LUNATIC SOUL

Lunatic Soul

Crossover Prog

4.02 | 442 ratings

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I'm always interested to hear an artist from a favourite band moving into the solo realm, especially when it's something quite different from his or her previous work.

This is what we're given with Mariusz Duda's 'Lunatic Soul'. Here we see the frontman from Riverside moving to arrangements centred around acoustic guitars and other instruments unseen on his previous works.

This is apparent from the very beginning. After the ambient intro track, 'Prebirth', track number two 'The New Beginning' treats us to flutes, acoustic percussion and subtle, almost whispered vocals. 'Out on a Limb' ramps things up a little as Duda's distorted bass injects some groove into the album. There's also the interesting use of a woman crying to punctuate the track midway through. I found this entirely disconcerting the first time through. A number of listens later I'm still not sure what to make of it, but it is admittedly effective in evoking a response.

The title track 'Lunatic Soul' is my favourite on this album. It begins with a dreamlike chiming that immediately transports me deep inside the music. It's an example of something simple, something subtle that is also very powerful. Acoustic guitar melts in and Duda's subdued vocals are soon accompanied by synths that gradually build the tension of the song. A memorable bassline drives the second half of the song until the chiming that escorted us into the track returns to echo in our ears as the song ends.

'Adrift' is another track that shares many of these strengths - a dreamlike acoustic intro, a killer bassline and a wonderful build up are all prominent as other instruments join the tapestry. This song clocks in at around three minutes and always leaves me wanting more.

'The Final Truth' is a track of two halves - the first mixes an organ, vocals and a highly reverberated side stick. It then builds to a more orchestral feel for the second half as the tempo picks up and other instruments join in. 'Waiting for the Dawn' closes the album with the same sense of ambience with which it began.

This album was a complete surprise for me, and one of my favourites for the year. It shows that Mariusz Duda has plenty to offer outside the confines of Riverside, and that his talents extend beyond just the one genre or style.

bonestorm | 4/5 | 2013-4-18

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