SUNSET GUN

My opinion about prog-metal is quite similiar to Thom’s (Boss of www.artrock.pl) opinion about present, Polish idea of progressive music. Mentioning it makes me shiver, but I’m trying to listen to it, and then I shiver again, because once again I had to revise this rubbish. Maybe it’s because I’ve always liked heavy-metal, hard-rock and progressive rock and connecting it all should be attractive for me. But a presumption is a presumption and reality is different. Fortunately brothers Kopecky are happening.

I hit on them a few years ago, indirectly because of Marishka, in occasion of their previous record “Serpentine Caleidoscope”. I don’t know why, but it seemed to me that it will be perfect for the evening to bed, before sleeping. They took a ride upon me very professionally, like a road roller with trubo charger and there was no chance to sleep. Mixture of prog-metal and jazz was as loud as attractive. There are a lot of bands serving twisted rhythms and crazy riffs, but Kopecky’s are outstanding, because they know WHY they are doing it. Brothers have precise vision of music, which they are making. Additionally they are great instrumentalists.

In comparison with “Serpentine Caleidoscope”, “Sunset Gun” is calmer and gentler album. Except the title track there’s no typical solo ride on it. Instrumental ornaments are tangled very often, but Kopecky’s have never been doing it to pride themselves with their skills. To uninitiated – it is called usable technique and it’s not the point in itself.

This is a beautiful, but not an easy music. Melodic and sound variety of this album is great. Dynamic, typical for the genre “Sunset Sun”, sublime, touching some typical progressive issue “Ascension” and three, longer and more complicated compositions – “Selquet’s Kiss” (fine bass in here), “Creation’s Brief Gift” and “Temptation’s Screaming-Ground”. There are even some oriental elements – “The Divine Art Of Flying” (that’s why there is sitar). Virtuosity subordinated to music. To be honest, I need to have day to feel this. Because sometimes I am resistant to the charm of this music. I’m not saying that I stopped liking this disc and it’s not fulfilling my demands. Vice versa - I’m not fulfilling demands of this record.

Stylistically “Sunset Gun” is located between two formations of Tony Levin – Liquid Tension Experiment and Bozzio Levin Stevens – less jazzy and more rocky than BLS, but more jazzy than LTE. That’s for enlightening those who don’t know it yet.