ALONE

This was a strange one for me. I am a fan of not only Mirek's guitar work, but also of these bands he has played with namely COLLAGE, SATELLITE and BELIEVE. Yet I honestly could not get into this record at all. Maybe I was expecting more of a guitar record, and this certainly is not that as it's almost like he purposely stays out of the spotlight. And with two former COLLAGE members(keys/ bass) and the drummer with his present band BELIEVE on board, the talent and chemistry are not an issue. So it's probably just my taste, and I don't like the way this one tastes at all. It should be mentioned that this was recorded before the band SATELLITE put out any albums.

"Strange" opens with some orchestra as heavy drums and a full sound arrives. Vocals come in as it calms down 1 1/2 minutes in. Gil lets it rip 3 1/2 minutes in.The bombastic and mellow passages continue to be contrasted. "I Don't Believe" is a song where I like the calmer sections but not the fuller ones(like in the intro).The guitar 2 1/2 minutes in i like. Alone opens with synths as vocals come in. Not much going on until 1 1/2 minutes in when a full sound arrives.The contrasts continue. For me the only highlight on this track is the guitar 4 minutes in. "Wake Up" is one of my favourites. Percussion to open as keys, synths and reserved vocals come in. The bass is prominant. The guitar 5 minutes in reminds me of SATELLITE. "Beggar" opens with strummed guitar, vocals and keys as a full sound arrives quickly.This one is ok, at least it's catchy. "Set Me Free" is not bad for pop music I guess. Some scorching guitar 2 minutes in with lots of percussion.

"War" is ballad-like with acoustic guitar and reserved vocals. "Mother Dream" opens with synths as orchestral sounds come in. Piano 3 minutes in. "Enough" is tough going for me during the first half but then the last half makes up for it with the uptempo beat and some good guitar. "Stay" opens with piano as pansy-like vocals come in. I think i'd rather have a root-canal then listen to this. "New Day" has a nice sound and this is another favourite. Drums, guitar and vocals all sound really good. The heavy drums are a little annoying 2 minutes in but they don't last for too long. Nice bass 4 minutes in. "Free" features birds singing as an acoustic guitar / vocal melody comes in briefly. This is the only track that Mirek sings lead on. Free indeed.

So there you have it, one of the few prog records I really don't care for. Thankfully these are few and far between.