Lunatic Soul – Walking on a Flashlight Beam
Polish artist Mariusz Duda, best known as vocalist and bassist for progressive metal band Riverside, returns with his solo project Lunatic Soul three years after the release of Impressions, an all-instrumental record that consisted of leftovers from the sessions of the first two albums. Continuing its monochromatic approach to artwork (blue, after black and white), it also sees Wawrzyniec Dramowicz (with thrash metal band Destruction since 2010) back on drumming duties. The music is still in a very enjoyable ethnic music meets dark ambient mood, with a few slices of rock music.
On a vocal level, besides his trademark warm and breath-taking vocals, Mariusz experiments more with his voice than with Riverside (the frail accents of an agonizing voice on Shutting Out The Sun, the vocoderized backing vocals of Cold, the high-pitched vocalizations together with the velvet hugging voice in Gutter). All along the record, tormented atmospheres melt with more serene moments. Mariusz explained indeed that dark mood is to match the character of the concept in his solitude, while light mood paints his imaginary world.
The recurring strident soundscapes with glockenspiel are a fair match to the album’s artwork where stars light in the sky.
From the contrasted Sky Drawn In Crayon to the haunting The Fear Within to the pulsating motorik beat-driven Cold and to the rhythmic Gutter, the love of Mariusz Duda for ambient sounds and ethnic music makes no doubt. The utterly beautiful atmospheric title track reminds us nonetheless that Mariusz comes from progressive rock, and believe me, tears will fall down your cheeks once your ears are exposed to the guitar layers closing the chapter.
The pop-flavoured Treehouse may be a bit out of place within the overall reflective atmosphere, but one has to keep in mind that the concept is about a dreamy character, so pouring some sugar on the thoughtful sands makes sense.
Flowing like a river that encounters obstacles here and there, the music of Lunatic Soul is a long journey through the torments of an isolated soul and the wonders of its imaginary world. That certainly is the work of a sensitive man, who put all his heart in this ambitious project.
Tracklist:
01. Shutting Out the Sun
02. Cold
03. Gutter
04. Stars Sellotaped
05. The Fear Within
06. Treehouse
07. Pygmalion’s Ladder
08. Sky Drawn in Crayon
09. Walking on a Flashlight Beam
Line-up:
Mariusz Duda – music, lyrics, vocals, bass and acoustic guitars, ukulele, keyboards, percussions
Wawrzyniec Dramowicz – drums
Recorded and mastered by Magda and Robert Srzedniccy at Serakos Studio, Warsaw, Poland
oct 2013 – jun 2014
Mixed by Magda and Robert Srzedniccy, Mariusz Duda
Produced by Mariusz Duda, Magda and Robert Srzedniccy
Illustration, design and layout by Travis Smith
back cover photo by Tomasz Pulsakowski
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