Seven years ago the new Polish act Noibla released their debut album Hesitation (2018, see review). The band was founded by three musicians who also released albums with the Polish version of Albion, but wanting a (presumably 180 degree) change of direction, hence the catchy name! For the uninitiated, the name Noibla is nothing more than Albion read backwards. And now the day has come for them to present a follow up. They named it Under No Illusions. With this new release it seems that it is definately that the days of Albion are behind them. The new trio announced that the chemistry had gone. In Noibla they have found a delicious new mix which should delight a new generation of followers for some time to come. After listening to the album it becomes quite clear that new generation of followers are most certainly not the people who bought at the time the albums released as Albion. The sound of this new band is more commercial sounding. Still with progressive rock influences but the long guitar solos performed on the keyboards and guitars are not there anymore. Sure, you can still enjoy a rather short guitar or synthesizer solo. But everything is now more compact sounding with more use of synthesizer sounds and electronic beats. The core of the band is made up of three musicians, which as mentioned before were also in Albion, Katarzyna Sobkowicz-Malec (acoustic and classical guitar, vocal production), Krzysztof Marzec (keyboards, arrangement, programming, production) and Leszek Jarzębowski (guitars, arrangements, production). Compared to their debut there have been some personnel changes in the band. There are no brass instruments and there is no real rhythm section. It is Malec and Jarzębowski who did the programming of the drum tracks and the accompanied synthesizer bass lines. Morever we can hear another guitarist on the album. His name Piotr Galiński. The biggest difference might be that that Sobkowicz-Malec is not anymore responsible for the lead vocals. Nowadays you can hear the those vocals done by Nika Redhart, who is also responsible for the lyrics. Together they came up with a concept album which was created from material composed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The compositions and arrangements were prepared by Krzysztof Malec and Leszek Jarzębowski. The album tells the story of the difficult period of the pandemic, isolation, and fear. Many people, especially the sensitive ones, still feel the effects of the devastation that the pandemic has caused in our psyche. Thoughts and emotions swirl in our heads; we try to find meaning... we try to fit in... we try to change and feel safe. The album Under No Illusions confronts the fear that still remains in our minds. It makes a brutal diagnosis: you must be strong, brutal, and resilient to survive. Our lives have changed. Of course the subject is not new. For example Returned To The Earth also made with Stalagmite Steeple (2024, see review) an album about the problems that occurred during this pandemic. However music wise both albums are totally different sounding. I guess that's not so strange because all musicians have different musical ideas. Stalagmite Steeple sounds more like traditional prog compared to the modern sound you can hear on Under No Illusions. As mentioned earlier the music of Noibla can hardly be compared with what Albion released on their albums music wise. Of course it doesn't mean the progressive rock influences are totally gone, they occasionally come to the surface throughout the entire album. Take for example the three-minute-long Intro, which starts the album, is based on the sounds of various keyboard instruments and is a nice instrumental. Also the tracks on which Piotr Galiński plays you can hear he is a guitarist with great skills which moves the music more towards progressive rock. Listen for example to It's Making Me Alive or But Now I'm Falling and you do know what I mean! However the more true prog tunes for me are They Control and True. They sometimes reveal the true background of the musicians and their musical intentions. Playing the music they once performed with Albion. Here, the performances of Malec on keyboards and Jarzębowski on guitar very enjoyable and you only wish that more of those musical moments could have been on this album. Next to the prog influences you can hear on songs such as What's My Name and Dancing In The Rain that there are also more soul-jazz influences. But also bands such as Depeche Mode inspired the band probably as you can hear on But Now I'm Falling. As for the new vocalist. She did a rather good job. She certainly enchants with her voice. Singing strongly at times. Other times subtle vocals and a very calm, almost whispering. Of course you never know how big her own influences could be on this album. How much of what she did was what the other members wanted her to do with her voice? But to me she sounds at her best when she can do the more soul-jazz parts. I guess she probably comes from a musical direction coming from this kind of music All in all Under No Illusions is not a bad album at all. But if you long for the musical highlights of Albion, you will not get enough on this album. With two very strong songs (They Control and True) and a few highlights, you will come off moderately. You will probably have to go along with the new musical challenges that the band has set for itself. If not, it is better to get out one of your older Albion albums. For others who are open to the new musical direction of this former Albion trio, there may be enough to enjoy. For myself, I have been quite satisfied with the entertainment value on this album. I guess sometimes you have to move on music wise! *** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
