OUT OF MYSELF

I heard all of the hype surrounding this record. And I'd heard the MP3's posted here on the site. I thought (and still think) that "LOOSE HEART" is gorgeous. So, I bought the disc, and it hasn't left my CD player for week...until today. I've been trying to fall in love with it, hoping it will grow on me, and yet, every time I listen to it, I come away with the same mindset.

Here's my problems with the disc. Some of the songs lumber along for far too long, which makes me think that the group wrote the music first and then had Mariusz sit down and write lyrics. That's fine in many cases, but on "The Same River", he stopped writing lyrics far too early. Beyond that, his vocals sound less like prog vocals and more like something Brandon Boyd (Incubus) would do. That song just bores me to tears. And the sound effects and filtered vocals on that track and others here just piss me off. The filtered vocal effects should be done away with.

More, then...this disc has a very depressing feel to it, from the lyrics to the music to the playing. It's as if the 4 of them were influenced by only the DARKEST of prog bands...I'm thinking Opeth. Little do they know that there IS light at the end of the tunnel. Come on, guys!

However, the production is wonderful; the sound is organic and natural, clear but not digital. I can hear all the instruments clearly and not one dominates the other. I like the sound of the instruments as well. Piotr Grudzinski uses a clear, clean tone most of the time, sans effects, only using distortion when he's playing lead or when he needs some effects (like his subtle use of the wah). "LOOSE HEART" is a breathtaking song, with a downcast feel to it, which would be fine were there some more cheery moments. Damn...even Opeth's "DAMNATION" makes me feel better than this, and that's more downcast! Geesh.

This is why I'm only giving it a three-star rating. There are far too many problems I've noticed. I can deal with the derivative nature of the music. What I CAN'T deal with is the fact that Grudzinski uses only ONE tone throughout and the mood is so lightless. Ugh.