Record Reviews

OSADA VIDA ~ PARTICLES METAL MIND 0718 (Barcode: 5907785037847) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2012 - 2013 Released: 2013 This is the fourth album by Polish Prog band Osada VidaFind albums by this artist, recorded with the new quintet lineup, which features the band´s new lead vocalist Marek MajewskiFind albums by this artist. The other band members are guitarist Bartek BereskaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Rafal PaluszekFind albums by this artist, bassist Lukasz LisiakFind albums by this artist and drummer Adam PodzimskiFind albums by this artist. Although the group exists since 1997 and recorded three early "demo" albums, their exposure really started in 2007 with the release of their first formal release and the international echo it created, which led to some concert / festival appearances abroad. The album includes nine original songs, which the music credited collectively to the group. Seven of the songs feature lyrics written by the vocalist and the remaining two by the guitarists. All the lyrics are in English. As a bonus track the band presents their version of MetallicaFind albums by this artist´s "Master Of Puppets". Osada Vida is one of many Polish bands creating music, which borders with Prog, but in fact is more contemporary Rock / Alternate Rock and has very little to do with Prog per se. Inspired by the successful Polish Prog bands like Quidam or Riverside, they try to recreate the music these bands create with various degrees of success. Presenting this music as Prog related is a mistake, as the music is basically quite simplistic, with steady Rock rhythms and limited instrumental passages beyond the obvious guitar solos. There is no innovation, no Progress anywhere in sight and no originality, the basic elements that are part of any true Prog album. The lyrics are pretty uninspired, to put it gently and the vocals remain dull all the way through, being the weakest point of the album. The attempt to use lyrics in English, hoping for a wider international exposure, is pretty ridiculous, a trap that so many Polish bands fall into. Of course not everything is bad about this album, These guys can play and some of the music is quite nice. The keyboardist deserves most of the credit for the nice bits and pieces popping up occasionally, saving the album from complete boredom. Perhaps the band needs to think a bit less about being liked by their fans and concentrate on the musical values, absent here. Even the sound quality of this album is somewhat muddled. A missed opportunity…

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