Lunatic Soul

Lunatic Soul is a progressive rock side-project founded by Riverside vocalist and bass guitarist Mariusz Duda in 2008. Originally conceived to allow him to explore genres outside of rock, the project was described by Duda in 2014 as progressive, ambient, oriental, and electronic. Lunatic Soul has released seven albums to date. The most recent, '' Through Shaded Woods'', came out on 13 November 2020, and has been described by Duda as "more folky" than previous releases.

Albums

2008: ''Lunatic Soul''

Lunatic Soul's debut, self-titled studio album was released on 13 October 2008 on Kscope. Guest appearances included then- UnSun and Indukti drummer Wawrzyniec Dramowicz as well as Riverside keyboardist Michał Łapaj.

The record reached No. 23 on the Polish OLiS chart and was voted Best Album of the Year by listeners of the ''Noc Muzycznych Pejzaży'' radio program.

Reviewers described it as "forty-five minutes of moving, meticulously thought-out music", noting the oriental-ambient sound of the project as distinctive from the music of Duda's primary band, Riverside. The German magazine ''Eclipsed'' rated the album 9/10 and described the music as "trip rock".

2010: ''Lunatic Soul II''

The projects's second album, titled ''Lunatic Soul II'', was released on 25 October 2010 by both Mystic Production and Kscope, debuting at No. 13 on the OLiS chart in Poland. Reviewers compared the music to such artists as Dead Can Dance and Peter Gabriel.

Music critics pointed out that ''Lunatic Soul II'' is more musically accessible than the debut and includes more melodic content. They placed emphasis on Duda's continued experimentation, expressed through the use of unconventional instruments, such as the Chinese guzheng, tubular bells, the cajón, and the kalimba.

2011: ''Impressions''

On October 107, 2011, Kscope released Lunatic Soul's third album, titled ''Impressions'', the project's first entirely instrumental record. The tracks were created during the recording sessions for the previous two albums and were initially intended to be an addition to the reissues of those albums. Duda ultimately felt that the compositions were strong enough to stand as a separate record.

When asked why the album was instrumental, Duda explained: "I grew up mainly on instrumental music. I had to have such an album in my discography". The tracks on ''Impressions'' include a range of non-musical sounds, such as an electrocardiogram, falling water droplets, and steel being forged. Duda's voice is rarely present and functions more as an additional instrument than as traditional vocals.

2014: ''Walking on a Flashlight Beam''

Lunatic Soul's fourth album, titled ''Walking on a Flashlight Beam'', was released on 13 October 2014 by Mystic Production in Poland and Kscope worldwide. It consists of 9 tracks and contains nearly 64 minutes of music, with Duda acting as sole composer and playing all instruments except drums.

Album reviews pointed out that ''Walking on a Flashlight Beam'' differs significantly from the project's previous releases, with greater emphasis on electronics as well as a strong rhythm, resulting in a rock-oriented sound.

2017: ''Fractured''

On 6 October 2017, Lunatic Soul's fifth album, titled ''Fractured'', was released by Mystic Production in Poland and Kscope internationally. It consists of eight tracks in an electronic rock style, blending elements of progressive rock and ambient music as well as the addition of a symphony orchestra.

Duda has stated that the inspiration for the album was the death of two people close to him—his father and Piotr Grudziński, guitarist of Riverside.

2018: ''Under the Fragmented Sky''

The sixth Lunatic Soul album, titled ''Under the Fragmented Sky'', was released on 25 May 2018. Consisting of eight tracks, all of which are instrumental except the title track and "Untamed".

Reviewers emphasized the material's accessibility

2020: ''Through Shaded Woods''

The seventh album by Lunatic Soul, ''Through Shaded Woods'', came out on 13 November 2020. It is inspired by Scandinavian and Slavic folk music and references the work of bands such as Heilung and Wardruna. The album consists of six tracks, and in a special limited edition, it includes over 30 minutes of additional music. For the first time in the project's history, Duda plays all the instruments on the record.

''Through Shaded Woods'' includes no electronic elements, which dominated earlier Lunatic Soul albums, consisting instead of acoustic guitars, bass. and keyboards.

2025: New album

At the end of 2024, Duda announced that Lunatic Soul's eighth record would be released in 2025 and is intended to be a double album, containing almost 1.5 hours of music. On 10 June 2025, Lunatic Soul released the first single from the album, titled "The World Under Unsun".

Discography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lunatic Soul
Musical groups established in 2008
Mystic Production artists
Polish progressive rock groups