When I first heard of the release “World Is Round” by Polish progressive act BELIEVE I was intrigued because I read comparisons to bands like MARILLION. That band of British progsters has long been a favorite, so I had to give BELIEVE a listen.

What you get with “World Is Round” is a “light progressive” sound focusing on arrangement and harmonies. There are some abrasive guitar riffs and processed vocals thrown in to add edginess on a few tracks but overall you get moody tunes with use of exotic instruments like the violin and sitar. I have always liked the sound of violin when used in rock music and BELIEVE does a fine job of incorporating it in their sound on this record.

Standout tracks include “World Is Round” with its smooth, gentle vocals and calming violin sound and “Cut Me Paste Me’, with an edgy, modern sound and aggressive feel. Other songs like “So Well” and “Bored”, which may be my favorite of the record, is slightly epic and classy as heck with great vocals and nice instrumentation.

There are a few quirky tunes along the way but you have to almost expect that with any type of progressive music, though it never strays to far off the beaten path and make one loose interest.

Another favorite, “New Hands” reminds of MARILLION as it melds together sounds of both the Fish and Hogarth era. The album closing “Poor King Of Sun/Return” has an Arabian flavor in the beginning and clocks in at just less than ten minutes; by far the longest track on the record. Even though, as a whole, this album would be classified as progressive music, the band writes fairly accessible tunes and most songs are in the four or five minute range.

BELIEVE is a interesting band to look into if you love that light progressive and moody sound you get from bands like MARILLION or PORCUPINE TREE. One final note; the production on “World Is Round” is stellar, with each instrument having its own space and clarity.