We at Metal Melancholy have always enjoyed Widek’s amazing instrumental progressive metal musicianship. So, it was natural that there was
some excitement leading to the release of his latest album – Journey to the
Stars. On this record, Widek takes the listener one step further into the
cosmic journey, as one takes a voyage to stars that feel way beyond the known universe.
Our only complain, with the debut full length album last
year, was that certain tracks felt a bit too short at times, and to our
amusement this issue is well addressed in the new record, giving the album a
more well thought and better polished feel. The album consists of 12 tracks,
which feature a bunch of guest musicians including Chris Letchford (Scale The
Summit), Plini, Gru, Sithu Aye, Owane, Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry) and Rick
Davenport.
What stands out on the record, is that although being a
guitar focused instrumental album, each instrument seems to have been perfectly
mastered. Also, at no point does the album feel monotonous, with all tracks
bringing something different to the table, yet managing the cohesion required
in an album, and not coming out as just a bunch of singles.
The cosmic vibe I was talking about earlier, really comes to
forefront in “Space Horizon”. The track starts off with a ballad like melody
that puts you into a trance. By the time the track slightly picks up pace, you
are already zooming past galaxies! The best track on the album for me comes in
“Canis Majoris” (feat. Per Nilsson), which also happens to be the longest track
clocking in nearly 7 minutes. The moment the track starts with its simple
guitar melody, it just takes in all your attention and builds up momentum from
there on. The track just flows through the heavier sections into the more
slower segments without any hitch, a feature that is evident throughout the
album. And once the solo by Per Nelsson kicks in, one just forgets everything
else at hand!
As expected from Widek, the mix and production on the album
are pitch perfect. With compositions, that one can listen to umpteen times
without ever getting bored.
Overall, Journey to the Stars feels like the next step in a cosmic
journey with Widek, one which has just begun.
