From the Hungarian band Solaris, 2014's "Martian Chronicles II" is the second installment in a trilogy that began with "Martian Chronicles" in 1984 and was completed last year by the beautiful "Martian Chronicles III: I Or A.I." arguably the best symphonic rock album of 2024.
A great album with a set of symphonic keyboards, flute, heavy guitar, and cinematic, spacey soundscapes for an epic sound and the musicians' remarkable technical skill.
This album also features top-quality progressive symphonic rock. It's 45 minutes long, including a 22-minute opening suite divided into three parts.
The first half of the album is the suite "Marsbéli Krónikák II," a long, epic piece, while the second half features a collection of shorter pieces, some softer and others spacey and heavier.
The production is excellent and the epic atmospheres make this album perfect for fans of symphonic progressive rock.
In my opinion, it's on par with the first of the trilogy but a step below the third.
A beautiful album, the guitar stands out more than on the previous albums, and the beautiful flute and excellent rhythm section remain.
Highly recommended.
Tracklist
1. Martian Chronicles II Suite (22:26) :
- a) 1st Movement (6:12)
- b) 2-6th Movement (12:44)
- c) 7th Movement (3:30)
2. Voices From The Past :
- a) 1st Movement (2:05)
- b) 2nd Movement (5:33)
3. The World Without Us (4:03)
4. The Pride Of Human Insects (3:04)
5. Impossible, 'We are An Impossibility In An Impossible Universe' Ray Bradbury (4:12)
6. Alien Song (4:03)
Duration 45:26
LineUp
- Csaba Bogdán - guitars
- Róbert Erdész - keyboards
- Attila Kollár - flute, tambourine, whistle, synthesizer
- Attila Seres - bass (1.3)
- László Gömör - drums, percussion
- Ferenc Raus - drums (4.6)
With:
- Tamás Erdész - guitar, producer
- Péter Gerendás - acoustic guitar
- Balázs Szendőfi - bass
-Ferenc Muck/saxophone
- Edina Szirtes - violin, vocals
- Zsuzsa Ulmann - vocals
- Tünde Krasznai - vocals
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page
