CONFRONTATION

State Urge is back, the latest little darling of my current rotation of regulars, all masterpieces that rarely come close to the ridiculous talent on display here. The debut was an outright stunner, a 'white rock experience' that will shake you out of your reveries and retains its elite place among my all-time jewels. Yes, the bar was set very high, a perfect debut opus the really nailed me to the cross and hard. Standout tracks like the spell-binding "All I Need" and prog ballads like the lusty "Long For You" are mind boggling examples of a fledgling quartet of musical minds that have an intellectual brain to go with the blazing chops. Their music is, like their moniker might imply, urgent as well as extremely melodic and at times quite extroverted. All four musicians are not only talented verging on the 'special' but the interplay and yearning for sizzle is apparent in every track, clearly defining an artistic determination to exceed the norms. Singer and guitarist Marcin Cieslik is master of both, a clear, almost accent less English vocal style that convinces from the get go, while his guitar skills seem more content in the raspy panache world of slingers like Phil Manzanera, exuding both power and finesse. Keyboard texturizer Michal Tarkowski plays a large role as well, using organ, piano and synths to canvas the appropriate symphonics but in a much rawer style than the Emerman/Wakeson format. The rhythm section is top notch, a bruising bassist in Krystian Papiernik and in Marcin Bochanski, the quartet has a bustling basher that nails the mood to the wall.

All the songs are highly polished (sorry, I could not help myself) gems, whether harder edged cuts like the omnipresent title track, the relentless and organ-doused "Revival" or melodic outbursts such as the sublime "Liquid Disease" and the magnificently dramatic "Cold as a Lie". On the Opener "Confrontation", the mood is set for the imminent pleasure ride and no holds barred prog is delivered with both grace and pressure. The sparkling keyboards rev up a rocking engine that gets all bristling with energy, an almost punky edge full of desperation and collision, the lyrics clearly identifying the age old skirmish between love partners. Besides the obvious progressive references, there is also a hint of bands such as Killing Joke, Ultravox, Magazine and The Stranglers, which is a no mean feat by any stretch.

On the previously mentioned "Revival" the moody arrangement goes from a jagged and jumpy Hammond fueled imbroglio to a mid-section that is bar-room jazz lounge and back to a vocal hymn that just makes the head spin. The hissy temperament is aggressive and despondent, silk mixed with stone, anger and hope all intertwined. Needless to mention, the soaring axe solo is utterly spellbinding.

On the 7 minute "Liquid Disease", the intricate guitar work takes a front row spotlight, hot and heavy as it weaves across thumping beats and guides the slippery synths along for the journey. The lyrics are appropriately bleak and somewhat angry, perhaps influenced by Steve Wilson's rose colored glasses. Unearthly intro that morphs into a buzzing riff rife with tension and electricity, the spiraling rant loses control, a roller coaster of confusion and lingering damnation. The punky nihilism is entrancing, a comatose enquiry about the human condition that goes beyond platitudes and intensifies the shock to the system. Again the guitar work, though simple, really expresses a quiet rage that is quite flattering!

The trepidation that permeates "Cold as a Lie" is enough for me to swoon over, a melancholic ballad that has a swooping vocal, swamped in old school prog dynamics (Procol Harum, Tai Phong and Spooky Tooth) as the rolling organ permeates the arrangement buoyed by a sulfurous melody that stabs you deep in the soul, the almost U2-like clanging electric guitars that highlight the unfolding drama are wholly sublime. Overwrought, vivid and grandiloquent, this is a fascinating piece of melodic fantasy, immediately seizing one by the emotional jugular, a fine companion to the romantic elegance of "Long for You". Cieslik's vocal is a paramount trait as well. Bravo!

A rousing organ introduces a longer track, the rambling and seductive "Midnight Mistress" which will delve into more mysterious climes, where a dense sense of foreboding and youthful anger is all wrapped up in one delirious slice of progressive magic. There are even tubular bells used to add some spectral depth to the rhythmic onslaught. The deliberate premise is an extensive dirge-like hymn that provides Cieslik with a long solo spot to show off his particular tense style that combines hints of Fripp, Page, Box and The Edge. Then ivoryman Tarkowski does some nasty things to his frothing organ again, a powerful finale. Impressive.

Another softer song, a musical trait that this band does also rather well, the fragile "New Season" has a guileless initial configuration, introspective vocal and acoustic guitar to enchant and a lovely Spanish guitar solo to follow and a sudden symphonic chorus that involves the entire Gdynia crew, sailors setting sail into the Baltic sun. Cieslik blows a masterful solo from his axe, raising the tension even more. Brilliant.

