prog band they were top in the class, Satellite now competes with outfits that were launched some time ago and really know how to achieve escape velocity.

The best material is found in the first few songs, the beautiful title track and Downtown Skyline with its Collage-like synths especially. Don't Walk Away in Silence is another fine number which reigns in excesses by and large. The three part Dreams does have many good moments much in the manner of Evening Overture from the prior album, but it is overly long and repeats themes a bit too often. It does not measure up to the other Satellite epics. While up till now most fans would concede that Satellite is the superior offshoot of Collage when compared with Mirek Gil's solo work and his latest project "Believe", the opening riff of "Heaven Can Wait" is a blatant ripoff of Mirek Gil's guitar style and virtually note for note of the start to "Liar" off the Believe album. But Sarhan doesn't have the warmth of Mr Gil, which didn't matter a whole lot before because he was kept in check a lot better. Now he seems to have a bit too much free rein and it isn't pretty. "Lights" has an infectious beat but again takes a turn for the worse as it goes along. Both bonus tracks are decent but pale in comparison to what we know Satellite can do, the choruses being unimaginative and lacking melodic flair. Moreover, the lyrics just don't resonate the way they did on the first 2 albums, especially "Evening Games". Szadowski seems to be out of inspiration in that department.

From my perspective as big fan of the first two installments and of Collage, Satellite has given up their niche in progressive rock, and to hear them trying to sound like Porcupine Tree or even Riverside is a bitter pill to swallow. But it's still Satellite, and for half an album amply shows the brilliance for which they are known. The rest of the time they launch an all out assault on the subtle while rotating in a geo stationary orbit.

NEW KINGS OF NEO PROG !

So that's what I semi-officially call them. Don't even now who the old kings were. Probably Marillion or Arena or maybe Pendragon. Not that you have to count them out from now on but let's face it, right this moment Satellite is hot ! They prove it last few weeks by being the most visited band with their latest album. But of course they also prove it with the great music on their latest. The album starts with a thrilling opener, I wanted to say one of the best of this release but then I realized that in fact they all are. So that would be a bit silly to say it with every song. But it's true: all tracks are magnificent except of course the short and quiet interlude in the middle (Lights) but even that song has an important function. Let's not forget: this is an avalanche of fantastic music coming over you and then a track like that is a nice quiet moment in between to take a few breathes and go on with the rest.

Another interesting feature of this album is the small new effects and elements they are bringing in with this album and that were not present yet on the first two. Like the original percussion on the third song or the funny little sounds at the beginning of the fifth track that are amazingly being taken over by the guitar. Very nice ! All things considered I can think of only one downside and that's not even really fair: there (same as with Evening Games) is not a track on the album that can match with On the Run of their debut. Not fair because that song will probably never be surpassed in the future because of it's ultimate greatness.

In the edition I bought there were two bonus tracks that don't really diminish the rating of the album and that means a lot because I intend to give this 5 stars and those who follow my ratingways know that I don't do that lightly. If I compare this album with the two predecessors I think it's in between them. A street .. was an obvious masterpiece to me and Evening Games almost but just a notch less and I harshly gave that 4 stars. So if this is in between those two it can mean only the full score.

Satellite is probably Poland´s leading prog band and one of the biggest groups in that genre nowadays. And still they decided to do some changes. They could easily try to replicate their trademark sound and play safe but instead they are braving some new territories. Don´t worry, Palczewisk´s majestic keyboards runs are here and so are some of Sarhan´s most beautiful guitar solos. And the good news seem that they got a new, real bass player.

So, different means better? Tricky question I´ve been asking myself since I got the CD. Certainly this album turned out a bit uneven, but this is mostly because of just one track, the 13 minute Dreams. It seems that it was heavily influenced by leader Wojtek Szadkowski´s side project Peter Pan. Like that group the music is sometimes a bit too loud and chaotic for Satellite. Even some electronic processed vocals are included. It´s not a bad tune - it has some real fine moments - but it is too long and should not be listed as the second track of the album. That way it stands it almost ruins the album sequence. It could have been an excellent album finisher.

The rest of the CD is excellent. Even if every song has something new or unusual, the music flows brilliantly and it is Satellite after all. Highlights are the title track (a new classic, with its wonderful early Crimson-like mellotron ending), Don´t Walk Away In Silence and Heaven Can Wait. The two bonus tracks are slightly below par when compared to the others, but nice anyway. And it is always good to see some restless musicians who do not sit on their former glories. Without sacrificing their strong points they are escaping from what could have been a redundant album.

Conclusion: not as accessible as their two previous CDs, but still very strong and inspired. It might take some time to digest on its whole. It reminds me of Collage´s Safe in some aspects. But actually it is a little better than that album, since there is no real weak songs. Different songs, yes. Neo prog fans, rejoice! There´s something new on the market!

