PUZZLES

Over the years I have been fortunate to review pretty much all of Millenium's albums, but it was only when I was writing about 2013's 'Ego' that I realised that I hadn't heard 2011's 'Puzzles'. I soon rectified that, and as with all of their recent releases I was impressed even before I put the first CD into the player. This is a double CD digipak, with both of the CDs looking as if they are old fashioned vinyl, and there is a booklet containing all of the lyrics (in both English and Polish, although they are sung in English) as well as some artwork. Keyboard player Ryszard Kramarski again wrote all of the music and recorded the album, while he co-wrote the lyrics with singer Łukasz Gall. So after looking at the packaging, it was time to listen to the actual music, and settle back for 90 minutes (14 songs) of some of the best neo-prog around.

To be honest, I have never been disappointed by the output of these guys, who have been incredibly consistent since I heard their debut some fifteen years ago. Although all of the music is written by the keyboard player, one would never imagine that to be the case as this is very much a band album with loads of guitar parts and times when Piotr Płonka is very much in control with Ryszard playing a supporting role. This is neo-prog that has much in common with Nineties IQ, and will definitely appeal to those who are fans of bands such as Credo and Galahad although in reality they are quite different to all three and follow their own path. The production is superb, with a real clarity and space for everyone to shine while Łukasz is simply a star throughout. A concept album, each song adds an additional piece to the story, just like the jigsaw that is pictured on the cover and is about relationships, using the names of Adam and Eve to make the point.

Yet again this is a wonderful album, and if you have yet to hear the joys of Millenium (and there are plenty of albums to choose by now) then this is a great place to start. www.lynxmusic.pl