Short Reviews [Collage - 2022 - "Over And Out"]

I am pretty sure that if you asked the average proghead who is the best band in Poland, even though there are a great many vying for attention, the answer would be Riverside. Now, that is understandable given the quality of their albums, especially the early ones, but what many will not know is that in 2003, the year Riverside released their debut, the band Collage called it a day. At that point they had not released an album since 1996, and one of their four releases had actually been a covers album (their take on songs by John Lennon), but the two either side of that, ‘Basnie’ and ‘Moonshine’ are masterpieces. Fortunately for me I was/am close friends with Artur Chachlowski who furnished me with the albums, and I was blown away and was really upset when they broke up as they still had yet to be recognised for their true worth. Apparently Collage reformed in 2013, and now only nine years later they produced their fifth album, just 26 years on from the last one. Krzysztof Palczewski (synthesizers), Piotr Mintay Witkowski (bass) and Wojtek Szadkowski (drums & percussion) are still there, while vocals are now handled by Bartosz Kossowicz with Michal Kirmuc on electric & acoustic guitars. It is somewhat strange to see Collage without Mirek Gil, but they had been through a few different singers. Mirek may not be there anymore, but in some ways, it is as if they have never been away. They were always influenced by classic Marillion-style neo prog, and I had to smile when I realised Steve Hogarth has guested on one track, giving the full stamp of approval. This is an album designed to make neo proggers incredibly happy, five songs, total running time of just under an hour with a couple of nice lengthy numbers including the opening title cut which is more than 20 minutes long. I am sure there are many who will say this is looking backwards instead of forwards, but I am actually quite happy with that – the underground scene of the 90’s when it was difficult to discover anything about the genre was very special in some ways, and it was this which meant that Collage never gained the acclaim they deserved. Well, they are back, and hopefully this album will find them gain many new fans who will also then look back at their earlier albums and wonder why they never came across them before this. Welcome back guys don’t leave it so long until the next one. The use of guests providing both trumpet and violin has allowed him to increase the sonic depth he has available to play with, and he has taken the opportunity to move Compassionizer even further into Rio/Avant while also bringing in huge elements of modern classical music. There are times when I am reminded of After Crying, but only if they had been working with Art Zoyd, as they investigate what different instruments can do in a somewhat baroque or even chamber music setting. It is quite possible that many will feel he has crossed right out of progressive rock altogether with this release which would certainly find as many fans within the avant modern classical as it will to those of us who enjoy RIO. One never knows quite where the music is going to lead, or indeed which instruments will be leading it, with Ivan the master conductor and arranger ensuring it somehow all fits together seamlessly. The Russian progressive rock scene is still producing some wonderful music and Ivan Rozmainsky is at the forefront of much of this, and this album clearly demonstrates why as it is a wonderful introduction into his world.