SPECTRUM OF THE GREEN MORNING

Finally! An album whose absence from the PA radar is shocking to me! "Between RIVERSIDE and PEARL JAM" is so accurate! Try the free downloads, "Regret and Frightened Child" (9/10) and "Enemy World Vision" (10/10) from www.last.fm.com and you will discover an absolutely amazing sound of this somehow not-yet-'discovered' band from Poland! The 2007 EP shows signs of 'imaturity'--mostly in production and lack of variation in composition and sound--though song 6, "Have in Mind" (7/10) is different in its keyboard (a poor-man's electric piano) intro & foundation, and song 3 "Pink Elephant Missed" (6/10) is also different in that it has a more rock'n'roll feel to it--like PEARL JAM trying to do LED ZEPPELIN. Song 2, "Some Kind of Hope" (6/10) sounds a bit too much like "Regret..." and "Enemy..." though is flawed in its having less polish in the recording mix. Song 4, "Waking Up in the ZOO," (8/10) is quite good with tight RIVERSIDE-like drums and bass and an interesting ALEX LIFESON/RUSH-sounding guitar cranking out the power chords. The vocalist is excellent--very much like a cross between Eddie Vedder and Mariuz Duda (which becomes more Eddie Vedder-like in their next album)--though the lyrics of several of these songs could use a little boost. This is definitely a band that needs/deserves to be heard. If you like RIVERSIDE, you will love this album! Highly recommended. 4 stars.

"Spectrum Of The Green Morning" was the first release by RETROSPECTIVE back in 2007. It's an under 35 minute EP that they self released. The followup "Stolen Thoughts" from 2008 is their first studio album and they got signed to the Polish label Lynx Records. The album covers for these two recordings have a similar theme but that's where the similarities stop. I'm really surprised at how different these two albums are.

RETROSPECTIVE are a six piece band from Poland bringing RIVERSIDE to mind more than any other band. So lets talk about the differences between their first two albums. The singer on the debut here gets more extreme at times but I didn't think of Eddie Vedder once, while I thought of Vedder a lot on "Stolen Thoughts". The production is much better on the studio album, maybe not so surprisingly. The studio album sounds like it belongs in Heavy Prog, while this EP is Prog Metal. The abrasive guitar at times, the heavy riffs, the more extreme vocals at times, this is much more metal sounding. The studio record is a concept album, the EP isn't.

My favourite song is the opener "Enemy World Vision" and it's my favourite from either of their first two recordings. I understand it was played often on local Polish radio stations. Very RIVERSIDE sounding to start with the bass and guitar but it turns quite heavy after 2 minute. Oh my! Vocals a minute later as it settles. I like the rebel yell later on. Great sounding guitar solo follows. At over 7 1/2 minutes this one is a keeper. The rest are hit and miss but more hit for sure.

I'm not big on the piano/vocal closer. Even though there is some emotion there. "Waking Up In The Zoo" is the longest tune at over 8 minutes. It features some aggressive vocals but these guys always contrast sections well. I like the heavy sound 2 minutes in sans vocals. How about that guitar solo after 3 minutes as vocals return, but more passionate. Love the tribal rhythm on "Regret And Frightened Child" early on, and the guitar lighting it up late. A really good song.

I will be keeping these first two cds from RETROSPECTIVE beside each other on the shelf, as they work well as companion albums including the cover art. And both are 4 star records but not without their faults. And I really have a hard time picking one over the other despite their differences.