Under the Radar Music: May 2026

Funny to see the name of Polis, as that's the name of our current governor here in Colorado. I'm guessing it's a German word meaning "raise your taxes."

Speaking of which, language plays a major role in the sound of Polis. They sing defiantly in their native German, and from my perspective that's a positive development. Indigenous languages offer up one more ingredient to the stew. Because of this, the first thought one might have is Weitklang is Deutschrock, but that's certainly not the case here. Because they are located in the former East Germany, it's also been suggested they represent the sounds of the late 70s and early 80s GDR progressive rock bands. I don't hear that either, primarily because the guitars are of the modern variety. The heavy guitar tone conjured up on Weitklang is very much of a post 90s sound. It's this same guitar that also keeps it from the retro prog realms, that I originally thought it might fit comfortably with. The real stars of the show are the analog keyboard beasts of yore, primarily Hammond organ and analog synthesizers. This keeps the balance nicely and the album avoids falling into the stoner trap. Apparently Polis started as a blues rock band, and that's apparent in some of the guitar solo parts. I'm not so keen on the songs themselves, but most of the tracks have some fine instrumental mid sections.

2/5/24 (review)

2/5/24 (new entry)

Under the Radar Music

May 31, 2026

Rhùn ~ France

Polis ~ Germany

May 19, 2026

Vespero ~ Russia

Quantum Fantay ~ Belgium

Arcane ~ England

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