Mariusz Duda gets back on the horse with a reminder of the potency of Lunatic Soul.

THE PERFECT MOMENT

“An album that arrives at the perfect moment,” says Mariusz Duda. In what’s now the aftermath of the dissolution of Riverside, he continues: “Lunatic Soul is changing,” the eight albums that make up the dark cycle The Circle of Life and Death, Lunatic Soul is set to transform into a project where more musical light and hope will begin to emerge.

Ending on the high of The World Under Unsun (the poignant final track, The New End, said to be his final, not farewell but statement to the Riverside fans) and Through Shaded Woods, Transition II gives a glimpse of the brighter elements and exists to bridge the gap – a transition indeed – the old and the new.

The release includes four tracks. Two remixes, a new track and a ‘condensed’ track. Harking back to the folk-forest-melancholic instrumental form of Through Shaded Woods it won’t be a hardship for any LS aficionados.

RHYTHMIC BOUNCE

The unreleased, new to this set, Realm Of The Weeping Willows is eleven evocative minutes that might be a close cousin to Navvie from that album. Not surprising, it being a piece in development from that period. More ‘electric’ with fuzzing features but in keeping with the rhythmic bounce and one that shifts course into a more pastoral acoustic setting. Eleven minutes allows space for the arrangement to wind through a dream-like repose before picking up the pace with a haunting melody. All very Mike Oldfield if you need to make some connection.

This release also presents newly remixed versions of Hylophobia and Vyraj, both originally recorded for the Through Shaded Woods sessions, now remixed from the ground up. Both tracks along with the title track originally released on a limited 2CD edition of Through Shaded Woods in 2020. The latter fits neatly with the uptempo and rustic atmosphere, balancing up again thumping heft of the former.

THE MAIN COURSE

The main treat is the title track, with which those of us in the know will already be well versed. One of those pieces of music that deserves more than to find release on an ‘extras’ disc. Rising from the shadows and taking up a huge 28 minute chunk, the monolith of Transition II has a shiny new edit – condensed to 23 minutes(!) – to fit a side of vinyl. Mariusz Duda has carefully reimagined and reduxed Transition II into a new 23-minute shape designed to fit a single side of vinyl without losing any of its hypnotic grandeur.

The slightly abbreviated form drifts in like a low fog with the haunting ambience that seems to indulge in some backwards spooling trickery. It sets off a sequence that adds credence to the Oldfield arranging/composing style, as seemingly disconnected segments segue – check the percussion/bass sequence about a third through. Simple piano chords are accompanied by latter period Marillion-styled guitar doodles in a relaxing and dreamy flow before the familiar distant voice and chugging acoustic guitar that dominates Through Shaded Woods returns. The condensed version even begs the question of whether or not there’s a possible longer version than the original. Feels like there should be.

A set that presents Lunatic Soul in its finest folk-forest-melancholic instrumental form. Revving up the partisan for a bright future.

Here’s the original Hylophobia:

Lunatic Soul: Website 

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