MARSBÉLI KRÓNIKÁK (MARTIAN CHRONICLES)

From way down in Eastern Europe comes one of the most atmospheric, enchanting and captivating prog albums ever recorded in the 80's. Solaris album "Marsbeli kronikak" is a mostly intrumental piece of music, with only occasional vocals adding spice.

The opening trio of songs is quite enough to make any prog fan happy. These are truly ambitious and well crafted pieces of music, capturing the essence of the bleak 80's and the apocalyptic, sometimes truly terrifying, threat of nuclear war. The contents of the remaining album are of extremely high quality, making "Marsbeli kronikak" a joy to listen to.

The music could be described as symphonic with hard rock edges. While there are enough keyboards and symphonic soundscapes to make any prog fan insane from pleasure, the guitar provides a great hard rock feel to it, making the music diverse and always interesting. It is a sort of symphonic, space rock close to Eloy (of the 80's) and even some of Hawkwind's contemporary output.

Conclusion: "Marsbeli kronikak" is one of the most prime examples of symphonic prog of the 80's but could well be one of the highlights of all time. It has a retro feel to it, yet the music is firmly rooted in the 1980's. It is a pleasure, a delight and an experience of great worth. Do give it a chance and be amazed at what these guys produced 30 years ago. From the opening, creepy sound of childlike voices to the majestic, pompous sound of keyboard orientated prog, "Marsbeli kronikak" delivers in spades. Gloriuos.