Satellite
A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset

LA RECENSIONE

With their debut album, “A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset”, dated 2005, the Satellite band presents themselves as one of the best expressions of Polish Progressive, which boasts, among its exponents, Albion and Quidam.

The group has, in part, rewritten the canons of neo-prog through a meticulous work of fusion between classic sounds of the genre and modern melodic experiments. The result is an elegant homage to the classics, which does not copy but is inspired by the technical aspects of Yes and Genesis, passing through IQ and the harmonious and satin structures of Marillion (Fish era).

The mind of the group is drummer Wojtek Szadkowski, the author of all the tracks. The vocals, however, are delivered by an elegant but perhaps overly static Robert Amirian. Superb, instead, is the main guitarist, Mirek Gil. Disciplined and complete is Piotr Zaczek on bass. A noteworthy mention goes to keyboardist Darek Lisowski, a researcher of epic sounds of great impact.

Unjustly labeled as neo-prog and often compared to some works of Porcupine Tree (even Szadkowski himself swears he has never listened to a Wilson & co. record), their sound convincingly distances itself from the genre clichés, presenting itself as strongly expressive, with a great focus on aesthetics and a smooth, clean atmosphere.

The album opens with the mini-suite "The Evening Wind" which well represents their signature: a clean yet virtuosic guitar, a complex keyboard background, and tones that judiciously blend ethereal melodies with symphonic poems.
"On the Run" develops over an extended length, starting with a sleepy acoustic introduction ready to explode in an epic rhythmic whirlwind. The middle part of the track is a true gem: the melody swells until it breaks into a technical sequence where Gil explores the sharpest sounds of his guitar, while the rhythm section drives on, accompanied by keyboards that at times seem to play a separate chamber music concert.

The album also elegantly explores more catchy sounds (splendid in this sense are "Not Afraid", "Midnight Snow", and "Fight") where Gil's guitar still leads. More symphonic and pompous are the technical diverges of "No Disgrace" and "Now", well-structured and wrapped in delicate and touching evanescence. The title track is wonderful, an eleven-minute suite that revisits fusion, progressive and art rock elements in a modern key, revealing itself as the album's best piece. It all closes with the ballad "Children", a little impactful lullaby with overly synthetic sounds.

In conclusion, Satellite offers us a truly delightful work, played splendidly, strongly inspired but never derivative: a package of highly refined sounds, accompanied by a warm voice, although perhaps with a slightly monotonous vocal range. Still somewhat underrated, Satellite deserves greater visibility in the genre they have chosen to tackle with originality and authoritativeness.