Let's begin this review with a mild but justified rant.... French may be the language of love but it is English that is generally regarded as the go-to language of music, well it is for non English speaking artists who want to reach out to a wider demographic than just those that speak their native lingo. So with this in mind why should we as fans bother to investigate bands and artists who buck that trend and perform their songs in their native tongue, the answer to that is if you don't you are in danger of missing out on a whole world of grooviness that you might of otherwise never heard. OK you might not be able to appreciate the depth and lyrical intricacies of songs written in a language not of your own but let's be honest here there are many English speaking bands, releasing albums in this thing we call the "rock underground", that are almost impossible to understand without the benefit of a lyric sheet and we still love them, yet strangely we still baulk at any album released in another language other than our own. "Vibe" is the secret to listening to vocals sang in another tongue, in cases where you are faced with an album/EP or song with the lyrics sang in a language foreign to yours then just forget the words and instead buy into the melody, the feel and the tone of those vocals and you might just find you have opened up a whole new world to your ears.
Poland's Diuna's new release "Pila do pominkòw pryzyrody" has a vocal "vibe" that sits on the ears comfortably, the bands lyrics maybe written in Polish but thanks to them being delivered in tones that are powerful and full of emotional gravitas there is no real need for non Polish speaking listeners to understand their content, of course if you do speak and understand Polish that is undoubtedly a bonus, but if you don't then just enjoy the "vibe", especially as that "vibe" comes wrapped in grooves that'll blow your mind to smithereens.
"Pila do pominkòw pryzyrody" is made up of four songs, each song has its own merits and highlights and each song boasts a variety of shifts in dynamic, both vocally and musically. Nothing is a given in a Diuna's world, a song that may start heavy and doomic can in the blink of an eye move into musical territory far removed from its point of origin, heaviness can make way for lightness of touch, loud can become quiet and traditionalism can step aside for experimentation. These transitions in dynamic, tempo and time are also mirrored in the bands vocals with gruff growled roars and impassioned howls constantly exchanging places with clear clean croons and low baritone preambles. The beauty of this album is that you can never point a finger at any one track and ascribe it a genre classification as there are elements of prog, psych, doom and even touches of the blues to be found nestling amongst each and every one of the songs that make up this enthralling collection and it is credit to the band that they do this without ever sounding like they are trying to force all their eggs into one basket.
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