Quantum
Tomasz Piwecki
Tomasz Piwecki is primarily a guitarist, who I've come to know over the years. I've reviewed three prior albums of his. "Quantum" was released on March 28, 2021, and is his sixth solo effort. The album contains eleven tracks, along with some guest musicians. "Titan's Shadow" opens the album. It begins with clean lead guitar parts, leading to a heavy riff, along with some wah-wah in the guitars. It takes a brief pause before the guitar solo, and again after, with that sweet little melody line from the beginning again. A second guitar solo comes into play towards the ending, where the song builds to a crescendo.
"Intoxication" begins with some ominous tones...beating in the background. Clean guitars usher in a bit of melody. A second riff begins to build, along with the first guitar solo, with prolific use of the wah-wah pedal. The sound the drops to really charming clean guitar notes with some background ambiance. It makes you feel "intoxicated" for sure. Towards the end, the guitars become more powerful, along with some keyboard notes in support. "Prelude of Quantum" opens with some electronic pulses, and some tense background keys. A secondary keyboard part comes in to run with the melody, while drums keep a steady beat. It's these kinds of off-the-path songs that really resonate with me. Some light vocal chants occupy the background, and a nifty little guitar solo takes the song to completion.
"Quantum" is that heavy beast of a song that you were waiting for. Weighted guitar riffs combine with some really nice melody and lead work. Around the half-way mark, some ambient tones enter, followed by lead notes that work so well with the melody line. It finishes on a heavy run. "Inside" is a shorter song, opening with dreamy guitar notes that linger. Heavy accented guitars follow. The two elements are locked in battle with each other, but as a whole it works quite well. The ending sequence is back to that dreamy entrance. "Breath" begins with clean guitar tones that lead to a heavier, mid-tempo riff. The sound drops for just a bit then returns with lead guitar. Some labored breathing comes in...I get the title of the song now.
"Inside" is a shorter song that opens with melancholy clean guitars, couple quickly with heavy accented rhythm guitars. He lets the melody out of the bag with a few bars of lead guitars. It fades out with those pretty opening clean guitars. "Andromeda" begins with a jovial melody from clean guitar strums. The main riff then takes over, and it's dirty and dark. Then come some alluring ambient tones, along with a guitar solo. Tomasz rides the fence between hope and despair here. "Forgotten Land" begins with some spacey keyboards and a melody line from the lead guitars. Bass guitar takes over while the rhythm guitars play short, choppy notes.
"Adrenaline" features the artist Liodee on vocals. Her sultry voice brings a breath of fresh air to the album. It has both element of the melancholy from the vocals, as well as some anger in the aggressive guitar riffs. An extended instrumental passage follows, then ends with more vocals. "Hidden Worlds" opens with the steady pulsing of electronica. Something is building in the background. Clean guitars enter cautiously. Heavy guitars follow, then it's back to the clean guitars with some background ambiance. It ends on heavy guitars once again, "Sphere" features Stel Andre on guitars. It begins with some clean guitar tones and some really nice melodies. His legato leads are just what the song calls for.
In physics, quantum is defined as "a discrete quantity of energy proportional in magnitude to the frequency of the radiation it represents." I have no idea what this means. But the album is outer-worldly for sure. Tomasz presents both melody and aggression here with his new album. The balance between the two is what makes the album as good as it is. Fans of instrumental Metal will surely find this to their liking. Please support him and buy his album here!
9 / 10
Almost Perfect
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Quantum" Track-listing:
1. Titans Shadow
2. Intoxication
3. Prelude of Quantum
4. Quantum
5. Breath
6. Inside
7. Andromeda
8. Forgotten Land
9. Adrenaline (feat. Liodee)
10. Hidden Worlds
11. Sphere (feat. Stel Andre)
Tomasz Piwecki Lineup:
Tomasz Piwecki - Music
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