THE INDEFINITE STATE OF MATTER

After the relative beehive of industry around Polish neo prog group ALBION between 2005 and 2007, the band then entered a more somnolent phase at least from the perspective of recorded output. When they did emerge it was with a somewhat atypical presentation in the form of "The Indefinite State of Being", a relatively short release that was bracketed by two lengthy instrumentals "Particle Of Soul" and "Fear". Both are one part ALBION by the numbers pieces and two parts keyboardist Krzysztof Malec twisting rusty levers in his man cave. While that's not why we generally visit ALBION, maybe it should be. A host of theories could explain this shift: right now my go to canard is that the band was on the verge of imploding, which they did indeed do at some point between 2013 and 2018, and Malec and vocalist (wife?) Katarzyna were en route to an eventual split. Without enough band material, Malec rustled together session workouts sporting the usual blazing guitar of Jurek Antczak - including a section in "Fear" that borrows the NIGHTWISH toolkit - with his own somewhat derivative but still fascinating synth doodling to culminate in this offering. This would also explain why, even by ALBION's standards, they present like weird and wonderful cut and paste jobs.

Luckily, the middle 4 vocal tracks present the band in more comfortable settings. Incorporating the expansive and atmospheric qualities of DAVE GILMOUR, I also hear hints of fellow Poles BELIEVE in "When I see the Light". While Krzysztof Wyrwa is demoted to the role of guest on bass, his work on this track seems 110% vested. "Airborne" is the closest to the familiar style and certainly the highlight, returning to their well of fascination with space travel and Katarzyna's skill at hypnotic phrasings repeated with emphasis, culminating in a crescendo led by Antczak upon Grzegorz Bauer's jagged base.

While the state of ALBION might have been indefinite in 2013, the band proved that they could still toss together a collection that matters.