By now, it’s over forty years ago that Turbo released one of the best debut heavy metal albums of the early eighties in the shape of ‘Dorosłe Dzieci‘. Their most recent albums ‘Strażnik Światła’ and ‘Piąty Żywioł’, both over a decade old at this point, were textbook examples of an old heavy metal band aging gracefully: expertly crafted hard rock and heavy metal songs, though without the youthful fire of their early work. Imagine my surprise when the intro of ‘Nowy Rozdział’ came blasting out of my speakers. While ‘Blizny’ is clearly the work of the same Turbo, something has re-energized the band.

Throughout their career, Turbo has found itself swaying back and forth between traditional heavy metal and thrash metal. Although ‘Blizny’ sounds notably more aggressive than its three predecessors, the aggression isn’t necessarily that of a thrash metal band. Instead, the most intense moments on ‘Blizny’ have more in common with the less polished end of the power metal spectrum. Also, the latter half of the album in particular contains a few songs that easily could have fit on ‘Strażnik Światła’ and ‘Piąty Żywioł’, if the production was a bit more old school. And that is exactly where ‘Blizny’ is one of Turbo’s best albums.

Unlike previous albums which went all in on the modernity (2001’s ‘Awatar’) or thrashing intensity (1987’s ‘Ostatni Wojownik’), multiple extremes of Turbo’s sound are present on ‘Blizny’, and they enhance each other nicely. Sometimes even within the same song; ‘Zawrót Głowy’ combines the melodic elegance of traditional heavy metal with more contemporary, propulsive rhythms in a very effective manner. But the occasional bite that ‘Blizny’ has also helps songs like the classy ‘Magnetczny Sen’ or the somewhat melancholic ‘Na Dno’ stand out more than they would have otherwise. In lesser hands, that could make the album end up sounding disjointed, but it works wonders here.

Aside from the aforementioned opening track ‘Nowy Rozdział’, which bulldozes through everything in its path even though it has a more open chorus, ‘Łotr’ is another highlight. It largely is one of the more aggressive songs on the album, but is made all the more dynamic through some quieter sections. Having a strong, versatile singer like Tomasz Struszczyk is quite helpful in creating such a song. Closing track ‘Zwyczajnie Nie’ is another highly dynamic song which culminates in a supremely melodic finale. On the lighter side of the album, ‘Przyjdź do Mnie’ is a fantastic hardrocker that gives Struszczyk all the space he needs to excel.

‘Blizny’ is easily Turbo’s best album since 2006’s ‘Tożsamość’, possibly even since ‘Ostatni Wojownik’. Guitarist Wojciech Hoffmann and his men have really gathered all their strengths and poured them into a bunch of great songs, which – partly due to the modern, yet surprisingly natural production – demand a little more attention than usual. Struszczyk’s highly versatile voice really helps bring out all the dynamics ‘Blizny’ aims for, and he is truly a worthy successor to the legendary Grzegorz Kupczyk. All of this makes ‘Blizny’ a must-hear if you like heavy metal, and adventurous hardrockers may just find something to enjoy here as well.

Recommended tracks: ‘Nowy Rozdział’, ‘Łotr’, ‘Zwyczajnie Nie’, ‘Przyjdź do Mnie’