This album seems to have little of the subtlety of the other SATELLITE album I've listened to, 'A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset.' Sadly I've not yet acquired their second CD, which is a bit like reading a trilogy while missing out the second book. Nevertheless, I have some thoughts on this album.

Embarking on a trilogy is fraught with danger. (I know this from a writing point of view.) One's style might change, or one simply gets bored with the subject and wishes to move on. The former seems to have happened between 'A Street ...' and 'Into The Night', although I understand that the middle CD is heavier than either the first or third. This is a real pity, as these ears really valued the lyricism derived from the combination of synth and guitar present on the former album. Here beauty is replaced by a sloppy combination of crashing rhythms set much further forward in the mix, and guitars bordering on metal. The gorgeous hooks that made 'A Street' so memorable have gone.

Well, so it's not a copy of their first album. That's a good thing. What, then, is it?

Well, it draws together elements of metal and neo-prog, underlining them with a heightened urgency. The album borders on heavy prog. 'Dreams', the 13 minute epic, displays these wares rather effectively, though the frenetic rhythms in the second part of the song I find rather annoying. The climax of the third part, however, is very special. Unfortunately it doesn't quite gel as a song, and appears far too early in the album. Pruned a little, this would have made an excellent closing track.

The heavy wall-of-sound instrumentation spills over into the rest of the album, so much so that SATELLITE are compelled to add an 'in between' track, 'Lights', just to give the listener a rest from the noise. See, the problem here is that the high volume gives the band little scope for the dynamic range they're capable of, which robs their songs of much of the character they could have had.

There are touches of electronica ('Don't Go Away In Silence', for example, is rather AUTECHRE-ish in parts) that help give tracks personality, but in reality all is dominated by the crushing guitars and incessant rhythm. 'Heaven Can Wait' is helped by an excellent riff, and we get to actually hear the keyboards for a change. But it overstays its welcome by a considerable margin. And what's this closing track? Does anyone else feel as jarred as I do that this album of sharp edges is concluded by a track that is initially lounge-funk smooth? Nice solo though.

What a pity. The changes may have made the band louder, but they've also made the band sound like so many others. The components are all there, but compositionally it is more like eating raw egg than an omelette. Having once found their voice, SATELLITE appear to have given it away again.

For me Satellite their previous studio album Evening Games and especially the DVD entitled Evening Dreams were the proove that this Polish formation is moving towards the top of the current progrock. About the new album Into The Night I had read a lot of positive stories and I can tell you, it's true: Satellite has made a very strong and professional sounding new CD that will please not only many neo- progheads but also those symphomaniacs who love modern prog.

On Into The Night (running time more than one hour) we can find seven melodic compositions (exclusive the two bonustracks I will talk about later) that often alternate between mellow, sultry, mid- tempo and bombastic (featuring a propulsive rhythm-section), that makes the music very dynamic. In Satellite their sound the guitarwork is omnipresent, often with howling runs but at some moments also quite heavy like in Heaven Can Wait and Forgiven And Forgotten. The keyboards are tastefully arranged, from lush violin-Mellotron, soaring keyboards and sparkling piano to bombastic Hammodn organ, majestic orchestrations and flashy synthesizer flights. The vocals sound very pleasant, from yearning in the more mellow parts to intense and emotional in the other pieces, this is an extra dimension to the music. The two bonustrack are no more or less than nice extra's, not at the level of the other seven songs.

I am very curious to the development of this awesome Polish formation, they fully deserve their four star rating and perhaps they are on their way to five stars on the successor of Into The Night, a big hand for Satellite!

Neo-prog is one of my favorite genres. I find the mix of symphonic elements with a more melodic- accessible approach fascinating. There's also a hint of metal in some neo-prog recordings (late ARENA a prime example) which has also helped to make this sub-genre one of my favorites here in PA. I have only reviewed three albums of it, though, so I guess it's time to start to correct this contradiction.

SATELLITE, as said before, is made of members of the deceased-band COLLAGE, from Poland. I have heard that late band and all I can say is, SATELLITE has a very similar sound to that of the disappeared group, but with a harder, at moments even more metallic approach. At the same time, some problems I found in COLLAGE have been solved here, mostly the lack of really memorable songs, as "Into The Night" is full of songs that will stay in one's mind for a long time, especially after a few listens of the album, which is what it's needed to appreciate it in its entirety.

