MEGALÁZOTTAK ÉS MEGSZOMORÍTOTTAK

4.5 stars. The music is as beautiful and melancholic as the gorgeous cover art. Man I like that album cover though. It reminds me when I used to jog on the beach in the dark and the only lighting was the from the moon. For me this is AFTER CRYING's best work. I like the debut ("Overground Music") a lot but this is more mature with a lot less vocals. And the vocals we do get are in their native language (Hungarian) this time. Lots of viola, cello, trombone, trumpet, aboe, flute and bassoon, besides the usual keyboards, bass and drums.

The album opens with a side long suite called "A Gadarai Megszaliott" which is over 22 minutes.Themes are repeated and we get lots of atmopshere especially early on and late. I like when it turns darker and heavier after 4 1/2 minutes, this is followed by atmosphere with piano, cymbals and cello.Vocals around 8 minutes. Horns before 10 minutes after the vocals stop. Spoken Hungarian words 12 minutes in then bass, cello, piano and drums take over. Drums and atmosphere dominate 16 minutes in. Female spoken words after 17 minutes until it kicks in with aggressive horns, drums and piano. Atmosphere only after 18 minutes then back to the drums, piano and horns before 19 1/2 minutes. It ends as it began.

"A Kis Hos" features strings and female vocal melodies. "Nokturn" has these reserved male vocals to open as a beat then aboe joins in. "Megalazottak Es Megszomoritottak" opens with dissonant strings of some sort with cymbals and bass, church organ floods in but it's brief as the viola or cello returns.The tempo picks up with piano and drums after 2 minutes. Strings join in. It settles with more dissonant strings before 3 minutes then it picks back up. Horns before 4 minutes as it settles again. Reserved male vocals before 6 minutes then when they stop we get trumpet. Great tune. "Vegul" opens with strings then the drums kick in and dominate right to the end.

If your into that Classical style or Chamber music you should really check this album out.