Wednesday, June 17, 2009

PROG BLOG WEDNESDAY, PART 1

This week: AFTER CRYING - Megalázottak és megszomorítottak (1992)



Thought I'd kick off 'Prog Blog Wednesdays' with a sweet one, After Crying's Megalázottak és megszomorítottak. It's not Zeuhl. It's not RIO. It's not even 70's. But it is pure Hungarian prog rock brilliance.
A multi-instrumental collaboration featuring strings, wind, electric, and acoustic instruments, Megalázottak is a much more classical/symphomic release than After Crying's later work, which is more focused on ROCKING rather than PROGGING. This is a band unafraid to take chances, as exemplified by the 22-minute opening track, which swells from an understated, synth-and-groove affair to a full blown, chaotic saxophone freakout. The second track is equally weird, and the third track, "Nokturne", is only 2 minutes long, a minor-key dirge floating around on a sea of atmospheric keyboards and stuttering drums. I guess that's what's so great about this stuff. After Crying keeps you guessing, from song to song and album to album.
And that's what good progressive rock is all about.

Download HERE
Purchase HERE

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