Detailed Reviews [Dianoya - 2010 - "Obscurity Divine"]

Prolusion. The Polish band DIANOYA was formed by Janek Niedzielski and Filip Zielinski in 2008, and went from a project to a full-fledged band when Lukasz Chmielinski, Adam Pierzchala and Maciej Papalski opted to join in the following months. "Obscurity Divine" is their first production, and was released in the spring of 2010.

Analysis. In the last decade or so many fine bands have come out of Poland. A strong interest in neo-progressive rock have seen a fair few purveyors of that style rise to prominence, and as bands like Dream Theater are popular there, as everywhere else, quite a few acts exploring that sound have emerged too. But there have also been the occasional act that has strived to transcend boundaries appearing from this part of the former eastern bloc, and arguably most renowned of these is a band called Riverside. Dianoya would appear to be a band following in Riverside’s footsteps, which isn't the worst sound that a newly formed band can start exploring. When that is said, this quintet isn't followers to the extent that they can be described as adhering to this style. The approach and repertoire are of a similar nature, but the only element really close in expression is the vocals. Filip Zielinski has a delivery and timbre strikingly similar to Mariusz Duda, and he utilizes his voice in a similar manner too: controlled, harmonic and melodic, but with a powerful delivery, taking the lead whenever present. The vocals are applied upon an intriguing musical creation. A single composition, clocking in at just over 54 minutes, is divided into eight different parts with a delightfully crafted sound and a fair amount of details to enjoy. Gentle, clean and acoustic guitar based themes, supported by dampened rhythms and fragile keyboards that at times bring associations towards some of Porcupine Tree's material just as much as the more easygoing parts of aforementioned Riverside's material. Sophisticated themes sport drawn out guitar tones of the dream-laden variety that David Gilmour has as something of a trademark feature, exploring and utilizing those resonances with care and affection. But also harder hitting, compact riff based passages, with quirky riff constructions as well as more conventional guitar and keyboard dominated themes closer to traditional progressive metal akin to Dream Theater. Occasionally twisted, distorted instrument details are added to the fray too, supplying unexpected resonances to craft compelling moods and atmospheres, more often than not with an emphasis on darker undercurrents with contrasting lighter-toned elements. Excellently performed and produced, this disc has all the traits of being an item many will find intriguing – as long as they get to hear about it, which in the current music scene is one of the primary challenges.

Conclusion. This is an excellent debut effort through and through. If you enjoy sophisticated progressive metal, enjoy bands that combine gentle and dampened passages with compact harder hitting themes with diversity as a key word, Dianoya may have created a CD you will enjoy with "Obscurity Divine", in particular, if you enjoy early Riverside and especially if you also enjoy Porcupine Tree.

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: Agst 4, 2011
The Rating Room