MEMENTO Z BANALNYM TRYPTYKIEM

This is one of the few S.B.B. albums that has a serious amount of ratings on PA, and my guess is that it's their most populair album as well. Perhaps this is due to international approach of the band after the 'Follow My Dream' album, but it's als due to the modern progressive/symphonic sound of this album. After the well recorded and timeless 'Wołanie O Brzęk Szkła aka Slovenian Girls', this is the last album of the band.

The band still has a focus on long compositions, three on side one and one on side two. The big difference is the approach on the progressive mix of S.B.B. The band has used symphonic, space and jazz-rock/fusion influences throughout their career, but on this album the music became less abstract and perhaps more 'catchy'. The band has a direct sound. The symphonic equipment of keyboard-player Jozef Skrzek is very modern, and a link to U.K. or perhaps even neo-prog can be made. I was relieved to find that master- guitarplayer Apostolis Antymos has again an essential role on this album. His fine guitarsolo's and melodic patterns had become a background-affair after '77. As if he was a lesser member of the band! The drums of Jerzy Piotrowski are again brilliant. As I mentioned before, he's perhaps my favorite drummer of the eclectic genre. His energetic fills are one of the main elements of the adventerious sound of S.B.B.

On side one we begin with (I'll use the English titles) My Land Of Dreams; an up-tempo sympho-progger with many jazz-rock influences and many instrumental parts. The song- part in the middle section has a peculiar atmosphere. The Triangle Of Joy is a dark instrumental song with a beautifull Spanish guitar solo. The symphonic section in the end is also worthwhile, but I'm missing a link to the long opening section. Strategy Of Pulse is again an up-tempo sympho prog track with jazz influences.

Side two is filled with Memento With A Banal Tryptych, a long epic 21 minutes. The song has many instrumental parts, a few song-parts and some moments for improvisation. The song-part in the middle has a happy pop feel, but somehow this works very relaxing. The ending section has an emotional impact.

Conclusion. Again a very strong S.B.B. album, but somehow I'm still missing the magic of my favorite 'Pamieç-album (1975). The band has a very modern sound, that still will attract listeners of modern symphonic prog and it's perhaps a brilliant sound for an album that was released in the eigthies, but it's not this sound that makes me want to listen to prog on a vinyl. The composion is very strong and the musianship of S.B.B. is plain brilliant. I wish I could understand the lyrcis, because I somehow got the feeling they are important on this album. A very strong four-star rating for this one.

p.s. Fans of S.B.B: go write some reviews! This band belongs to be named along with bands like King Crimson, VdGG and Gentle Giant as main bands of the eclectic genre.

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