A stunning 2024 album by Solaris, Martian Chronicles III: I Or A.I.
Two CDs, one more beautiful than the other, from a Hungarian band dedicated to top-notch symphonic rock for many years.
It completes the trilogy that includes the first Martian Chronicles, released in 1984; the second installment, Martian Chronicles II, released in 2014; and 10 years later, this magnificent 82-minute album of suites and movements alternating between dreamy atmospheres, flutes, spinets, and pressing tempos, with guitar and keyboards chasing each other just as we prog lovers love.
The album continues the saga inspired by Ray Bradbury's novel.
It is a masterpiece of symphonic progressive rock, futuristic and epic with its complex compositions, the band's best to date and an important album for the revitalization of the genre.
The two-CD set contains three epic pieces, with the final suite being particularly long, clocking in at around 40 minutes. It boasts a breathtaking, majestic, and imposing sound, with grand symphonic passages, orchestral elements, flute explosions, and powerful choral vocals.
A superb album, highly recommended.
Tracklist
CD 1 (41:37):
1st Suite: ZOO GALACTICA (20:34):
1. Zoo Galactica (4:39)
2. Shadows Of The Creators (4:05)
3. Guardians (3:51)
4. I or A.I. (4:06)
5. Inflection Point (3:53)
2nd Suite: BALLAD OF DELUGE (21:03):
6. Prologue (5:17)
7. Island Of Survivors (5:35)
8. The ARK (4:18)
9. Ballad Of Deluge (5:52)
CD 2 - 3rd Suite: DREAM VALLEY (39:43):
1. Welcome To The Collapse (1:52)
2. Nightmares (6:52)
3. Future Memories (7:12)
4. Golden Raven (2:18)
5. Dream Valley (8:44)
6. Paradox (7:47)
7. Monument (2:01)
8. The Last Poem (1:53)
Duration 81:20
LineUp
- Attila Kollár - flute, tambourine, recorder, vocals
- Róbert Erdész - keyboards
- Csaba Bogdán - guitars
- Gábor Kisszabó - bass
- Attila Seres - bass
- Tamás Pócs (Tompox) - bass
- László Gömör - drums, darbuka
- Ferenc Raus/drums
With:
- András Sturcz - cello
- Edina Szirtes Mókus - violin
- György Demeter - vocal
- Ferenc Gerdesits - vocals
- Zsuzsa Ulmann - vocals
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page
