Under the Same Sky

Two and a half years after the "Insanity Relapse" EP, the third album by Warsaw-based Neuronia saw the light of day. On the previous release not everything played at the right level yet, so I was curious how the band used the time between the two albums. The first impression is already better: kept in pastel colours (a lot of white and gold here) the whole thing looks very nice, and the artwork decorating the front is simple, but also intriguing. The digipak itself is made of better quality materials than the EP, making it more pleasant to the touch - you can see that the budget for the release of "Under the Same Sky" was clearly bigger than for "Insanity Relapse". The only thing I can complain about on the physical version is the tracklisting, in which one of the titles is clearly sidetracked - but maybe that's just nitpicking.

The album begins with a symphonic intro full of indistinct conversations, followed in turn by a great, churning bass line, atmospheric drums, powerful guitars and, at the very end, Tektur's furious vocals - this intro came out fantastically. The first song quickly accelerates to thrash/death speeds and, although there are still plenty of such heavier sounds on "Under the Same Sky" (e.g. in "Anger Spent" or "Death and Taxes"), the band's style is hard to define. This is because we can find here both strict metal pieces, in which a lot is happening in terms of atmosphere or tempo (the title track or "Get Ready for War"), as well as lighter, more upbeat compositions, such as "Dialogues of a Love Lost" or the beautiful "An Elegy", reminiscent of Iced Earth's "Watching Over Me". In places, all this playing is even starting to resemble the crazed Armenians of System of Down ("Imminent Slaughter of Irrational Shitheads"!), except in a more groovy version. On "Insanity Relapse" EP, Neuronia were also able to flirt with different styles, but on "Under the Same Sky", it's all more thoughtful and polished - there's no room for random sounds.

In the review of the previous release by the band, I complained a bit about Maciej Nawrot's vocals - here I can only praise him, as the frontman has developed a lot over these months. The vocal lines harmonise very nicely with the instrumental layer, and Tektur uses the full range of his abilities on this album: in the strong fragments he delivers aggressive parts using his characteristic hoarseness, when necessary he sings cleanly, almost rock-like, and in the more frantic fragments he resembles Serj Tankian from SOAD ("Last Shot" or the aforementioned "Imminent Slaughter..."). Nothing but applause! Of course, he is not the only one who deserves a round of applause - all the band members have done their bit and everyone's playing is pleasing to the ear: Lukass bangs the drums until the speakers jump ("The Descent", "Anger Spent"), the bass runs like clockwork, the solos are impressive ("Get Ready for War"!) and Misiek sticks together cool riffs. The band has evolved tremendously since the "Insanity Relapse" EP - they have not so much taken a step forward as made a real leap. The difference in level is downright absurd.

"Under the Same Sky" is a very good album, full of cool, thoughtful compositions, representing different styles of metal playing, but at the same time forming a coherent whole. While not everything on the EP went smooth, there is nothing to complain about here. And it is at this point that I think it is appropriate to praise the producer of this release, Filip Hałucha (Vesania, Rootwater, ex-Decapitated, ex-UnSun). The guy has produced many sounds and I do not have the slightest doubt that his comments and suggestions significantly influenced the high quality of "Under the Same Sky". The musician created all the samples and intros for the guys, and mixed the whole thing so that you don't want to take the disc out of the player. There is no doubt about it - they owe him a bottle of good vodka.

Originally written for www.metalside.pl