1996 - "Antiar"
(52 min, "GAL": still, just the cassette release)

1998 - "Labyrinth"
(55 min, "GAL": still, just the cassette release)

Although the guys of Inward Path showed a solid maturity in composing and performing already on the debut album, their second work is, however, more integral structurally and more interesting thematically. At the first sight, it seems that "Labyrinth" presents the same heavy Progressive Metal with the same lyrically melancholic acoustic episodes here and there we have already heard on "Antiar". But after a few listens to "Labyrinth" it's become clear that all the songs' component parts on the second Inward Path album follow each other really 'appropriately', creating, in such a way, a very thrilling musical picture as a whole. Lots of variegated moods are hidden in each song on the album. Even the 'heavy (battle) fields' keep a wide-variety of different nuances, let alone the wonderful 'calm' or 'melancholic' parts with very tasteful passages of acoustic guitar or 'gentle' keyboards and kind of thoughtful singing of the vocalist. Melnik's vocals are really impressive on "Labyrinth", as well as the musicianship of all the five instrumentalists. 'Bombastic' arrangements are also performed masterly - with 'dueling' guitar riffs and solos from two guitarists and as always a well-coordinated work from the direction of the rhythm-section. A really serious album from already a truy serious Prog-Metal band with the same compositional and performing quality level as such famous names of the genre (whose stylistic is more or less comparable to Inward Path's) like Voivod, Solitude Aeturnus, Iced Earth and the likes.

2000 - "Citadel"
(58 min, "Rostok": released in 500 CD copies only!)

1. Visions of Twilight  5:22

2. Citadel  4:18

3. Bleeding  6:19

4. The Pale Horse  5:05

5. Hounds of Depths  7:48

6. Edge of the Age  3:32

7. Sacred Serenity  4:01

8. The Clarity, the Consciusness, the Stream

All songs written by Inward Path & Vladimir Pismenny, except 7: by C.Schuldiner of Death. Produced by Inward Path. Recorded at mixed at "LP" studio, Lviv, Ukraine, June - August 1999 by Yury Kit. Managed by Nick Korsun.

Line-up: Alexander Melnik - vocals; Vitaliy Yatsuk - guitars; George Golovatchev - keyboards; Gregory Veltchev - drums; Pavel Korsun - bass

"Citadel" is the third and the only of the three Inward Path albums, which has been released on CD. It was released last summer by the small West-Ukrainian label "Rostok" just 500 copies in number (which is typical for the label in its endeavours to cover and release all the significant West-Ukrainian musical ensembles performing all the existing there genres of music), though the sound quality of the CD and its design are very good. Sadly, the creation of Inward Path is still unknown to (let's call them all simply) western labels, specializing on a kind of music this band performs. Otherwise all the three Inward Path albums were released in thousands copies and distributed all around the world, as this band, whose compositional and performing capabilities are equal to the best European bands of the genre (at least), is really worthy of it. So, all the band needs now are direct contacts with as much foreign labels as possible. All the words I said about the band's previous album go completely for their latest release, too. "Citadel" is another excellent, at least, Prog-Metal work from the very talented Ukrainian guys. I think, it's time to give a few pieces of advice directly to the Inward Path guys in order to change their state as, speaking conditionally, a criminally underrated band.

VM. April 2, 2001