The musicianship of the band is pretty good. As always with neo-prog, the guitar holds a special place in the music, mostly with clean, atmospheric solos, and these are done to perfection here by Kubeisi. When it's time to get harder and heavier, like in the first and last section of "Dreams", he also is quite capable of that. The keyboards are also very good, adding the exact touch of magic to the mix. All the rest of the instruments are played very competently. The vocals are good, at times extremely good. They're very pop-like at moments, and that's one of the great successes of this group: they manage to sound accessible while still being progressive, with a vocalist that matches the atmosphere of the music perfectly.

The songs are melodic, averaging 7 minutes in length, and full of short solos and beautiful leads. I particularly like the opener, "Into The Night", which is like a refreshment to my ears for its melody and it's distinct neo-prog sound. "Dreams" is rockier, even metallic, though the middle section is not that successful. "Don walk away in Silence" is another great song, and even better is "Heaven can Wait" (how many songs have been written using this title? I can think, in a second, of three), long but never boring, very melodic. The last track (not counting the bonus ones) is the most pop of the lot with its almost electronic-flavor, and I love it, a perfect display of the virtues of a genre where accessibility and progressiveness are combined to give us truly outstanding music.

Because of a couple of weak tracks ("Dreams" one of them, except for its beginning), I'm forced to bring the rating down one star. Otherwise, this would've been a fantastic, perfect neo-prog album. It's still very, very good, and a necessary addition to any collection of progressive rock

I really liked the debut album of this Polish band which was closer to symphonic than neo-prog, but their second release was behind my expectations. So, it was with a mixed bag feeling that I received their third opus.

The sound here is much heavier and less melodic. This is another change of musical orientation. Fair enough as far as diversity is concerned, but it is difficult for the fan to embrace these three efforts. They were much more impressive in their early days, IMHHO. Even the epic "Dreams" can't really thrill me.

Vocals sound close to Ray Wilson's ones on "Calling All Stations", but if you exclude a short and fine guitar break, there is little I will retain from this long song (almost fourteen minutes). It is close to prog metal IMO, even if the last third features some great and symphonic parts.

But this is just a short break into these almost metal sounds ("Downtown Skyline"). I didn't expect this musical change, but as I have already outlined in some other reviews, it seems that lots of bands were incorporating these harder elements because of the market's demand. But I don't belong to this tendency.

I'm more on the side of "Don't Go Away In Silence" which could have been featured on their debut: a jewel of a melody with a superb guitar work and subtle piano lines. I only wished to have more songs of this calibre on "Into The Night"!

My opinion is that this album is average. I will upgrade it to three stars.

The best surprise = there's no surprises!

Satellite has found itself and stamped it hard with a powerful and grandiose album. Into the Night's the 'natural' following of what Evening Games is, but with more oomph and less melancholy. In fact, we all liked what Evening Games was and as a neo-prog band, Satellite is doing it without hiding their influences. Big plastic keyboards, clean Strat and strong Fish choruses.

A strong high five is given to the early 80's in many textures, sprinkled here and there. I recall some acoustic guitar and keyboards a la Tears For Fears or the specific Stratocaster sound by Bernard Sumner of New Order. Again, everything seems to be airy and floaty, nothing heavy like their Polish collegues Riverside.

Satellite is all about dreamy ambience and the alternance of programming and the acoustic approach. Somewhat modern, the need to honor Genesis is still strong and yet no surprises here...again.

More mature and entertaining than the last one, time sure flies by when listening and as usual, a sign that everything is in it's right place.

Better, higher, happier.

"Into The Night" is the final chapter in the trilogy. The final chapter is some heavy reading. Haha. Well it's true they've brought in an aggression that I haven't heard form this band before.

This really isn't the case with the opening track though, in fact this has more in common with "Moonshine" with those passionate vocals and orchestral keys. I think this is one of the best tracks on here. I like when the sound gets fuller dring this song. "Dreams Part 1-3" is the 13 1/2 minute epic. It opens with a nice heavy sound and the guitar has some attitude. It settles with vocals before 2 minutes. A change 3 minutes in but i'm not a fan of this part. It changes to a heavier style before 9 minutes. It settles a minute later with piano. Guitar lights it up before 11 minutes. The final minute is fairly heavy with piano. "Downtown Skyline" has this steady beat to open as guitar comes in followed by synths. Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in and then it kicks in a minute later. It settles again as the contrasts continue.

"Lights" is a short atmospheric instrumental with some tinkling piano. No real melody. "Don't Walk Away" has this catchy melody that comes in at 1 1/2 minutes. It gets fuller and the guitar sounds great 3 minutes in and then it proceeds to rip it up a minute later. That catchy melody from earlier is back at 5 1/2 minutes. "Heaven Can Wait" opens with some outstanding guitar. It's the organ's turn ripping it up before 2 1/2 minutes.The guitar is back ! It settles 4 minutes in and orchestral keys then piano follows. It kicks back in before 6 minutes. The tempo continues to change. This along with the first track are my two favs. "Forgiven And Forgotten" opens with synths as a beat comes in. This is kind of poppy. It's orchestral sounding before 4 minutes then the guitar lights it up. Back to the pop flavour.

