This time it is a double cd though. On closer inspection, however, it is not entirely surprising because this is a performance in Poland where not only music from Millenium was played, but Ryszard Kramarski also has his other projects integrated into this beautiful live registration. We hear music from Framauro, Father&Son as well as from the Ryszard Kramarski Project and important additions are the larger number of vocalists and of course guitarist Marcin Kruczek, more on this later.

The basis of Millenium has of course been a fixed fact for a while, Grzegorz Bauer on drums, Krzystof Wyrwa on bass, Piotr Plonka on guitar and Kramarski himself on keys and guitar. Since the departure of Lukasz "Gall" Galeziowski, David Lewandowski has been the singer and he is getting better and better. The recently added flutist/saxophonist Lukasz Platek is also present but then come the differences, Ania Batko, Marek Smelkowski, Michal Kramarski, veteran Lukasz Galeziowski, and even Galahad vocalist Stuart Nicholson all provide part of the vocals. That results in wonderful duets, but it also seems as if they push each other to a higher level because it all sounds very good. I love Plonka's guitar playing because of his sense of timing and melody and the addition of the aforementioned Kruczek makes Universum a true feast for fans of guitar solos that don't necessarily break the speed limit but rely on melody and timing.. Beautiful.

As also mentioned. We get a mix of tracks from all the projects of which Kramarski is the engine and composer and that results in a colourful whole but everything fits within the prog rock frameworks without any longer, complicated songs that we might know from Millenium. Is that a pity? Well, a little bit, but it does keep the momentum going because we get to hear/see no less than nineteen tracks. When you have such a huge amount of music to choose from, it makes sense that Ryszard didn't choose all the songs I like, but somehow this doesn't bother me that much. In this case the whole is better than the individual parts because there is a very nice atmosphere and where I did complain about the enthusiasm of the band members on Souvenirs from Holland, that is not a problem here. Of course the last albums of all projects are central, but there are also some older tracks played, but to discuss all nineteen is not wise and desirable. Still, I would like to highlight one song and that is Through the Looking Glass (Past the Veil of Clouds) because everything comes together so beautifully here, Batko and Lewandowski sing beautifully and both guitarists duel as if it were a sweet delight, without designating a winner by the way.

In terms of sound, it is all fine and the live atmosphere is well preserved, so the CD is very nice. How does the image relate to Souvenirs? It is clear that there was more influence and budget available and that is paying off. It all looks very professional and slick and as already mentioned, the band is clearly more involved and plays with more intensity. Even Gall, who is certainly not a fan of live performance, shows once again why he is one of my favourite vocalists within neoprog.

For those who have a warm heart for Millenium, it takes some getting used to the somewhat flatter tracks of the various projects, but for me that habituation was quickly a fact because I have listened and watched this all-encompassing "Universe" by Kramarski with great pleasure and can heartily recommend it. If you don't know the music of Millenium yet, this is a great entry option, at least, if you don't like overly complex and heavy prog. It’s all about melody.

Sound 90

Image 88