GRENDEL

One of the legions of neo-prog bands that has sprung up in the 1990s and 2000s in Poland, GRENDEL was formed in 2002 in the small city of Białograd in the northwestern part of the nation by guitarist and singer Sebastian Kowgier, keyboardist Ula Swider, bassist Czarek Swider and drummer Wojciech Bilinski. Unlike many of its Polish contemporaries, GRENDEL had a short shelf-life and only released a single album in 2008 titled THE HELPLESS. Whether the band is on a very extended hiatus or simply an undeclared defunct entity is a mystery but one thing is for sure and that is the fact that this quartet delivered an interesting intricately designed album of neo-prog music.

Named after the hideous monster from the epic poem Beowulf, this GRENDEL (as opposed to the gazillion other bands of the same name) delivered music that is the antithesis of a hideous antagonist bent on chaos and destruction. Au contraire, on THE HELPLESS we are treated to eight beautifully designed tracks that display the best of what neo-prog has to offer, that being carefully crafted and instantly connecting melodies, warm passionate performances by competent musicians and a singer who can evoke an emotive connection to the lyrical contents at hand. Add to that the adherence to tradition with elegant guitar sweeps and layers of keyboard atmospherics and you are in for a real treat. While hardly on par with the bigwigs of the genre, GRENDEL nevertheless held its own for a band that emerged from such a remote region fo the globe. Somewhat of a concept album, THE HELPLESS deals with humanity's lifelong struggles with shortcomings and frailties.

While on the surface just another neo-prog by the numbers type of band, GRENDEL distinguishes itself through the subtle differences that not only share connections to the softer varieties of Polish neo-prog such as Collage, Satellite, Quidam or Millennium but also offers the touches of Pink Floydian space rock, the ambient metallic sensibilities of Riverside and the more electronically infused space rock antics of Porcupine Tree. Lead singer Sebastian Kowgier delivers compelling vocal performances getting him compared to Riverside's Mariusz Duda with a soft tenderness approach that blends well with the dreamy placidity that GRENDEL conjures up with its soft breezy easy-going style of neo-prog. As the band's guitarist Kowgier also delivers some spectacular guitar performances with expansive sweeps and the occasional harder-edged tastes of soft metal.

While i would hardly call GRENDEL an innovative band in any particular way, i do have to say that these guys did an excellent job of infusing their easy listening style of neo-prog with extremely compelling pop hooks that find the perfect instrumental expressions. Starting with the instantly endearing "Signal" and consistently following through all the way to the ending 12-minute closer "Illusions," GRENDEL mastered the art of balancing the beautifully enigmatic atmospheric aspects with the perfect mix of bass grooves, guitar majesty and restrained percussive drive but most of all what animates THE HELPLESS most of all is surely the vocal nuances of Sebastian Kowgier who really does have the perfect velvety vocal style for the world of neo-prog and similarly styled mellow prog styles.

While the album skirts on without many surprises, the more upbeat "Full Of Pride" features some interesting unique contrapuntal piano runs and a bit of crunchy guitar heft. Overall i'm surprised how much i love this album. While more reserved than much neo-prog, somehow GRENDEL crafted the perfect hybrid effect of bands like Riverside and Quidam with a touch of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree and other neo-prog greats seeping into the mix. While the band surely would've developed a more creative approach had it continued to release albums, i still find THE HELPLESS to be an instantly addictive and utterly captivating neo-prog release as the delicacy of the mix walks the fine line between so many elements that could easily derail the overall effect. One of those rare albums that is saved by the perfect chemistry of the band members and an excellent detail in the production department.

According to LastFM, there are nine bands with the name Grendel:- 1) Grendel is a harsh ebm artist from Netherlands. 2) Grendel is a melodic death metal band from Finland. 3) Grendel is a Polish progressive rock band. 4) Grendel is a black metal band from Italy. 5) Grendel is a black metal band from the UK. 6) Grendel is a power metal band from Spain. 7) Grendel is a black metal band from Germany. 8) Grendel is a split-up folk metal band from Estonia. 9) Grendel is a hardcore/avant-garde metal band from France. Now, I think it is safe to say that eight of these acts are probably inspired by the monster of the same name from the saga 'Beowulf', and that the other took their inspiration from Marillion's song of the same name (which was about the monster ? and still their finest work). So can this Polish band bear comparison with Marillion, or any of the other prog greats?

