HOLOGRAMS

Holograms is the first release of original material from The Segue -- a band from Krak'w, Poland. Their instrumental music is a perfect balance of jazz, metal, and classical influences expressed in engaging, forward-leaning compositions. Musicianship is top-notch, and their performance is tight. At times I am reminded of Special Providence (especially their Soul Alert album) or even Planet X, although their metallic aspects are considerably less brash and more tolerable to this non-metal fan.

The album is nicely balanced. It is neither guitar-centric, nor keyboard-centric. Each musician, including the bass and drums, has equal time to shine in the spotlight. You'll find some wonderful jazz club piano and bass play, and the guitar solos at times remind me of the style of Jeff Beck. Drums on the last two tracks are outstanding. Both tracks are harder and more energetic, especially the final track which slowly builds to a grand climax.

The best thing I like about this first release is the potential it shows for some astounding work to (hopefully) follow. Three-and-a-half stars easy, rounded up to four as encouragement for this band to continue their "...unyielding search for unique textures of sound" (per their Bandcamp page).