ATTILA KOLLAR - MUSICAL WITCHCRAFT - 1998

Hungarian prog band Solaris' leader and flutist extraordinaire goes on a wondrous little solo excursion, deep into the misty realm of the "Devil's Kitchen" , a baroque-tinged instrumental odyssey of tasty proportions. The opening 19 minute suite wastes no time in establishing the rules of conduct: this is primo stuff indeed, heavily influenced by medieval expanses, led by the magic flute. A curt percussion romp suddenly explodes into a Tull crunching rocker, beefed up with some driving rythm work, clearing the way for a blistering lead solo courtesy of the now sadly departed Csaba Bogdan . dueling with a very Anderson-esque flut solo , culminating in a jolly return to the main theme. What a start! Part 3 then proposes an acoustic guitar/flute duet with the usual pastoral grace associated with baroque tradition. This interlude sets the table for a Part 4 that is simply a devastating slice of pure symph-prog, in hommage to J.S.Bach ( the very first progger,after all) , with Zsolt Vamos' sinewy guitar excursions blasting away with unparalleled frenzy. Couldn't help smiling every time I hear this finale! The constant contrast between muscular and pristine, as expressed on tracks "Music" , "Boleriade" and "Morning Dance", is really highly invigorating, eschewing any attempt at monotone ennui. The musicians really interact well together, in full knowledge that there are strong hints at Jethro Tull here, more due to the instrumental setup than any overt attempts at plagiarism. There are no English folk references, nor are there any Hungarian ones (a rich tradition there by the way!) , the players stay focused on a truly more "Classical" direction that is sharper than anything the Tullies would ever conjure up. The real highlight track is the remarkable"Silent Man's Prayer" , a most seductive concoction that really states the case for such a mega five-star rating. a central theme delicately painted with the leader's windtool, time signatures leading to a serious guitar/flute ping-pong match that pushes all the right sensory buttons and polished off with a restrained bluesy solo (Vamos again) and a complex outro. "Rocks and Waves in St- Malo" does just that : it rocks and it waves powerfully! Vamos shows that he is no slouch , settling any doubts with another display of fiery 6 string firepower. God! Is this a great album or what! 5 spells
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