I first played this album after listening to Glass Hammer ? which was a really bad idea as I found myself comparing the two and it really is chalk and cheese. It is not that this is a poor album, and I have found more to like in it the more I have played it, but rather that it is rather uninspiring and a pale washed out imitation of what prog can be like. That the guys can play, especially guitarist Sebastian Kowgier (who also provides vocals ? in English) is never in doubt, but is this something to which I will be returning to time and again? The answer to that is sadly no. These guys concentrate on providing atmospheric prog but miss the mark and come out as Marillion-lite, and there are many more Polish bands that I would rather listen to (SBB, Millenium, Satelite, Votum, Quidam, Collage, Riverside etc). www.lynxmusic.pl

3.5 stars, really. I heard about this new polish band only recently. And I was instantly curious, because of its name. As anyone might know, this is the title of Marillion´s first great epic. So i presumed they were heavily influenced by that band. Not so much so, as I ended up finding out when I heard The Helpless. Ok, the band is obviously influenced by a number of neo prog acts like Pendragon, Jadis and, of course, Marillion (the beautiful emotional guitars are indeed very good and convincing). But the songs also lean towards the alternative/pop of modern groups like Riverside, Coldplay and the like. That´s not bad per se, but really the band will have to decide if they are a prog group or a pop outfit one day.

Because they do have a great potencial. They are all excellent musicians and the guitar parts are really outstanding. And they have the additional advantage of having an extraordinaire singer in the person of guitarrist Sebastian Kowgier. He has a nice voice and a convincing way of delivering the emotions of the lyrics. The Helpless is a concept album concerning the loneliness of man in the modern world. It has no fillers. All songs are at least good ones. Production is also top notch. As Imentioned before, the guitar parts are brilliant all the way through the CD, and the rest of the band is not too far behind, proving they are a tight unity already.

Conclusion: very good debut. If you like emotional music with fine melodies, you should check this out. I was tempeted to give them a four star rating, but since this is their first, I believe they have lots of room to improve yet. 3.5 stars is more fitting. I´m looking forward to hear their next works.

A band to watch for, no doubt about it.

Francamente, vivendo in Italia, rimango stupito di come vengano maltrattati i nuovi gruppi prog che tentano di ricalcare le orme dei mitici Genesis, Pendragon, Marillion, Iq e Arena. Prima di definire un gruppo come clone di qualcun'altro, sarebbe bene ricordare che nessuno può inventare qualcosa, ma semmai reinventare o riscrivere altre pagine, in questo caso musicali, utilizzando il proprio loro stile e le proprie inclinazioni. Trovo che questo primo album dei Grendel sia assolutamente fantastico, non scimmiotta nessuno dei gruppi sopra citati, ma anzi profonde una melodia densa di dolcezza. Francamente tra i nuovi (pessimi) album dei Marillion e questo primo album dei Grendel, preferisco tutta la vita Helpless. Resto in attesa del loro secondo lavoro, e mi auguro che i proggers di tutto il mondo imparino ad essere meno severi con chi sale alla ribalta della scena prog, ma anzi li sostenga e li divulghi, in modo tale che la musica che tanto amiamo non si spenga con il passare del tempo!!!!

Grendel is Polish neo-prog band, founded in 2002. And The Helpless, their debut album, is released in 2008 only!

I am not a big fan of neo-progressive, but I 'd read some great reviews on this album in Polish press. So, at the first possibility I just made a spin to this CD.

The music there is very melodic, intelligent and tasteful! Vocalist's voice is really pleasant and remind Mariusz Duda (Riverside) vocals. Music is classic neo-prog, mostly influenced by Genesis and Marillion, so not big surprises there. Ingredients added are pop-rock and few metal moments. Possibly, you can think about Grendel as about neo-prog Riverside.

The album is conceptual one, and lyrics is in English. Compositions are all great played and arranged. Then, if you're not afraid in some melodic pop-rock elements in your music, and would like to listen not very original but quality mixture of Riverside and Marillion in one - this album is for you.

My rating - 3+.