Short Reviews [Proage - 2021 - "4. Wymiar"]

This is the third album from Polish band ProAge, and although not a concept as such is thematically based around time, with the title translating to ‘4. Dimension’. I was not a fan of the last album, and in particular the vocals, and I know that I was not the only reviewer to feel the same way, so I was not really looking forward to this, yet ended up being pleasantly surprised. The band is the same line-up as last time, although they have now added a saxophonist to the group, but somehow this is much more together and structured than it was previously. Some of the songs are in Polish, some in English, and it seems like a very different band indeed, definitely feeling much more like a unit who have been working together and know what they want to achieve. They are firmly based in neo-prog, yet there are times when they move into crossover, with “Czlowiek Z Wysokiego Zamku” having far less rock. We even get an epic in the title cut, which is more than 28 minutes in length. This also sees the use of a guest flautist and contains some nice driving sections which are early Seventies with strong organ, alongside other passages that are far more sedate and restrained. It seems to me that ProAge are on a journey, and while there are still times when they need direction (no-one needs a drum solo on a studio album), they have definitely moved positively since the last release. I came away pleasantly surprised, and if the next release shows as much progress as this one, then it should be of great interest.