j o n b

Word of mouth is a wonderful thing, particularly for those artists whose work is not exactly embraced by the mainstream. The prog underground, of course, thrives on word of mouth, so much so that it's hard to miss the buzz about certain bands or albums. One such album is The Martian Chronicles by Solaris, which has garnered so much praise that it seems to be near the top of everyone's list of favorites. Well, I would like somebody to please let me in on the secret to worshiping this album. Let me start out by saying that I don't dislike this disc. In fact, there's a lot of really nice playing, particularly the various interplay between synth, guitar, and flute. The music itself, however, seems fairly middle of the road post-golden age prog. Call it symphonic prog or neo-prog, Solaris's style lumps them in with the hundreds (thousands?) of other bands who strive to improve on the model left by the 70s giants. It's not bad, mind you, it just doesn't strike me as classic. In fact, the track that left the biggest positive impact is a percussion heavy bonus cut that wasn't even a part of the original release. On top of that overall feeling about the album, there are some things here and there that do truly get on my nerves. While the album is mostly instrumental, there are some voices used occasionally. Some of them, perhaps meant to represent the Martians (I guess) sound like a Snoopy laugh from one of the "Peanuts" TV specials. It seems very out of place and annoying. In addition, the synth timbre is strictly early 80s digital and sounds fairly dated. Those fairly tiny flaws, however, wouldn't drag down the album as a whole if it has something else to offer. Unfortunately for me, it doesn't. Don't let my luke warm reaction keep you from experiencing Solaris. Every good proghead, it seems to me, should have something from eastern Europe in their collection, after all. Just lower your expectations of this album a little bit and you might find a little more enjoyment. review by Jon Byrne — undated —

b o b

After reading Jon Byrne's review, I had to go back and check the name again to make sure I hadn't written it myself. My opinions on the album closely match his - from the ambivalent feeling that I don't really dislike the disc without liking it much either, to the annoyance with the "Martian" voices, to a preference for one of the CD bonus tracks over anything on the original album. This disc falls pretty firmly in the neoprog camp to me. While I generally hate neoprog, Solaris put on a great set at the first NEARfest so I decided to give this album a try. I wish I could say the CD is as good as their live set, but it doesn't really come close. If you're a big fan of 80s-style neoprog, or if you don't mind light symphonic prog with somewhat cheezy sounding production, give the album a try. Otherwise try to catch the band live, where they sound much better. review by Bob Eichler — undated —

s t e v e

The Martian Chronicles was released in 1983, and quickly became a hit in Hungary. But it wasn't until about 1995, after Solaris played Progfest '95, that the rest of the prog rock world got a chance to discover this Eastern European gem. The album starts off with a side-long epic entitled "The Martian Chronicles Parts 1-6" which mixes Klaus Schulze-like synth work, with very melodic interplay between piano, guitar, and flute. Nothing here gets too complex, but the interplay is very beautiful and the themes are very memorable. After the epic, things get a bit more aggressive with my favorite piece called "M'ars Poetica". In my opinion, this sounds like a more progressive, and instrumental, version of Iron Maiden with flutes, and Moogs. The album goes on to end with a few more shorters tracks that feature aggressive synth solos, melodic flute interludes, and metal-ish guitar riffing. A classic! review by Steve Hegede — undated —

s e a n

This is one of the best releases of symphonic progressive rock from the 80s. Solaris is a Hungarian band that favours arrangements over individual instrumental virtuosity. Not that the musicians aren't good, it's just that there isn't a Yngwie Malmsteen, Rick Wakeman or Neil Peart in the bunch. There are no vocals unless you count the "Martian sounds" near the beginning of this album, and the lead switches between guitar, synthesizer (mostly digital synth with what sounds like moog) and flute. The first twenty minutes or so make up the "Martian Chronicles" Parts 1-6, split into three tracks. Compositionally, it is the strongest part of the album. The remainder has some great stuff ("Undefeatable") and some less memorable stuff (the bonus tracks at the end), but no real moments of weakness. The music sounds like Wish You Were Here-era Floyd or possibly Pulsar, but with a more "classical" approach at times. Rhythmically simple, the beat seldom leaves 4/4. That doesn't make the melodies and arrangements any less memorable, though. I'd compare it to a Tony Banks keyboard solo.. you know there are better keyboardists around but he has a way of getting the most out of the chops he has. For RIO fans, this stuff might be too simplistic. Symphonic fans who suffered through the 80s will be scratching their heads wondering how they missed this one. review by Sean McFee — undated —

b r a n d o n

If the 54 minutes of this CD (including 2 bonus tracks) were as good as the first 23 minutes, which consists of the three tracks of the title song, this would be an absolutely classic album. Solaris plays a highly electric symphonic-rock style which has been compared variously to Jethro Tull, mid-period Pink Floyd, and Camel (but they are harder-edged than the latter two at least). Unlike many progressive rock bands, Solaris puts almost no stock in instrumental soloing, instead focusing on group composition which for the most part works extremely well despite (because of?) the lack of shows of virtuosity. As mentioned, the 23-minute title track "Marsbéli Krónikák" is a truly great meshing of hard and symphonic rock, and manages to elicit a sense of alien wonder appropriate to its title (which means "The Martian Chronicles"). This track is virtually flawless, with lots of tasty flute and some good synth work (the electronic sound of the synths, which normally I dislike, only adds to the alien feel of the music here), as well as some pretty good guitar soloing and such. The rest of the album works along the same lines, to varying degrees of success, though none are quite as good as that first piece. Overall, highly recommended, and one of my favorite symphonic albums. review by Brandon Wu — undated —