EGO

Millenium is a Polish Neo Prog band that has been together since 1999 and began as a solo project by keyboard player Ryszard Kramerski. Today the band has also Łukasz Gall (vocals), Piotr Płonka (guitars), Krzysztof Wyrwa (bass) and Tomasz Paśko (drums) in the line-up. Ego (2013) is their 9th and most recent studio album (not counting EPs and re-recordings) and it was released by Ryszard's label Lynx Music.

Before going into Millenium's music I would like to mention the magnificent artwork that Ego (2013) has. A really astonishing piece of work on the cover (by Marek Juza) and digipack design (by Maciej Stachowiak), including a CD that imitates a little LP.

Millenium has always followed the Neo Prog path and it's no different on Ego (2013), which means that keyboards and guitars are up front in the songs. Also, having Ryszard as the main writer, producer and keyboard player of the band is quite natural that his instrument is very important in the band's sound. 'Ego' the tittle-track is the first one on the album. This is a very well written piece with a bit of 'electronics' here and there, but this complements the music perfectly. Piotr Płonka and his guitars have to be mentioned cause he did an impeccable job. Great opening track!

The following track 'Born In 67' is all about nostalgia! Although the lyrics that aren't that great Łukasz Gall's vocals make them shine. The track also has many backing vocals and includes a trumpet solo (by Michał Bylica). Track 3 is called 'Dark Secrets' and it is a different kind of ballad. It's contemplative with many mini guitar solos and an absolutely brilliant final part where everything goes faster.

'When I Fall' follows the same footprints as the previous song, but this time as a piano ballad. It's a mid-tempo track that focuses on the vocals. As in the previous track, it shifts tempo to an upbeat one around the middle but then goes slower again towards the end.

'Lonely Man' has a great melody. I especially like this kind of chords changing this track has! But I think the song follows a bit of a repetitive road with the verse-chorus-verse formula, and having the song over 10 minutes this can transform a good song into a bit of a tiring one, even with the good sax solo (by Darek Rybka) in the middle! The final track on Ego (2013) is another 10 minutes piece called 'Goodby My Earth'. It starts very well with some great guitars, but once again it is a mid-tempo song which makes you feel it's still the previous track. But still, it's a strong track with lots of breaks and moods, including robots in the middle part.

I really think that Millenium could bet more on some upbeat songs like the opening track 'Ego', for instance. Nonetheless Ego (2013) is a very strong album by a hard working band and I see no reason why every Neo Prog fan would not enjoy this album! Especially if you're a guitar fan, because we have some great guitar performance throughout Ego (2013).

Recommended!

(Originally posted on progshine.net)