Band: Satellite

CD Title: “Nostalgia”

Band Website: www.myspace.com/satellitepoland

Label: Metal Mind Records

Release Date: 2009

There is some really great progressive rock music coming out of Poland these days. One of the bands at the top of the list would have to be Satellite a band that’s been around since 2000 and has just released their fourth studio offering entitledNostalgia. Satellite was founded by Wojtek Szadkowski who wrote most of the music and lyrics of his previous group Collage. Here he continues that path, being responsible yet again for the music and lyrics. In addition to Szadkowski (keyboards, acoustic guitar, drums) Satellite consists of Robert Amirian (vocals), Sarhan Kubeisi (guitars) and Jarek Michalski (bass). The quartet is assisted by Krzysiek Palczewski and Amarok mostly on additional keyboards.

What we have with Nostalgia is a CD of seven compositions, with two bonus tracks. Virtually all the songs are seven, eight or nine minutes long allowing for multiple musical change-ups. The compositional style is based very much on the song. The song is the core around which all the other bits of musical expression hang. Which is at it should be. The actual structure of these songs isn’t your typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus affair. Rather in true prog fashion there are some very non-pop-rock structures here, which makes for some fine listening. Each song will slide from segment to segment and sometimes return to the original theme and other times forge ahead with new themes only heard once. Sections of songs will suddenly shift to a more up-tempo pace or just the opposite, suddenly slow down creating some wonderful contrasts. But again it’s all arranged in such a fashion that these changes never stand-out for the sake of standing out. They’re all arranged subtly and smoothly to serve the composition’s flow.

Some might question Satellite’s proggy credentials, suggesting these are just songs with prog-embellishments. I would have to disagree with them. Typically these are the people who will invariably be listening to much more avant-garde music so I wouldn’t pay much attention to that. Truth is when it comes to melodic, symphonic progressive rock Satellite are one of the more enjoyable bands out there. Nostalgia is a worthy addition to the band’s ever growing catalog and certainly worth picking up and spending time with.