Record Reviews

AMARYLLIS ~ INQUIETUM EST COR NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5908249919006) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2009 Released: 2009 “Inquietum Est CorFind albums with this title”, the title of the debut album by Polish Prog ensemble AmaryllisFind albums by this artist, consists of the first three words from the famous Confessions of St Augustine, which mean “Hearts Are Restless”, a text dealing with the relationship between God and man, which is widely discussed by Christian scholars and clerics. But the religious implications go way beyond the title of the album, with the entire content of the lyrics being in Latin and originating from religious sources like the Old and New Testament and other scriptures. The listener is obviously perplexed by the question if this is a concept album and if so if it is a Christian Prog album? I honestly don’t know the answer to both these questions, as I neither know the musicians personally nor do I known their aims, but regardless of what their intentions were an intelligent listener faces the problem of deciphering the meaning of the project by himself. Undoubtedly an atmosphere of religious / philosophical contemplation is omnipresent throughout. Considering the fact that the Latin language is far from being commonly and universally used, as it was centuries ago, I assume most listeners will skip the task of translating the Latin text into their own Lingua franca, plunging directly into the music. However, Amaryllis are not the first Prog band to use Latin lyrics (see Deus Ex MachinaFind albums by this artist and others), which apparently not only doesn’t scare off any potential listeners but adds a tinge of mystique and exoticness. Amaryllis are a sextet, fronted by a female vocalist Ewa DomagalaFind albums by this artist (apparently something quite common place in Polish Prog, which happens more often that anyplace else on the scene and becomes a characteristic of the local scene?), with multi-instrumentalist Henryk KasperczakFind albums by this artist, guitarists Marek DomagalaFind albums by this artist (who also composed almost all of the music presented here) and Lukasz KulczakFind albums by this artist, bassist Szymon GuzowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Kacper StachowiakFind albums by this artist. Keyboardist Bartlomiej StankowiakFind albums by this artist is a special guest on the album. The music is certainly stunningly different from almost everything an average Prog fan might have come across so far. Stylistically it moves all over the Prog plane, beautifully amalgamating strikingly diverse moods and influences, from Folk-Prog, medieval music, ethnic motifs both Polish and Middle Eastern, sacral music and Prog-Metal. The album comprises of ten main compositions, but each of these is preceded by a short intro track, an ambient / sound effects collage, hence the album lists a total of twenty tracks. Ewa Domagala’s voice and vocal ability is outstanding and she moves elegantly up and down the scale, always precisely on the right notes, effortlessly like a butterfly. Her voice, when dubbed, sounds like a church choir and during the quiet passages she is a true nightingale. Henryk Kasperczak ornaments the music using a set of unusual string and wind instruments, expanding the musical vistas into distant lands and cultures. The guitars are often dominant and even harsh, with distortion and heavy overtones, but then again crystal-clear melodic solos appear suddenly soothing the atmosphere and easing the tension. The rhythm section supports the music excellently, taking charge of the music’s sudden dynamic changes. The guest keyboardist fills the gaps, excelling especially on acoustic piano. Technically all the instrumentalists display a high level of proficiency and professionalism. Overall the music is charged with tension and full of drama, keeping the listener on his toes at all times. It constantly moves between the serene and peaceful and the wild and aggressive, portraying perhaps the struggles of the soul involved with one’s beliefs (religious or others). All things considered, this is one of the boldest and most impressive debut albums I’ve encountered in a long time. It is different, not because it was purposely made as such, but because it is intrinsically different in every respect from most of what is being recorded by other contemporary Prog acts, which often repeat clichés ad nauseam. It’d seem appropriate to quote some Latin at this point, so aequam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem, since this group is certainly destined to go places. Hopefully they will remember this when they recorded their, already eagerly anticipated, next album. Not to be missed!

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