After Crying

After Crying - Föld és Ég - 1994 - BG (Hungary)

Great classically influenced album of symphonic style rock, very much in the same mould as Emerson, Lake and Palmer and King Crimson . Check out the band's 1990 "Overground Music" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Manticore érkezése I (1:50)- Vedres, Winkler
2. Manticore érkezése II (6:37)- Egervari, Gacs, Pejtsik, Winkler
3. Enigma (1:25)- Egervari, Winkler
4. Rondo (3:40)-Vedres
5. Zene gitárra (3:20)- Torma
6. Leltár(4:02)- Jozsef, Vedres
7. Cisz-Dór koncertetüd (3:22)-Vedres
8. Puer natus in Bethlehem (6:02) - Vedres
9. Júdás (9:40)- Egervari, Gacs, Gorgenyi, Pejtsik, Torma, Vedres, Winkler
10. Bár éjszaka van (7:06)- Egervari, Gacs, Pejtsik, Torma, Vedres
11. Kétezer év (13:20)- Egervari, Gacs, Gorgenyi, Pejtsik, Torma, Vedres

BAND

Vedres Csaba - piano
Pejtsik Péter - cello, synths, bass
Winkler Balázs - trumpet, synths
Gacs László - drums
Egervári Gábor - flute
Torma Ferenc - guitar

REVIEWS

The keyboard bombast that opens the album illustrates that Föld és ég is a very different beast than its classic predecessor, Megalázottak és Megszomorítottak. On the two part "Manticore" piece, keyboardist/pianist Vedres Csaba opts for a over-the-top Keith Emerson approach, a style that is carried through most of the early tracks on the album (with the exception of the beautiful, but short, "Enigma" interlude). The self-conscious titling of these tracks (the first four), and the rather overt similarities to ELP gives the impression of a purposeful tribute to the group. For me, this first portion of the album isn't exactly a highlight. I've never been a huge ELP fan, and frankly these songs don't do a whole lot for me, though I certainly don't skip by them when I'm listening to the album either. They are well done for what they are. The next three tracks are sort of transitional pieces, one a solo acoustic guitar piece, then a charming choir-like piece and finally a classical piano piece. Only then, after 7 tracks, do things really get good. "Puer natus in Bethlehem" is the first track that really recalls the haunting chamber progressive of the previous album, as an exquisite trumpet line hangs over a bed of melodic strings, giving off a reverential, almost religious air. "Júdás" tends to rock out a little more, but still scratches that itch for an overwhelming classical feel, with churning cellos, racing horn lines and occasional Frippian guitar textures. "Bár éjszaka Van" is yet another haunting track, a spoken word piece backed by classical piano motifs. Then, finally, we have the absolute masterpiece of the album, and definitely a perfect illustration of the classic After Crying sound. "Kétezer év" is absolutely glorious, and at the longest playing time on the album is without a doubt worth the price of admission alone. All the hallmarks of the classic After Crying sound, albeit with a greater emphasis on the vocals, which are absolutely gorgeous. Overall, though the truly classic portion of the album makes up only four tracks, they are fairly lengthy and make the album an extremely solid buy. Though the first portions are certainly not unpleasant by any means, I find that they do bring the album down a tad from the previous heights of Megalázottak és Megszomorítottak. Check out that album first, and if you like it, by all means head over to Föld és ég. One of the pillar After Crying albums. © Greg Northrup [April 2001] © 2002, The Giant Progweed

Föld és ég is the 1994 release from Hungarian band After Crying. It is a departure in styles from the morose, pseudo-chamber sound of the previous album, heading towards a more symphonic and Emerson-influenced style. The first three or four tracks have the strongest Emerson influence, utilizing similar attacks on organ and piano. The ELP-style antics are given a somewhat alien mood by the presence of the Hungarian vocals. This music is all fairly successful, if not groundbreaking.The extended pieces which close out the album are the most noteworthy, however, marking After Crying's move into their own sound. The somber mood of the previous album still comes through in parts, as do touches of ELP and King Crimson, but the sound of "Judas", or "Kétezer év" is, ultimately, the band's own. Featuring an element of softness not unlike the Italian classics, but with the tasteful use of string and horns adding another tonal element. "Bár éjszaka van", on the other hand, hearkens back to the sound of the previous album. All in all, the second half of the album will make it of general interest, even to those for whom the ELP-isms at the beginning are of less interest. © Sean McFee , © ground and sky 1999-2008

