Milan Polak
Dreamscapes

After some "secondary" works, finally comes the release of an album by one of the guitarists who, in my opinion, is still one of the most technical and expressive on the global scene. Obviously, for all non-experts, his name and his work sound as strange as they are unknown; he is Milan Polak, and his album is "Dreamscapes". When you first see the CD, it seems strange how the Austrian Polak takes inspiration from the famous melting clocks of the work: "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dalí, replacing them with his guitar, but during the listening, you begin to understand that Polak's choice could not be more fitting; the Austrian indeed manages to make the strings of his Peavey bleed, bringing out fabulous sounds. It doesn't matter if he plays acoustic, classical, or electric, the result is the same; feeling and technique elevated to the nth degree.

The album, distributed by Lion Music (not new in distributing phenomena like Milan), consists of 13 tracks that span across various genres, each worthy of attention:
Panic Room: very hard beginning with a fairly heavy guitar that softens slightly during the track to make room for infinite virtuosity, especially "legatos" and alternate picking, taken to the speed of sound...
GirlFriends: a slow ballad where technical inserts arise from time to time, truly beautiful and touching. (just to say that shredders can do more than conservatory exercises);
Spanish Romance: this is Flamenco with a capital "F" done with guts, excellent classical guitar played with typical Spanish phrases and not! (Sweep). Milan duets with himself in a series of call and response that are incredible.
Quicksilver: seems like the sequel to "Surfing with The Alien" by Satriani, but I believe our Polak has deliberately taken inspiration from the Italo-American's masterpiece to produce this track. Rock in 4/4, very very intense, with technicalities galore.
SlowGold: a beautiful slow ballad with an enchanting guitar that hits the right notes and never exceeds in technique, distortion, and volume, transporting the listener towards a crescendo that explodes with typical Vai or Vinnie Moore virtuosity, also perfect and never excessive.
Contrappunctus III: Die Kunst der Fuge - J.S. Bach, classical guitar... I add nothing more.
Shadowdance: Hard track with sometimes progressive rhythms where Polak can "vent" his technique after the various more melodic pieces mentioned above.

Guys, truly a beautiful album by an artist whom I hope will achieve global fame and popularity. A guy like this truly deserves it. The best 18 euros spent in a long time.