In an earlier stage of time, I had the pleasure of writing about one of the first albums of Scarless, a band from Poland, named Czekając... (2023, see review).My conclusion was that the band had to return to their studio as soon as possible to produce another album because their music is necessary for the world. It is necessary because the first album was a ride of emotions musically. Lyrically I did not know what the themes were because I did not have them and my polish is not that good... The second reason to go to the studio is that the first album was a bit short with only 35 minutes of music. The band listened to my begging and here is their second album. The line-up is the same as the previous one except that Anna Grzesik is the new vocalist, she replaced Gaba Latak. The other members are Janusz Glowacki on guitars, Marcin Pergul on keyboards, Adam Watly on drums and Tomasz Zarzycki on bass. I am really curious if the new singer is as good as Gaba was for me and if the band still has their eighties sound, what was an important key point for them to make music and let old times revive. Scarless listened to my question to make a longer album, this time it is about 55 minutes. A nice start with the first song Eremita, a bit bombastic and up tempo. They slow down a bit so Anna can make her intro to the listener. She has a voice that is slightly higher than Anna's voice. You can hear that her voice fits perfectly into the music. The music is melodic, has nice trips in the solos and sounds great. Halfway thru the song Anna starts singing a bit dramatically, maybe the message in the lyrics needs that. You can feel the tension in the music, however it still sounds melodic. The first song ends after almost nine minutes. The conclusion is that the identity of the band is still the same and that makes me happy. The second one, Wieza, starts a bit slower with a lot of piano and Anna who sings in a sadder way but she really has to tell the listener her story, and do not to try not to listen to her! Her singing is very clear and in your face. A guitar solo comes your way and cuts deep into your soul. When that one fades away a more melodic solo takes over. Listening to the music and singing you can feel it has a complicated theme. The last part is a more Marillion oriented playing, very welcome after all the heavy themes. Just as on the first album, the third song is the longest one. This time it clocks almost twelve minutes. Keyboards open Wisielec and you do not know how the song will evolve. Another great guitar solo after which Anna is in her serious singing again, but what a good voice she has. Another time you can feel the tension in the music, that is a bit of a trademark on this album. The keyboard has a real spacy slant and you can only have a smile on your face when you hear that carpet of keyboards. There is a lot of space for Marcin in this song. When Anna is singing halfway into the song, you can feel the tears in your eyes, what an emotion in her voice. I am grateful that Anna is involved with this band, a real asset. After all these emotions it is time for another guitar solo that touches you. All I can say is that this song is so so great, it has everything the listener needs to hear and experience. Please make your own story in what you are going through during this fabulous song. The highlight of the album for me. So many times the epic has the best music to give to you, this time is no exception. When I listen to this album, I always have to recover after the third song, what a strong piece of music is that! Lucky we are that the fourth song starts a bit like easy listening, as if Scareless know that we need something lighter. Not that Swiat is light all the way, no way. The whole album is a bit of a heavy food for you, like this one is also. There are moments in this song on the piano that reminds me of Newspaperflyhuning, another band from Poland that makes post rock. But only on this episode I can compare the bands. After the piano sounds the music is totally Scareless again and it has another spacy keyboard solo after which, yes, you can guess it, another fantastic guitar solo caresses your ears. This band is so in tune with each other, just great. Kolo Fortuny is the fifth one. A bit mellow and melodic music you will hear, which is nice. But as so often, the atmosphere changes in a split second to more serious music with more heavy guitar solos that are almost aggressive. The music becomes more aggressive overall, it grabs you by the throat, you will have to listen to what Anna has to tell you in her story, although it is in polish, you can use your own imagination. That makes music so great, it is what you will hear. Towards the end it becomes more friendly again, thankfully! After all the aggression it is time for another airy start to a song, Kochankowie this time. It all sounds a bit more pleasant. It almost sounds too sweet, there might be something lurking here. The experience taught us that, so is it that far again? Well, this time it is more like a ballad and to be honest, I like a more heavy style more than this one. But hey, you cannot have everything, right? Towards the end an emotional guitar solo can be heard, this fits perfectly in this song. It is time for the last one, Rydwan. This is the shortest song on the album, it clocks 5:59. Challenging keyboards start. You can hear nice bass playing too, good to mention this guy. Contrarian rhythms are recognizable. This is how prog music is meant to be, you hear something about everything. It is a good closing song of the album. After the last tunes fades away, I really want to listen to the album again. I tried to translate all the lyrics, but when I did do that, I still did not understand them. They are so personal that I made the choice to not say that much about them because I can only interpretate them in a wrong way and the band deserves better. So.... interpretate them for yourself and make your own story of them. My conclusion of the second album of Scareless is that I think they grew as a band and especially with their new singer they created a more emotional album with a good length. Another time I ask the band to return to their studio as soon as possible to make another great record. Highly recommended! ****+ Michel Stolk (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