This album is basically two albums on one disc. The first half consists of After Crying as Keith Emerson worshippers: the keyboardist steals shamelessly from Emerson, and After Crying ends up sounding like nothing much more than an uncommonly good ELP clone. However, after these tracks are over (and they're not bad by any means - I like them better than ELP themselves - just unexpected!), the music becomes more like what I was expecting. Towards the latter half of the album, the music becomes somber, lush, and beautiful, as one might expect from this band. Föld és ég has an almost religiously sober feel that's delicious. The wonderful male voice of the lead singer lends itself very, very well to this music - I kind of felt that the vocals got in the way on De Profundis, but here they complement the music and help to create an emotionally-charged sound which ranges from somber to hopeful to inspiring. Wonderful stuff. The chamber-rock instrumentation is great as well: electric guitars and keyboards backed by excellent strings and brass work. The best track is by far the closer, with the gorgeous vocals undercut by gently rolling piano (a la the end of "A gadarai megszállott" from Megalázottak és megszomorítottak), and with the occasional outburst from cello and horns. Unlike some other After Crying works, this piece is somber but hopeful, and is one of the most effective pieces in their repertoire. The disc is worth getting just for this song, but the rest is very good as well - especially if you like ELP. © Brandon Wu , © ground and sky 1999-2008

BIO

One of the most innovative bands on the Hungarian music scene is the experimental After Crying. Comprised of extremely talented musicians, After Crying stands in the forefront of "intelligent" music in Hungary and beyond -having found a significant following as far as Venezuela. Merging elements of various genres of music, such as rock and classical, the final product is nothing short of challenging for the listener. The musicianship of After Crying's eight members is definitely one of the band's strengths. The members are all specially trained, many at the Music Academy or Conservatory. The core of the band, which defines the band's direction, is composed of Gábor Egervári (flute, lyrics, concert engineer), Tamás Görgényi (lyrics, art director, concepts, vocals), Péter Pejtsik (cello, bass, vocals, composer), Ferenc Torma (guitar, keyboards, vocals, composer), and Balász Winkler (trumpet, keyboards, vocals, composer). This core is augmented by Zoltán Lengyel (keyboards), Zsolt Madai (drums, percussion, keyboards) and Gábor Légrádi (vocals). One of the interesting aspects of After Crying's live performances is way in which the musicians change instruments or at times play two instruments simultaneously to keep the music flowing at its most complex moments.Each recording the band produced seemed to feature yet another set of creative compositions played to perfection, ranging from the haunting passages on De Profundis to the two-part Keith Emerson-tribute "Manticore érkezése" on Föld és ég. The band went through many member changes through the years, but the departure of former primary composer Csaba Vedres in 1994 served as a definite turning point. Since then, the band has remained solidly intact with its current eight-member line-up, with the core five composing the music. Péter Pejtsik told Progression magazine, "The strange thing about After Crying is, indeed, the fact that we are all extremely good musicians. Because of the ease with which our members read their scores, I'm allowed the opportunity to write various arrangements for our compositions."The band also takes a more-than-serious approach to live performances - rather akin to classical than rock. Görgényi explains: "We always prepare ourselves for every single concert as if it were the one and only in our life. There's no easy gig for us, even if we play the same programme at consecutive shows. That is the greatest part of the whole thing, to go and get the audience at every place." That approach has paid off, as the band is frequently invited to various music festivals around the world, headlining in places as close as Italy to as far as Mexico.Finally, Central Europe Review asked Görgényi about the music scene in Hungary today: "It is quite a flat scene. A million cheap bands and performers chasing big money, trying to copy the biggest and smaller Western stars, who do the exact same stupid music." All members of After Crying are quick to praise Gergely Böszörményi, publisher of the band's music, for having the vision to promote and support this part of Hungarian music. After Crying is an experience to be enjoyed both on record and in concert. It is a musical phenomenon, requiring the undivided attention of its listeners. Fans who discover After Crying come back for the challenge repeatedly, and the band's eight brilliant musicians are more than happy to reciprocate and meet that challenge each time. © Mel Huang, © 2000 - Central Europe Review and Internet servis, a.s. All Rights Reserved, www.ce-review.org/00/12/huang12.html

MORE ABOUT AFTER CRYING

After Crying is a Hungarian musical ensemble, established in 1986, which composes and performs contemporary classical music or symphonic rock. They use instruments ranging from classical acoustical instruments like cello, trumpet, piano, flute to the instruments of a modern rock band. They sometimes perform with traditional chamber or symphony orchestras. Their studio albums contain numerous variations in instruments and composition. Though the band has been on an extended hiatus, they announced in January 2008 that they are now "waking up" from their "silent times," playing a light concert schedule as Gábor Egervári recovers from an unsaid illness. [ [http://blog. myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=322853932&blogID=351324486 After Crying's Myspace Blog, January 25, 2008] ]