EXLIBRIS „Skyward”

Music: Traditional Heavy Metal
Website: http://www.exlibrisband.com
Country: Poland
Cool songs: The Last Stand, Enslaved, Seven Wishes, Galleon

EXLIBRIS is a heavy metal band that grew up in Poland’s capital city, Warsaw. Here, in the metal underground, they managed to record and release some albums: demo and one full length CD. Today, the line up is a little bit different from the one, in which the band recorded ‘Skyward’. Joanna Borecka left the band because of personal reasons and Adam Kaliszewski, the guitarist from NAAMAH joined EXLIBRIS to help them in creating their next album.

From the first sound it is clear: outstanding dose of heavy metal in its cleanest form. EXLIBRIS simply smites other bands from the Polish metal scene (heavy that is), and do it in a very good style. Just to start with marvellous ‘The Last Stand’ and ‘Enslaved’, performed as if they were little symphonies. Very powerful and original ‘musical orgy’. Classic double guitar riffs create the best possible background for Joanna’s sweet voice. I have to admit, that she has got guts. The drums are quite good but the gold medal goes to Voltan and his magical keyboards. They are outstanding, they carry everything, the burden of the music, the melody, they push the guitars to the extreme edge of sanity. The music gains a lot thanks to them: the compositions are quite varied, every instrument has its own five minutes, the style and mood shifts are often performed and they enrich the gallery of sounds. ‘Galleon’ is a good example of that action, of that wonderful cooperation of the instruments. RHAPSODY OF FIRE can hide their heads in the sand in front of EXLIBRIS. With such sound and with more consistency they can do a lot on Polish metal scene and maybe go even farther. And right now, I can say one damn thing: with this album they brought freshness to the Polish metal ground; the skeletons were smitten from the closet.

‘Skyward’ is a very good album. A pure funfair of sounds and ideas which is never ending. The music is of high quality and contains many interesting ideas. I can tell, that anyone who likes metal play, should taste the fruit of EXLIBRIS’s love for music.

note: 9.5/10

Tracklist

1.The Last Stand
2. Enslaved
3. Nowhere to Turn
4. Seven Wishes
5. Waiting for the Dawn
6. Galleon
7. Heaven in Flames
8. Cold
9. Impure
10. Trapped Under the Sky
11. Amnesia

Total playing time 58:11

Line-up

Joanna Borecka – vocals
Daniel “Danny” Lechmański – guitar
Piotr “Voltan” Sikora – keyboards
Marcin Zajusz – bass
Michał “Kumpel Ryska” Martyniuk – drums