STRONG ALTERNATIVE ROCK FROM POLAND
Appleseed are a Polish band formed 23 years ago now, and in 2023 have released their third studio album, Earn Heaven. They are another band who came to my attention via the good offices of Prog Rogue.
Poland and Eastern Europe in general are now creative and commercial powerhouses of modern progressive rock music and feature some of the genre’s finest names. Appleseed are a serious band worthy of our attention (they have played with, amongst others, Riverside & Ray Wilson) in this context and, as this review makes clear, take their references from an eclectic range, and mix this into one of the most unique albums I have gotten hold of in 2023. Their own description as a mysterious & atmospheric band pretty much nails it, really.
From the debut album in 2010, three artists remain, namely Bartosz Bąk on guitars & synthesizer, Wojciech Deutschmann playing same, and Maciej Hoffman on drums. The present lineup is completed by the distinctive vocals of Krzysztof Podsiadło, Wojtek Ślepeck on Hammond, and Filip Bielecki on bass guitar.
There are ten tracks on an album running at 48 minutes, with the longest at just over seven minutes, so no extensively long epics on this, but song driven pieces which deliver a fair old punch.
Full Time Dreamers kicks us off, and it is a bit of a dreamy track. Instantly noticeable are the deep bass vocals of Podsiadło. There is a post punk urgency here with the guitar riffs and chords overlaying some rather interesting but weird synth effects before the band open up with some expansive guitars and driving rhythm section. A strong start to proceedings featuring a very tasty heavy denouement.
This is followed by Papa Whale which has a rather chaotic feel to the opening segment but progresses into a pleasing short rock track with strong chords and thumping head-nodding post rock.
California weighs in at just short of five minutes, so the longest track thus far. The vocals are imperious, having the ability to range from bass to falsetto, and with the latter there is a deep pop sensibility in a track which delights with continued listening and reminds me in parts of some of Blur’s mature works – it is embedded below. The intensity grows, with some particularly impressive synthesisers as it moves to its conclusion.
Rise Up! Is next. The unmistakeable sound of the Hammond is particularly prominent on this and as we progress, the guitars produce some very catchy chords and these grow in a track which has a delightful expansive feel to it, with the drums and percussion driving matters along with a fine sense of urgency. The video is below.
Life Stained Jewel is an intriguing title for a song. The opening passage is a gentle delight with guitars and keys competing atmospherically. The vocals portray a sense of loving yearning, especially as the track bursts into life with a head filling sound and this intensifies as it moves on providing us with an utterly modern sounding nod to psychedelic greats of the past.
False Idol is up next – it is undoubtedly the case that the world has seen its fair share of these in recent years. This is the second longest piece at just over six minutes. The classic rock impact of the Hammond and the guitars clattering alongside a hard rhythmic core is simply exceptional, and again there is a deep nod to glories past, but in a totally modern setting. Think of Black Sabbath in parts, mixed with Deep Purple, but in the 2023 alternative rock universe, and you will be somewhere close. There are some achingly gorgeous dark vocals in this, with some huge guitars before the mood turns mournful and thoughtful then exploding again. This is a very clever and very good piece of music, in parts angry and forceful in its intent and execution before the impressive denouement with a ghostly piano.
Take Me has a pulsing bass and some interesting effects to begin before the post rock guitars push us along. I love the vocals on this, with the “take me to the river” theme crying at us, and the band responding with a very decent intensity in what is a blues-infused heavy number with some glorious synths in the background. Four minutes in, we get a rich guitar solo, the first such moment on the album, and here there is a slight regret that we didn’t get a bit more of this. However, this is a minor quibble, because the collective progress to provide for a massive wall of sound as this track moves to its conclusion.
Shelter brings us down after that, with some more wonderful organ work above a deep guitar sequence and simple, but very effective, rhythm work. This track drips with feeling, talking about being depressed and clearly some inner demons are being exorcised on this, and halfway through the band repeat that very strong way that they have of turning a song into a noisier and intense affair, but without losing any of the melodic core which began it, even when the vocals threaten to turn into a prog metal growl and a chaotic closing section.
Penultimate track, Offroad is an interesting one, with the use of nonsense phrase “she-bee-dee-bee” and howls strengthening what I think is a very serious song of a troubled girl having to run away from some form of abuse set against strong chords and a delicious bassline with drums pulsing away in a melodic post rock dream of a song, which I have embedded below.
We close with Behind a Smile, which is the seven minutes plus track. The drumming at the start is staggeringly good and it develops into another of those maddeningly catchy rock songs this lot are clearly very adept at. When this sequence is replaced by a complete change of volume and pace, the impact is noticeable with dreamy guitars, Hammond, jazzy drum & bass transporting you back to the Spirit of 1969 musically before Podsiadło returns vocally and the thumping sense of the opening passage reasserts itself. The close is more trad rock with some more clever synth effects running between your ears alongside some heartfelt vocals intoning “I can see you” and is a strong conclusion to an impressive album.
To conclude, Earn Heaven does more than enough, I believe, to earn your investment. The CD is available from Oskar Records Bandcamp site at https://oskarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/earn-heaven-cd