Label : Metal Mind Productions
Review by Tony Cannella
If you like old school 70s style Prog Rock – I’m not even talking about the bands that are considered Progressive Metal – I mean real, pure prog rock, then look no further than Poland’s Travellers. The band was formed way back in 2011, by keyboardist/percussionist Wojtek Szadowski who had previously been in the bands Collage, Satellite and Strawberry Fields. In addition to the obvious Prog Rock leanings, Travellers also incorporate such varied influences as 80s and Ethnic music to capture a certain vibe, when called upon to do so. In classic Prog fashion, “A Journey Into the Sun Within” includes only 6-songs, yet features a playing time of almost 53-minutes, this is thanks to the length of some of the songs. The longest song “The Sun” clocks in at over 12-minutes long, whilst some of the other songs fall in the 7-8 minute range. I love Prog Rock as much as the next person but even I realize that sometimes bands who play this style can get boring, that is a problem that Travellers don’t have to worry about with their debut “A Journey into the Sun Within” as the band delivers a cocktail of first rate musicianship, great vocals courtesy of Robin and excellent songs. Starting with eerie keyboard intro to the 11-minute opener “Magic”, Travellers set the table with a majestic opening tune. The over 8-minute “Letters to God” is next and in my opinion has an excellent 70s prog rock vibe to it and has tons of atmosphere, as well. The third track “Dreaming” clocks in at 5-minutes and Is the shortest song here. This is actually one the slower songs that appears here and has a pretty cool mainstream style going for it. “I Dream Softly” is next and it takes a little while to get going, but once it does it settles into a nice, dreamy vibe before the tempo speeds up and makes this one of the highlights for me. The tempo changes on this one are well done. The closing duo of “I See the Light” and “The Sun” brings “A Journey into the Sun Within” to a strong conclusion. The appeal of Travellers is going to be selective, like most prog rock, you will either love it or you won’t. That’s okay because I have a feeling that fans of Progressive music will flock to this band and their debut album “A Journey into the Sun Within”.
Rating – 78/100
Tracklist
- Magic
- Letters to God
- Dreaming
- I Dream Softly
- I See the Light
- The Sun
Line Up
- Robin – Vocals
- Grzegorz “Sencha Atta” Leczkowski – Guitars
- Wojtek Szadkowski – Keyboards & Percussion
- Krzysiek Palczewski – Bass
Links