Appleseed - Earn Heaven (2023)

From the very beginning, the founders of Appleseed (Bartek Bak - guitar, piano; Wojtek Deutschemann - guitar, keyboards; and Maciej Hoffmann - drums) reached for the classics, moving around borrowings from hard rock, alternative rock, or prog-rock elements. Over time, however, in addition to their fascination with the music of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Wishbone Ash and The Doors, their music started to include elements, characteristic of contemporary performers such as Mars Volta, Archive or a number of references to the increasingly fashionable post-rock style. Over the years, it is this mixture of classics with a breath of modernity that has been their hallmark.
A great contribution is made by a new member of the band, vocalist Krzysztof Podsiadlo. In addition to the aforementioned three co-founders, the band's lineup is completed by: Filip Bielecki (guitar, bass guitar) and Wojciech Slepecki (hammond, moog, piano, synthesizers). The keyboard parts, by the way, are a real masterpiece of this material! And so is the interchangeability of the two lead guitars, making at times a clear fascination with the joint playing of Andy Powell and Ted Turner of Wishbone Ash!
To sum up, "Earn Heaven" is a piece of excellent work. It's gratifying to see that the Appleseed band, after several years of silence, is once again venturing out into wider waters, taking us into the world of their extraordinary music. One can only hope that the Poznanians will also promote their new work during concerts, as Appleseed has always been famous for its great live performances!