XpressivE – „PreLudium” review

przez LechKr · 7 stycznia 2014

Experienced musicians from Silesia founded XpressivE, and its origins date back to the middle of 90s. After quite a few ups and downs, the band decided to suspend its activity only to come back in 2012 with a new line-up and unlimited creative potential.

XpressivE are hard to label; although the band members declare fascination with many artists, the group has already worked out its own, distinctive style impossible to associate with works by other musicians. Trying to define XpressivE’s style, one may feel tempted to bring up such genres like progressive rock, rock, metal or electronic music, but still it doesn’t deliver the whole picture because what makes XpressivE so unique is the band’s own way of processing and linking all those styles, which actually introduces a brand new quality to the Polish music market.

t’s hard to guess what to expect taking the beautifully released „PreLudium” EP to your hand. The distinctive „X” which stands for the first letter of the band title leaves no doubt that we’re getting a riddle from XpressivE. Is it going to be nice? Only a glance at the lyrics guarantees that there’s no place here for empty and ineffectual but necessary vocal line fillers – this stage is already enough to be penetrated by sweet thrills of excitement. An additional incentive to explore the release is it’s cover: ethereal to the point of oniric. A blurred man’s silhouette and a palm opened in a friendly gesture ensure the meeting will be mysterious and intimate.

The CD starts with the most lyrical, the only Polish language song „Ostatnia z Kart„. Again, the shivers dance all over the body and the sensation is so sharp that in spite of common sense, this song desires to be looped in a CD player. Incredible emotions enchanted in the lyrics and vocal line: pain, anger and grief get stronger thanks to the music that grows to the very end. „No Forgiveness” is the second song on the EP. This piece alarms the senses with an unstable vibe. A fluent verse goes into a twitching chorus making a perfect song with bitter, but still very truthful lyrics. The last song, dense and fierce „Animal„, starts with a loud siren alarm. This may be considered as a warning signal to those who continuously fight and lose an inner battle with their wild nature. An incredible keyboard solo prolonged from the middle of the song to its end deserves special attention.

The „PreLudium” EP is full of contradictions, which makes it only more intriguing. Wide spaces of the beautiful keyboard lines by Piotr Nowak collide with the clear-cut rhythm section of Karol Nowak and Władek Kołodziejczyk, and the mature lyrics tangle with a juicy sound of the guitar by Adam Wosz. An additional asset to this release is the stunning voice of Andrzej Kwiatkowski, impossible to forget even after the first hearing. He overcomes scales with an amazing ease and a multidimensional timbre of his voice defies comparisons.

The EP includes no more than three songs, but it surprises with diversity of sounds, shades, and a wide range of moods, still it’s only a prelude to the whole album. What will it be like? Let this question sweetly torture all the followers of mature and wise music, and the answer will soon flow in the veins of the sensible listeners.

XpressivE - PreLudium