9/10 Laurie 11 December 2015

So, I find out about Stara Rzeka as Stara Rzeka ceases to be. This here CD is the second and last release by Kuba Ziolek under this name, until the pole can think of a new abstract music thing to spend his days making. The music here is expansive and totally enthralling, a sound that beckons you toward black metal, ambient/drone and foresty folk, slipping effortlessly between them in massive, grandiose figures.

Expansive, I will say that once more. I’m still on the 10-minute opener and do not want to move from here. Expressive, melancholic harmonies get summoned from guitars of all descriptions, distant vocals and formless masses of cold distorted sound. Excellent, these sentence structures are. Apparently the album was pieced together from many years of Ziolek’s musical meanderings, which perhaps explains the many sections within each piece, as well as the lengthy duration. This means that you get a nice balance of softer and harder beauty; order and chaos. Spooked-out acoustic passages reference the progressive songwriting of yore, alternating between fresh relief and a considered level of unease. Oh yes, it gets dark. Serene plucked bits build into brooding dirges that instantly put you into a thousand-yard stare-trance - see ‘Czarna Woda’ for the real thing.

Ok this is enough words, words can only get you so far. Have yourself a listen, you won’t regret it.