BLUE EFFECT (M. EFEKT) — Svitanie (as M Efekt) (review)

BLUE EFFECT (M. EFEKT) — Svitanie (as M Efekt) album cover Album · 1977 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
Now known as M Efekt, this group is almost entirely rebuilt from scratch from its previous incarnation of 73 (even if the album was released in 75) around Hladic and Cech, welcoming ex Collegium Musicum Fedor Freso on bass and Synkopy61 Oldrich Vesely keyboardist. The quartet now formed some sort of CzechMoravianSlovakian supergroup, modifying their sound to a very Yes-like soundscape. Generally known as their better works among progheads, this writer can’t help but preferring their more fusion-esque album like their 73 album. While I have yet to see this album in Cd format with its original red & orange artwork instead of this bland b&w photo, this album IS indeed one of ME’s best, because while being sort of derivative, ME manages to sound like their own group with its own sound.

With a very pleasant start with the 10-min Vysoka track, the group manages to foray through a large panel of moods and ambiances without sounding like “going through the motions”, and it shows in the group’s enthralling music. The shorter (relatively) Pada Rodenska is an absolutely fantastic Moravian folk song interrupted by some bold and daring Daffy/Donald Duck-like synth noises, but the track is probably the most memorable. Closing the album’s first side is the Popoludni track is a bit jazzier than the rest of the album but closing weird synths

The sidelong title-track “epic” is a slow starter, with some multi-voiced lines, sending us towards Yes and early Soft Machine, finally lifting off around the 9-min mark, when the group takes Yes and Genesis-like unison march and adapt it to Slavic charms. The track gets lost a bit in a lengthy slower passage before returning to the early opening passages of the track. Considering the 19-min+ of the track, it seems this track could’ve been held to some 12 mins without losing a note, the useless expansion stopping this track from being of epic proportions. I find that ME's vocal delivery on this album is very much Italian-like, but timbre-wise, it sounds like a cross of Jon Anderson and Ian Gillan, if you can picture that.

The Cd re-issue comes with one bonus track, the harder-edged almost 7-min Golem, which would fit the album superbly if it had been better sung, but overall it is a very worthy addition. Almost quite as good as their 73 album, but quite different as well, you can easily jump on thios album, if you are into a symphonic mood.

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