Reviews

The Last Sunrise can be warmly recommended for the fans of modern prog rock, but it’s not one of those essential records.
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Ey, oop, time for some Polish prog. And if you've been paying attention, you'll know that the Poles have become very adept at this modern prog malarkey. Their football team may be rubbish and, frankly, kotlet schabowy is a culinary abomination, but when it comes to dense and intricate progressive rock, they certainly hit all the right buttons. If you've got a long memory, you may recall a Polish prog band called Xanadu from back in the nineties. Well, this is a sort of relaunched, regurgitated version, with drummer Hubert Murawski the link betwixt hither and thither. This time around, they're going for a fairly aggressive yet still melodic version of prog, with some interesting and dark vocals from Mish Jarski. It's a melancholic take on prog, so they have a fair amount in common with their countrymen Riverside, which in turn means its very Pink Floyd in places. They're at their best when they stretch out and head off into the instrumental master classes that are 'Violent Dream – Part 1' and the title track. There are vocals on the tracks, but it's the swooping and swaying, ducking and diving musical interplay that keeps the headphones rooted to your head. They're very good at what they do, and even if we've heard it before, it's still a very good album indeed.
www.the-rocker.co.uk

'Melancholic progressive rock' is the way the band describe themselves, and there's certainly plenty of it here, but I think it's a bit of a red herring as the album unfolds with passages of truly uplifting music. This is particularly evident on the wholly instrumental title track which is superbly anthemic with a guitar figure to die for. Another gem is the ten minute plus 'Violent Dream Part 1' - everything a prog fan wants encapsulated in one track, soaring guitar, swirling keys, loud passages, quiet passages, oh you name it, it's here. Taken as a complete piece of work, and bearing in mind this is only the band's second foray into a studio, for contemporary progressive rock this is just about as good as it gets. Even the doyens of Polish prog, Riverside, will surely hold their collective hands up and realise they'll have to up the ante to retain their place at the head of the table. Astonishing.
www.getreadytorock.com/reviews2011/xanadu.htm

Taken as a complete piece of work, and bearing in mind this is only the band's second foray into a studio, for contemporary progressive rock this is just about as good as it gets. Even the doyens of Polish prog, Riverside, will surely hold their collective hands up and realise they'll have to up the ante to retain their place at the head of the table. Astonishing.
www.getreadytorock.com/reviews2011/xanadu.htm

Xanadu plays a very modern progressive rock, with just the right amount of heaviness to give a harder edge to the progressions, the crescendos and the changes in time signature. Their musicality is quite close to that of Riverside, with the exact same attitude, interplay and track construction type, but they also show some connections to Indukti, Lunatic Soul and, on another hand, Satellite and Collage. But in many aspects, they also sound like another modernized spawn of Abraxas....In the end, this is an excellent début from a very promising band. And for fans of Riverside, “The Last Sunrise” is nothing shorter than absolutely obligatory (if you fit in this category; trust me this is a blind buy that will not disappoint you in any way). A great album indeed!
www.proggnosis.com/PGRelease.asp?RID=35121

Being a fan of Riverside's music I had no problems at all that the music on The Last Sunrise could as well have been taken from one of their records. As long as the 45 minutes of music had the quality to entertain I just didn't care that the 'progski' sound is present. This expression for Riverside's sound was invented by DJ Joel Graig to describe Poland's musical style. It's difficult to mention any special favourites since the band succeeded in recording a very well-balanced album on which mellow and up-tempo pieces alternate just as on the CDs of Riverside. That's certainly meant as a compliment to the musicians involved. They made sure that the album never has a dull moment or gets bored. I can only finish this review by saying that The Last Sunrise is highly recommend to all Riverside fans. Maybe this album lacks originality, but still it's very well done!
www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDReviews/XanaduLastSunrise.html

I would like to recommend “The Last Sunrise” of the Polish band Xanadu to fans of that other Polish band Riverside and to fans of progressive metal. For me the progressive songs on this album have the most diversity. For me the two long tracks “Violent Dream part 1” and “The Last Sunrise” are together with “One Moment” the highlights of this album. Just check it out!
www.progvisions.nl/reviews_uk/xan_tls_uk.htm#

While musicianship and composition is strong, they are at a premium on the two longest tracks. Violent Dream Part 1, an instrumental, is the first, allowing for well-planned movements and integration of every instrument, excepting the vocals. Thanks to that last feature it's the best track on the album. That's not say that Michal Jarski is poor vocalist; just not that compelling. That is until you hear him on the second best, and last track, The Last Sunrise. He's smooth and effective, but also a minimal player. Again as with Violent Dream, the combination of instruments and a diverse arrangement drives the song to its heights. For a debut, The Last Sunrise is a ambitious and entertaining first start for Xanadu. Considering the ground swell of creativity from Poland's progressive music community, we can expect continued success from this band. Recommended.
www.dangerdog.com/2011-music-reviews/xanadu-the-last-sunrise-review.php