Wicked Flame (Believe, 2024)

During the years, the Polish neo-prog band Collage (see elsewhere in this blog) produced a large family of side projects, including this Believe, the brain child of bassist Mirek Gil. The melodic style of his former band is preserved in the atmospheric passages of this track taken from the album "The Wyrding Way", but you'll also find in it harder edges and even a vaguely folk side. There are some many things I like in "Wicked Flame" and maybe Satomi's way to merge his violin into the band's sound hit me first. 

This is the seventh studio album by Believe.

It's somewhere between a classical orchestra instrument and a bohemian fiddle. And what about Jinian Wilde's voice? Both sweet and harsh and always hearty, a good new addiction to the band. Of course all the players are top notch and they know how to change the song's mood with simple and effective switches. Last but not least, the musical themes are very, very good and even catchy, a perfect base for variations, weavings and solos. Believe me: more than 11 minutes of pleasure.

Don't Tell Me (Believe, 2006)

Another spin off band set up by a Collage member, guitarist Mirek Gil, another very good one. Believe's music is a well played and well arranged neo-prog (you know I don't like this label, but it's useful anyway), with a clever succession of up tempo walls of sound and relaxing breaks. This song, taken from the album "Hope to See Another Day", is a good example of these eclectic and melodic compositions, featuring a catchy melody, sung by Tomek Rozck on a stentorean and neat tone.

"Hope to See Another Day" was Believe's debut album.

 

Two instrumental passages enrich the song, the first one including a beautiful Mirek Gil's electric guitar solo and the second one graced by Satomi's piercing violin. Like many other prog tracks of the same kind, you can enjoy this one as a plain song, but you can also go down the surface and find the underlying, discreet complexity of its structure.