I still think their debut is the best one from this band. Good album but too much of it doesn't hit the spot for me.

An exceptional neo prog album from Polish band Satellite, this has turned into one of my favourite purchases of the year, and I got it on the strength of reviews on PA.

This is a band who provide an almost perfect mix of melody, melancholy, and also riffing out as if they were born to do metal. For an example of this, listen to the opening section of the epic track Dreams, which blazes along at 100 miles per hour, before settling down to some more recognisable symphonic inspired keyboards and guitars. I especially love the closing section, which features an exquisite guitar solo backed by huge sounding keyboards, and a pulsating rhythm section, before rocking out in mad fashion at the end. This is a track of many moods, and is a fantastic listen.

They can also do more commercial, melodic prog very well also, and I would particularly mention Downtown Skyline here, with its swirling keyboards, and upbeat rhythm. It would have made a good long single. Melodic also applies to Heaven Can Wait, which has at its heart a huge sound, mainly affected by some superlative, grand, keyboard work.

The contribution by all musicians is superb, and this is as about as tight knit an outfit as I have heard for many a year. I have Moonshine by Collage, a predecessor band, and the similarities are obvious, but, if anything, this band have brought a fresh focus to their obvious inspirations, in addition to this album having a much harder edge.

The highlight of the album, for me, is Don't Go Away In Silence, and this portrays that tight musicianship exceptionally well. Very low key, dark, almost sparse, but played and sung very well, especially the guitar. The solo bursts in the mid and end sections have to heard to be believed.

If you are a fan of acts such as Fish, Yes, Rush, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, and Genesis (yes, the inspirations are that diverse), but also of material from bands such as Riverside, their fellow Poles, then you will find a lot to enjoy here.

Into The Night is a fine album, and deserves a four star rating. On the back of it, I have bought last year's album, and am looking forward to seeing how this band progress.

There is a lot of good stuff coming out of Poland - this is amongst the best. Highly recommended.

The third of a trilogy of albums originally intended as a solo outlet for former COLLAGE drummer Wojtek Szadkowski, SATELLITE has taken on a life of its own--and a valid place in the pantheon of Neo Prog artists. Hearing the powerful performances of former COLLAGE vocalist Robert Amirian, former COLLAGE keyboardist, Krzysiek Palczewski are always worth giving a COLLAGE/SATELLITE album a chance. This one is no exception. Interesting that it's the work of Satellite mastermind, drummer Wojtek Szadkowski, that is really the weak spot of this music. No matter, still a pretty decent album of Heavy or maybe even somewhat Neo prog.

1. "Into The Night" (6:54) (13.5/15) 2. "Dreams" (13:48) too sprawling and loosely threaded together to warrant high marks. Even the highly touted final four minutes is flawed in its drawn out simplicity. (24.5/30) 3. "Downtown Skyline" (6:16) (8.5/10) 4. "Lights" (2:15) 5. "Don't Go Away In Silence" (7:36) great melodic guitar soloing. (13.5/15) 6. "Heaven Can Wait" (9:04) a metallic opening that I'm captivated by turns into something disappointing in its simplicity and predictability. One of the poorer vocal arrangements and integrations I've ever heard from the Satellite world. Nice guitar shredding before the strummed acoustic guitar- and electric piano-based middle passage. (17/20) 7. "Forgiven And Forgotten" (6:07)

Total time 42:00

The opener, title song, "Into the Night" shows us right off the bat that this is going to be an enjoyable listen to some beautiful, powerful music. The excellent bass playing of Jarek Michalski is well worth noting, as is the guitar work of Sarhan Kubeiski (though he is no MIREK GIL). The sound production is quite a step up from the band's 2003 debut.

Album highlights: 1. "Into the Night (6:34) (9/10);" 3. "Downtown Skyline" (6:15) (8.5/10), and; 5. "Don't Walk Away In Silence" (7:40) (13.5/15).

4 stars; a good, solid album but nothing Earth-shattering to write home about.

Satellite follows up the more traditional neo-prog release Evening Games with Into the Night, on which they once again try to incorporate more modern (particularly modern electronic-leaning) musical influences into their sound, creating a more diverse piece of work than either of their preceding albums. On Evening Games they'd already mastered melodic neo-prog and gentler musical approaches, whilst on Into the Night they show a greater flair for louder and more raucous outbreaks of technical virtuosity. It's another very strong album which shows how the band's musical talents have matured like fine wine over the years, and will appeal to most fans of neo-prog, though I find it a little colder emotionally speaking than Evening Games.