DAYS

Wojtek Szadkowski was the virtuoso drummer for Polish prog phenomenon Collage ("Moonshine" is a classic) , then started up Satellite with immense success (the 3rd installment is already drawing praise as I await its arrival with intense trepidation) as drummer/composer and in order to satisfy his wilder musical demons , he now unleashes this frenzied form of "frantic Prog" illustrating three new major elements while keeping the Satellite bass-drum combo intact : first a zipping keyboardist a la Jordan Rudess by the name of Konrad Bilinski, secondly , a simply manic lead guitarist , Radek Chwieralski, who just loves to bleed ultra melodic lead forays that are seemingly laser guided billows of smoke and finally, a vocalist (Peter Pan) who profusely thanks the creator of beer in the credits , which explains the somewhat hysterical delivery (a drunken combination of Waters-Fish with a thick heavy metal Polish accent! Where is the Wodka when you need it? ). It is alleged that this mysterious singer is none other then Wojtek the jolly drummer! The art work is simply superb in a "Batteries not Included" style that oddly fits the contents quite effectively. There are some great songs: "We are Invincible" is not a Pat Benatar cover but a brash neo-proggy workout with all the fixins', the title track "Days" almost veers into Iron Maiden territory, a blistering and infectious rave-up that has some sizzling "phasers on stun" lead guitar runs, the serenely attractive "Flying over Paradise", the grandiose "Island" and the "howling" freeze of "Cold as Stone" . A masterpiece you ask? No, this is no way near the magnificence of the Satellite material but is an amusing and worthy addition to any collection, cradling the abyss between prog and metal with absolute fun. Wojtek is blessed to have worked with some amazing six-stringers (Mirek Gil, Sirhan Kubeisi and now this Radek fellow!!!) but he consistently writes prolific material, head and shoulders above most neo-prog releases. 4 Pans .