THE SIN

Millenium we no longer present them, they are releasing their 16th album there on an interpretation of the 7 deadly sins focused on power-hungry politicians getting out of control. Trendy idea this year but so real unfortunately. A neo-prog album without much novelty but flawless with a voice, the voice of Łukasz and its catchy choruses which are quickly remembered, more marked solos ranging from Ryszard keyboards to Piotr strings; the caricature cover of Marek Szczesny clearly indicates what it is about.

"Pride" and a little progressive intro, that's good, a melody with bewitching chorus, Floydian instrumental passage especially for keyboards, a tune that literally plunges into the atmospheric neo-prog of the precursor Arena, a heady tune that is embedded in your head from the first listen. "Lust" goes on, I like the titles that follow one another, with an imposing slower tempo, the voice of Łukasz well in the neo lineage bringing in fact flights of soft keyboards of Ryszard whose recognizable touch and guitars juicy just after an angelic break, simple but effective with a touch of symphonism; and "Wrath" arrives for an intimate guitar solo then a rhythmic and symphonic, metronomic and airy riff, setting the title up to a gentle interlude; the duet voices give more intensity then a greasy final solo from Piotr gives a good impression of the neo; health! "Gluttony" and a Jethro-Tullian flute (original or sampled) on an oriental base, sends us on a more intimate piece, IQ or Arena are there in thought; the suddenly, soft, velvety Pink Floyd synth of the late Richard Wright and then the guitar that has been missing in recent times in progressive achievements. Robotic snack then a final duo. "Sloth" and a ballad, delicious and basic piano at the start, suave voice, synths at first that make you leave, guitars at the second train for a more languid tempo bordering on spleen for one of the pieces at the start. both the simplest and the most moving, return of the piano at the end. "Greed" continues with the hit title in my opinion with the first one, more energetic and also more conventional, Ryszard's keyboards playing with the strings of Piotr, a melodic title agreed a little behind. "Envy" comes to end this concept album, it must be said, with a soaring slide guitar, crystalline, aerial a la Chris Réa too little known him or Mark of Dire Straits; in short, longer song, more sensitivity, slower rise also with long-awaited breaks, Ryszard synths forward as well as an acoustic guitar until the apotheosis prog as it should be with Piotr's guitar solo more emotional, more explosive than the others. Millenium is releasing the ultimate record here, almost hits for each title, a melodic, fruity rhythm as I like to say, an allegorical journey to talk about pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, revenge and laziness. It reminds me a little of the group Mystery which managed to synthesize the substantive progressive marrow, a simple but terribly effective album, not technical in itself but amplifying the melodic side and pouring into atmospheric climates.

Millenium has released many albums over the years, but this is actually the first I have had a chance to listen to. I am very glad I did! "The Sin" was a welcome surprise for 2020. I'm not actually sure this totally qualifies as "prog" in the strict sense, but I would put it as Crossover or Prog-Related. This 7 song cycle is very enjoyable and I have listened to it many times in the past few weeks. The highlights are LUST, GLUTTONY, SLOTH, and GREED, with GLUTTONY and SLOTH being my favorites. The musicianship is impeccable and the singing top notch with great melodies and harmonies. I am currently working my way through their back catalogue of releases in search of more gems! Unfortunately only a few are on my Apple Music. Not a perfect masterpiece, but "The Sin" is a solid 4. An excellent addition to any music collection!