Retrospective - "iNtroVert" ALBUM REVIEW (Modern Prog from Poland)

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media   [album released nov. 16, 2022]

This review marks my first exposure to this 6-piece progressive rock outfit hailing from the land of popes: Poland. 

iNtrovErt is their new well-'polished' album (notice my pun- it wasn't deliberate). It is their fifth studio release, so clearly I'm late to the party. 

It is an admirably solid and cohesively put-together album- a weighty collection of modern sounding songs, radiant with a dark, edgy and slick aura. 

The band's main singer, Jakub Roszak, has a distinctive and masculine breathy vocal style. Adding to the richness of their sound, Beata Lagoda often pairs up with Jakob in a sort of dual-lead vocal singing style. Their voices lock together seamlessly, creating an awesome harmonic convergence of machismo and machisma. Beata also takes on lead singing duties and is the band's piano and keyboard player. 

Compositionally I find it delightfully unpredictable, avoiding clichés, but still sounding mainstream and approachable. They are kind of Pink Floyd-y in parts, but with a more modern blend of soft metal/ hard rock and metal sound. Maybe some other comparisons could include glimpses of Muse, Rammstein and Porcupine Tree.

The album is not a bumpy or herky-jerky ride. If you prefer your prog moderate (without too many complexities in key or time signature changes) you've found your band. They keep the songs on an even keel and pumping. Generally they have a spacious sound: tasteful, big and melody-driven. There are broad and wide atmospherics throughout. The guitars and bass are tight and restrained but do move to the fore to shine in spots with some wicked broad-stroke guitar solos for example, and trench-digging bass riffs. 

iNtroVert is actually quite danceable, even slow sexy danceable at times. There's some deep gyrating grooves in the track called Away.  

Some of Retrospect are Coldplay fans, and one of the refreshing things I like about the album is the use of straight-up acoustic piano throughout (as well as synths) and Beata, the only woman in the band, is behind that solid presence throughout. This also makes the band primed for stadium rock shows. They are currently rehearsing for dates in Europe to promote Introvert. 

(Also worth mentioning for the interest of others who still collect CDs and LPs: the CD packaging is awesome: generous with a lyrics booklet and excellent original artwork throughout).

The lyrics are timely in a brooding way, given the current state of the world- and I get from them a sense of struggling through the chaos of modern life and yearning for a grounded and palpable sense of what's real vs. what's fake- searching for silence amid the noise. 

You can catch my Prog dog Podcast episode where I interview the newest member of the band in Poland HERE. As well, I reacted to a song from the album HERE.

Echo Us - "Inland Empire" ALBUM REVIEW (prog rock/new age ambient)

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media    [album released March 2023]

Inland Empire by Echo Us is a flowing, seductive and elegant album of dreamy ambient progressive rock written and performed by multi-instrumentalist Ethan Matthews out of Portland, Oregon. 

The album covers a vast expanse of inspirations, taking the listener on a audio journey across the more far-flung curves of the planet. It is a keyboard/synth and guitar-based album, with varied and often exotic approaches to percussion. There's lots of Mike Oldfield-esque guitar solos, as well as plenty of complex Steve Hackett-like nylon string acoustics. Parts of the album remind me of David Sylvian too (and I'm a big fan of all the aforementioned musicians).

Ethan's vocals don't take on a constantly-present 'lead singer' type of role. Rather he visits within the songs as they unfold and he punctuates and narrates. I couldn't help but be reminded of the vocalists from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Arcade Fire. There are also interesting speaking and singing vocal clips dropped in thoughout. 

It's a rich, lushly produced album that I found immediately addictive. Ethan is a gifted composer and very tasteful with the vast array of textures that adorn the album. For example, though I'm not a fan of harsher digital keyboards and prefer analog tones, Ethan draws on both and I could find not a single fault in any of his wide pallette of choices.

(There is a history to this one-man band- so check out my prog chat with Ethan HERE to learn more about the origins of this project.)

http://Echous.net

https://echous.bandcamp.com/