In 2024, the Hungarian band Maya released their debut album. Fading Tomorrow is a rock-solid neo-prog album, of which very few are released these days. Unfortunately, we never received a promo copy from the band and their label at the time, and so this amazing album never received any attention. But that is about to change. Normally, we do not review albums on this website that were released two years ago. But if you wait two years for a review copy and then the friendly people at Oskar Records finally decide to send one, you are naturally happy, and it ultimately deserves a review. Maya ('Music As You Are') was formed in 2017 and consists of experienced musicians who have played in tribute groups to Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, among others. Several band members—including keyboardist Gergő Szabó, drummer Tamás Nadházy, and bassist Péter Gosztola previously played together in the 1990s/2000s Hungarian prog-folk band You And I. The final track of Fading Tomorrow is actually a tribute named after their former musical project. The band is completed by female lead singer Zsuzsa Garda and guitarist Dávid Fecske. The band recorded the full album in two separate formats: an English-lyric version which they named Fading Tomorrow and a Hungarian-lyric version titled Elmúló Holnap. As you can see I got the English version of this album. An album which is a symphonic, modern art-rock journey that blends lush, atmospheric arrangements with complex time signatures. The music on this excellent album can be compared to the famous prog acts of the seventies such as Genesis, Yes, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but also alongside the heavier, modern edge of Dream Theater. The band's aesthetic features atmospheric synthesizer textures, technical guitar work, and the standout lead vocals of the earlier mentioned Zsuzsa Garda. Most of all of her emotional depth and melodic sensitivity. But also because of her past in the Blues musical scene. With this great singer it is easy to compare the band to the Polish neo-prog bands like Albion and Quidam. But also the new Polish band Scarless comes to mind. Not to forget the earlier mentioned You And I which also was fronted by a female lead singer. To give you a bit of an impression of what you can expect musically on this rock-solid album, I will introduce the tracks to you one by one and tell you what can be heard on the six songs. Tomorrow - An impressive keyboard intro starts the song and album. More strong keyboard parts follow but also strong guitar parts can be enjoyed. We hear here for the first time the strong female vocals. The excellent guitar and synthesizer solos are the icing on the cake. The longest track on the album is the first musical highlight without any doubt! Falling - Mellow and up tempo in one piece of music on which the female singer shines again by doing some impressive vocal parts next to again strong guitar parts Mirror - Maybe it gets boring telling you at again that this song features strong vocal, guitar and synthesizer parts. But it is just a fact I can't deny. As for the tempo it is sometimes more up tempo and sometimes more mellow. But fits perfectly on this excellent track. Earth And Sky - A song divided into three parts. Earth, Forest and Sky. It starts with a strong piece of a cappella singing before the band gets into high gear. But again also a song with mellow parts. Also again strong guitar and synthesizer parts to enjoy next to of course the excellent vocals of the excellent singer. Classical influences are included as well. But I must not forget to mention the strong bass parts as well! Clearly the second highlight of this magnificent album. Wake Up - Another great track in which it seems that they once again took influences from Classical music. The band sound excellent again by coming up with great guitar and keyboard parts. Another great synthesizer solo can be enjoyed again. You And I - This is, as mentioned earlier, a great tribute named after their former musical project. It is a short beautiful mellow tune no more no less! But it is a great ending of a great album! As you can gather from the above, I am very impressed by what Maya serves up to us on Fading Tomorrow. As mentioned earlier, few bands manage to make an immediate impact on their debut. A bit like Quidam did with their debut in 1996. Back then, I was also very impressed by what this band presented on their amazing debut album. Coincidentally, Maya's music sounds like Quidam, and that is why fans of that band will embrace this album. But lovers of the aforementioned bands will also love Fading Tomorrow. Finally, I must of course thank the band for recording six beautiful songs, but my thanks especially go to the Polish label Oskar Records for sending me this wonderful album. So, a heartfelt thank you for that! Finally, I have to mention that this amazing band will hopefully release a successor soon that is just as strong as their debut. I can hardly wait. ****+ Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
