Last week saw me unfitting writing reviews for medical reasons. The truth was I needed some time to myself with something quiet and non-metal related anyway. Thus this break allowed me to delve a little further into Tamas Katai’s another recent offering, his solo album Slower Structures. And while Tamas claimed his other collaboration, Neolunar, has nothing to do with metal, it is actually Slower Structures which is more so, just the man, his piano and his thoughts.

What I always loved about Tamas’ works, any of them, is how I feel he has been putting his reflections on the subjects around him into his compositions. For Slower Structures many of these are short snippets of life around the artist while in Edinburgh, Scotland, things he was able to spot in various settings, akin to Mussorgsky going out and writing the whole album about the pictures at the exhibition he attended (no, I am not insinuating that Tamas Katai and Mussorgsky, a great Russian composer, are on the same plane). Here is the hustle and bustle at the museum gathering, with xylophone providing the necessary hint of percussion (Tea at the Museum). Or, waves churning off shore, clouds gathering strength and cello/contrabass sounding like a distant thunder on A Midday Storm in the Marchmont. Most of the compositions on Slower Structures are introspective, ivory twinkles driven, yet direct, even in the names of their titles. Raining this Morning sees the author looking out the window realizing he is about to go out into the cold autumn rain, while Hydrangea Blue sounds almost hymnal, even though piano is just about the only instrument playing.

Cello/contrabass and, more rarely, violin are summoned in support, and do so well, especially contrabass. It plays a slow stagnant solo on Slowing Waters, or provides velvet soft thick relaxing sound on Waltz of Niau, or settling effect on Music for Breakfast. Compositions where these instruments are combined in unison with piano were the highlights of the album for me. Indeed, I like more literal, simpler, less electronics involved tracks on Slower Structures more. Experimental noise of Visage, or odd disquieting sound of Polimer C90 (I am a chemist but never heard of this kind), even the shimmering sound of sister compositions Color Positive and Color Negative was standoffish and not in line with where the most of Slower Structures took me. I perfectly understand why Tamas did not want to be mono-dimensional on the album, but my tired being just wanted peace and quiet, so listening to anything electronic and distressing was something I was not in the mood for.

An album which is not necessarily Metal Reviews material, Tamas always gets a free pass. File it on the same shelf where you keep Erika Szobaja, the predecessor being a little more straightforward. Neolunar, solo work, Thy Catafalque recent album is next.