The colossal "Before the Dawn" is all about sullen delicateness, a tubular cocoon of sound that oohs and aahs along, subtle and manic, fueled by torrential choir work and a pummeling drum attack that careens and quakes like some apocalyptic storm.

The finale is the stupendous epic "More", a 10 minute + workout that ultimately encapsulates what this band can accomplish. Far from premature and impatient, the quartet weaves a slow burning sizzler that keeps rising to alternate levels, like some prog elevator, slowly building up a frothy tempest of sound. 'Nothing can bring us down' intones the mercurial Marcin! The fascination stems from fusing unpretentious stylistics and configuring a whopping sense of drama and theatrics into the diabolical osmosis. The choir-heavy chorus is pushed along by a fizzling guitar that seeks no immediate conclusion, the heavenly voices brewing sweet hypnosis. A sensational finale.

State Urge is a young yet mature band, similar to their Italian companions Unreal City, who seek to pursue fresh and vibrant progressive configurations, crafting quality pieces that rock and also challenge the senses. They are, in my humble opinion, the torch bearers of the future, I can only drool at what they might come up with next. Two quality albums back to back is no mean feat.

5 battles

State Urge's Confrontation is yet another example of bombastic Neo Prog band sullied by their computer cleanliness and their use of prog-by-numbers sounds and formulae. The production is rather weak, especially the recording/engineering of the voice. Some of the foundational riffs and chord sequences--not to mention the sound and instrument choices--are so cheesy and irritating as to make me cringe! It's all I can do to sit through a full song much less give it my "open-minded" attention. So sorry to have to offer a review like this to musicians who I'm sure are genuinely trying hard to produce something of quality. This just doesn't satisfy my standards--on any level. "Cold as Lie" is a decent song and "Before the Dawn" brings to mind country-mates SATELLITE.

Three stars, no more.

After the Polish neo-prog band State Urge built up some name recognition with a demo CD and a few EPs, their first full-fledged CD, called "White Rock Experience", was released by Lynx Music in 2013. However, it is never really clear what exactly the band means by white rock and hordes of reviewers are wondering about this expression. Where do I stand? For me, white rock stands for honest, sincere music that, in all its purity, is not colored by commercialism. In 2015, the four young musicians released successor "Confrontation" discussed here and the question is of course how white the rock is here.

Well, we can be brief about that. Pure white. "Confrontation" has it all. In the eight songs on the album we hear this driven passion omnipresent. The integrity, urgency and persuasiveness with which the rock-injected neo-prog is made is very great. What a bunch of accurate musicians.

Michal Tarkowski regularly brings a Deep Purple-like organ into the keyboard-dominated music, while guitarist Marcin Cieslik always manages to get the right guitar parts from his instrument. These are often riffs, but he also comes up with all kinds of other key changes and of course there are his solos that take the music to a higher level. Cieslik is also the band's singer and he does a good job. He won't win The Voice Of Poland, but you can also see that as a compliment. In terms of voice he reminds me of Krzysiek Drogowski from the also Polish band After, especially since the music of both bands is very similar. With State Urge I also hear a gritty layer and something of the sixties in their music. In both cases, bass guitar and drums give the music an exciting rhythm and that makes for a well-oiled listen.

The band displays a disarming charm offensive on "Confrontation", which gives the foursome a huge goodwill factor on this album. Every second is spot-on starting with the opening title track. This relatively short track takes you into the album with its energetic riffs, only to let you go almost fifty minutes later. The song transitions seamlessly into Revival, which stands out for a few bars of jazz, while the vast majority of it is dominated by full organ chords.

State Urge knows how to create beautiful contrasts (both within and outside the songs) which is made evident by the two subsequent compositions. For a long time, Liquid Disease has been a nice angular prog metal song from Riverside where you will regularly have to count to eleven. When the song takes an atmospheric turn, a delightful guitar solo and catchy keyboard playing follow. Cold As A Lie, on the other hand, is a ballad with many keyboard chords. As the song evolves it becomes bloody beautiful, but the highlight of the album is yet to come. This honor is reserved for the thrilling closing track More, but before that happens, three other pieces require attention. There is Midnight Mistress, a bombastic song with majestic church organ sounds that you simply cannot get enough of and the largely acoustic New Season also keeps you glued to the speakers. After the exuberant Before The Dawn, it is the turn of the aforementioned closing track More and I actually don't feel obligated to describe this track in any further detail. The easy-to-sing-along song has more value than my advice to just experience it.

Actually, the whole white rock phenomenon is something you have to experience. Only then will the concept become fully clear to you. Well, intensive listening is absolutely no punishment. In fact, I recommend confrontation to everyone.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com