COLLAGE: Over And Out (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

In the last decade of the last millennium, Poland's progressive rock scene opened up copiously to the international scene, spearheaded by bands like Quidam or Riverside, but also by a galaxy of projects led by drummer Wojtek Szadkowski, the first of them being Collage, author of three remarkable albums in a characteristic neo-progressive rock style.

Twenty-seven years have passed since the release of "Safe", during which time the core of the band has found itself in other projects (Satellite, Peter Pan) or dispersed (Believe, Mr Gil), while Collage has regained some vigour live in recent years, with the participation of Steve Rothery, among others. "Over an Out", released in this year 2022, thus constitutes the return of Collage brand, even if Robert Amirian (vocals) and Mirek Gil (guitar) have left the ship.

And to mark the occasion, the band sends us a 22-minute first track, starting with a spacey intro before laying down a first characteristic guitar riff, followed by a big chorus on a driving rhythmic. The drums are literally on fire, and the sound is huge despite the production being a bit muffled. Divided into six parts, 'Over and Out' varies the themes and happily alternates between vocal and instrumental parts. The listener is drawn into a furious spiral that will not let go throughout this first totally epic track reminiscent of the flights of "Moonshine".

What happens next? It's all the same: neo keyboard notes and soaring ambiences, an ever so aerial guitar, an inventive rhythm section, themes galore, and so on. The sublime 'One Empty Hand' deserves to be highlighted, a short five-minute track released as a single several months before the album, whose melody and choruses on the chorus send shivers down your spine every time you listen to it. It should be noted that this track appears on the "Music Against War" compilation released a few months ago in support of the Ukrainian people.

And then, how can we ignore the conclusive 'Man in the Middle' on which a certain Steve Rothery comes to play a solo of more than four minutes on a typically floydian rhythmic, before an end where the music evaporates gently as if to leave the listener with this fleeting memory of an enchanted parenthesis in this world of brutes.

Neo progressive Rock, although strongly criticized since its appearance nearly 40 years ago to deliver the worst as well as the best, finds here one of its strong points: Collage hasn't lost any of its attraction or quality, quite the contrary, and "Over and Out" is one of the great successes of the genre, far ahead of the side projects its mentor has been able to inundate us with for the last two decades. All that remains is to persevere in this way! - Official website

COLLAGE

OVER AND OUT

AUTRE LABEL

PROGRESSIVE ROCK