Wieści Ze Świata is an ambitious progressive rock album released in September 2025 by Strefa Wolnych Myśli. The project is the brainchild of Artur Krystek (guitars, music & lyrics) and features a star-studded cast of Polish artists. The album's lyrics and themes are heavily inspired by the works of George Orwell, specifically 1984 and Animal Farm. Right from the start you can hear that the concept and the music is very much inspired and influenced by the famous British band Pink Floyd. Albums such as Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) come to mind. But also Dark Side Of The Moon (1973) thanks to the parts played on the saxophones by Marcin Kajper and Jarek Kaczmarczyk. Of course the level of musicianship is not as high as done the members of Pink Floyd. However it doesn't mean we are here dealing with lousy musicians. The opposite is true. Just listen to the fantastic guitar playing of Krystek himself and Artur Tabor throughout the entire album. Right from the start with the track 1984 the level of the compositions is rather high and very entertaining. Even if the narrator Piotr Fronczewski speaks in his native Polish language. It doesn't bother me at all because his raw bronze voice suits the story being told. This 11 minutes long tracks is an excellent piece of music and one of the highlights on the album. Follow up Korpo is also rather good and includes some beautiful flute parts by Michał Jelonek and organ parts done by Kamil Barański. The next composition Folwark (Farm), is an epic piece of 16 minutes long and can be labelled is the second real highlight on the album. The sounds of a rooster is included next to the excellent steel guitar parts played by Leszek Laskowski. He certainly brings you in another Floyd mood with his fantastic playing. Speaking about moods, this is also what you get on this track. Different moods all the way. From rock to jazz. It's all included! The album ends with the mellow tune Dobro (Goodness). The guitar parts on this final track brings you back to David Gilmour and Pink Floyd. As on most of the songs. But also the sax on this track reminds you all the way of this band. Finally I'll have to tell you that Paweł Królikowski delivers some nice bass parts as well. Conclusion: A nice entertaining album which will attract lovers of Pink Floyd, most of all if the Polish vocals and narration doesn't bother you. With 40 minutes maybe a little short. But this way you don't have any fillers or songs which you skip after a couple of seconds. So well done to Artur Krystek and his fellow musicians. But why he used the name Strefa Wolnych Myśli instead of his own name Artur Krystek really puzzles me! ***+ Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
