UMUR "Ultra-Selfish Revolution" is the 2nd full-length studio album by progressive/groove metal act Egoist. The album was released through Selfmadegod Records in March 2009. Egoist is a one-man project formed by Stanislaw Wolonciej in 2006 (Wolonciej is also the drummer in NewBreed and Angerpath). Wolonciej had quite a few issues releasing his debut full-length studio album "Dead Egg (2007)", as the label (Magik Art Entertainment) he had a deal with broke the contract, so the album was never officially released. There are copies available for download on the internet, and according to Wolonciej it´s not illegal to download them. As the case was on the debut album Wolonciej performs all instruments and vocals on "Ultra-Selfish Revolution", except a couple of guest guitar solos by Patrick Mameli (Pestilence).

Stylistically the material on "Ultra-Selfish Revolution" continues the progressive groove laden and heavy metal style of "Dead Egg (2007)". I hear a strong Meshuggah influence in the heavy odd-metered riffs and rhythms, but there is a dominant atmospheric element in the music too (atmopsheric guitars and synths add that element). The vocals aren´t harsh, and often remind me of the unorthodox clean vocals in Voivod. Wolonciej doesn´t have the most distinct sounding voice, but his delivery has improved a lot since the debut, where the vocals were definitely the weak link in the music. Here they aren´t extraordinary, but they aren´t weak either.

The musicianship is strong and it´s not audible that Wolonciej is predominantly a drummer. He is a very capable multi-instrumentalist. "Ultra-Selfish Revolution" features a well sounding and powerful production, which suits the material on the 8 track, 42:14 minutes long album perfectly. Upon conclusion it´s a step up in professionalism, delivery, and songwriting compared to the debut album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Dead Egg" is the debut full-length studio album by polish progressive/ experimental metal act Egoist. Egoist is a one-man project by Stanislaw Wolonciej who plays all instruments and sings all vocals on the album. Stanislaw Wolonciej also plays drums in NewBreed and Angerpath. Both bands also feature his brother Tomasz Wolonciej. "Dead Egg" is produced by Stanislaw Wolonciej himself.

"Dead Egg" was to have been released in 2007, but because Magik Art Entertainment broke their contract with Stanislaw Wolonciej, the album has never seen an official release. I therefore contacted Stanislaw to get his permission to download and review "Dead Egg" and here´s what he said. I have copied/ pasted his answer here so this is a direct quote: "hi there, and thanks for being interested:). You know, the guy from Magik Art Ent. who seemed to release this stuff, just broke the contract, so any kind of downloading from the web is not illegal;). So, if you want to review dead egg, just download this stuff;). And it's OK from me. thanks and all the best, stan". So I would like to take the opportunity to thank Stanislaw for giving me the opportunity to review his album.

The music on the album is pretty innovative progressive/ experimental metal. There´s something about Stanislaw´s one-man army approach that reminds me of Devin Townsend but there´s more to Egoist than that. So don´t expect a Devin Townsend clone. I also hear a slight Meshuggah influence in the complex heavy riffing which is also a big part of the sound on the album. Stanislaw masters all instruments on an impressive level. I was actually quite surprised that he is first and foremost a drummer because his guitar playing is very impressive (his drumming is impeccable too of course). Lots of original runs and excellent ideas in his playing. Just listen to the beginning of "With Eyes Full of Colors". What a great twisted theme. The music is complex and intriguing throughout the album culminating in the impressive 13:46 minutes long instrumental closer "Flora". Lots of guitar solos grace the album and really strong solos they are. The vocals are one of the weaker links in the chain and while I find them acceptable I don´t find them really good. A bit too monotone to my ears. The songs are well composed but sometimes there are parts that don´t seem connected to the rest of the song that they appear in and that is a slight weakness too. Overall this is a very interesting album though and quite the achivement for one man.

The production is pretty good allthough there are weaknesses like the vocal sound which is not always to my taste. When they are effect laden they are best IMO. But Stanislaw´s vocals sound a bit restrained and weak when they don´t rely on vocal effects. It´s not a major problem when the instrumental side of the album is so strong but it is a minor weakness.

"Dead Egg" is a strong album by Egoist and it´s a real shame that it hasn´t seen an official release yet because I´m sure that many people would enjoy the material on the album. There are still some things that need to be improved but a 3 - 3.5 star rating is deserved. A very fresh and inspired album IMO.