Short Reviews [Walfad - 2016 - "Momentum"]

2016 saw Walfad back with their third album, two years on from ‘Unsung Hero’. In the intervening time the band had been through some changes, and although singer/guitarist Wojciech Ciuraj and drummer Kacper Kucharski (apparently the band got their name from his inability to come to rehearsals) are still there, they have both a new keyboard player in Dawid Makosz and a new bassist in Radostaw Zelazny. Not only has this album been released in both English and Polish language versions, but this time there are separate booklets and covers. The English shows the elevated woman with a red skirt (and a different wall), while the Polish has the woman in green. Mind you, it’s probably not a good idea to pay too close attention to the lyrics, as they don’t always seem to make a lot of sense. There is a feeling here that the band have grown in confidence, and the approach is somewhat more direct with strident guitar and less of a concentration on the bass. Although there are still elements of Credo, there is also plenty of Muse and a band moving much more into the rock arena and moving away slightly from the traditional neo-prog roots they had previously. Both new musicians have fitted in well, and the swirling piano on the title cut is wonderful, ripping and creating waves of sound I could lie in all day. Wojciech is content to riff and take lead melodies when the song requires it, and is more forceful and definitely more present than on the previous release. Good use of different keyboard sounds, combined with a more powerful approach (which can also be light when required, providing strong contrasts), really demonstrates a band starting to come into their own.