After Crying - Almost Pure Instrumental

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Periferic Records
Catalog Number: BGCD 027
Format: CD
Total Time: 66:51:00

The music of Hungary's After Crying is an eclectic mix of classical, jazz and rock - more so the first two. At least here on Almost Pure Instrumental, which is one part compilation, one part new release. Four of the disc's fourteen tracks are new, and each are equally stunning, as is the entire disk. I have been loath to take it out of the player, as it is that good.

This is my first experience of After Crying - a moniker that sounds as if it should belong to a UK neo-prog band instead, which is what I was expecting.

Every track here is worth mentioning, but for space considerations, I'll only consider a few of them. Each alone, though, make this a disk well worth seeking out.

The opening "Overture" is bold, brassy, with a good deal of strings - violins, mostly. It touches all the right places that an overture should - the bold strokes, the big themes.

"Aqua" is new with this compilation, an extremely lyrical piece, and far too short. Following it is "Big Evil Fun Fair Final" - there's menace lurking at the fringes here, as caustic violin screeches dart in and out. The music swells to a crescendo of trumpets, trombones, saxes, percussion, guitar ... I imagine that this track would be fairly wild on stage, as it approaches tour-de-force levels.

"Windblown Waltz" is gentle, with a subtle flute floating over sparse keys, giving way to guitar. This is also new to this release.

Guitar takes the lead on another new track, "Pilgrims' March," a composition that appears to be an adaptation of a Mendelssohn piece (if it's the Mendelssohn I think it is). Programmed percussion perculates just beneath, giving this track a more techno feel. So add one more colour to their palette.

"The Insulted and Injured," the ninth track in, is one of the longest at 11:40, and features caustic, searing strings - perhaps the violoncello that Péter Pejtsik plays nearly throughout. And gets one spotlight with "Sonata for Violoncello and Piano" - beautiful, classical music. I hear shades of Mozart in the composition.

The "Almost" part comes about because two of the tracks, "The Insulted..." above and "Struggle For Life," contain vocals.

All around a great release that had me searching for their past albums. Highly recommended.

[There's an interview with After Crying in issue #31 of Progression Magazine - ed.]

Tracklisting:
Overture (2:29) / Aqua (1:58) / Big Evil Fun Fair Final (5:32) / Windblown Waltz (3:09) / Pilgrims' March (5:11) / Sonata for Violonchello and Piano (3:35) / Sleepin' Chaplin (2:38) / Suburban Night (3:32) / The Insulted and Injured (11:40) / Rondo (3:53) / Save Our Souls (2:35) / Struggle For Life (9:12) / In The End (2:29) / Shining (11:48)

Musicians:
quite a few listed for each track, but the core members are:
Gábor Egevaári- flute and voice
Tamás Gõrgényi - vocals
Péter Pejtsik - cello, bass, and vocals
Ferenc Torma - guitar, bass, synthesizer, and backing vocals
Csaba Vedres - piano, keyboards, and vocals
Balázs Winkler - trumpet, piano, keyboards, and backing vocals

Discography:
Opus 1 (1989/2009)
1989 (1989/2009)
Overground Music (1990)
Megalázottak És Megszomorítottak (The Insulted and Injured) (1992)
Föld És Ég (Earth And Sky) (1994)
De Profundis (1996)
Elsõ Évtized (The First Decade) (1996)
After Crying 6 (1997)
Almost Pure Instrumental (1998)
Live - Struggle For Life (essential) (1CD) (2000)
Live - Struggle For Life> (2CD) (2000)
Bootleg Symphony (2001)
Show (2003)

Live (DVD) (2007)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin HU

Added: September 1st 1999
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.aftercrying.hu
Hits: 3268
Language: english