Style: progressive rock, ambient (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Riverside, Gazpacho, all Steven Wilson projects
Country: Poland
Release date: 31 October 2025

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Some minds are simply too active for a single project. Modern prog rock stalwarts Riverside have released an impressive eight albums since the early 2000s, but that’s not nearly enough for Mariusz Duda, the band’s vocalist, bassist, occasional guitarist, and primary songwriter. Along with the 2016 record Breaking Habits as part of the trio Meller Gołyźniak Duda, and several minimalist-leaning works under his own name, Duda has now put out another eight albums via his long-running solo project, Lunatic Soul. The man’s prolific, to say the least. 

With Lunatic Soul’s characteristic mix of progressive rock and ambient, latest release and double album The World Under Unsun drifts the listener through ninety minutes of lush soundscapes, peppering in some slightly more conventional, song-oriented cuts along the way. Evidently, the album is the last piece of an interconnected narrative—spanning the project’s entire discography—about an artist-traveller journeying through a fated loop of life, death, and rebirth. Admittedly, I hadn’t been aware that the records told a story, much less followed it, but all of Lunatic Soul’s prior works have stood up perfectly well on their own. Fortunately, The World Under Unsun is no different, marking another solid entry from one of prog’s ubiquitous figures.

If you’re familiar with Lunatic Soul, nothing in The World Under Unsun’s lengthy runtime will come as much of a surprise; and if you’re not, the record packs a spread of songs that showcase the project’s various sides. We’ve got tracks that build hypnotically around central synth or piano lines, gentle ballads and ambient pieces, and meandering compositions that explore a broader range of sounds—the standard Lunatic Soul fare, colored by Duda’s recognizably melodic vocals. All the while, a somber and often ethereal atmospheric through line guides us from start to finish and holds the experience together. For a progressive double album of ninety minutes, The World Under Unsun is remarkably easy to digest.

As expected from Duda, the songwriting is strong, particularly for a release that leans so heavily on ambience and atmosphere. The title track builds entrancingly around a relatively basic synth idea, slowly unfolding a compelling seven minutes’ worth of changing textures, catchy melodies, and resonant vocals. Standout track “The Prophecy” follows a similar playbook, but this time, graceful piano and a gorgeous vocal refrain stand in the center. Meanwhile, the nearly tear-inducing ballad “Good Memories Don’t Want to Die” brings back some slight folkiness in its main melody, a common feature in much of Lunatic Soul’s previous work. However, it’s “Confession” that sticks out as the album’s most immediately enjoyable piece—a short, almost radio-friendly song that highlights Duda’s masterful sense of melody and his tasteful bass playing. 

The World Under Unsun also holds four songs over the eight-minute mark, each tending to be more adventurous in its composition. Among these, the mostly instrumental “Hands Made of Lead” works best, offering some really neat interplay between the guitars, bass, and synths. Maybe more than any other track, “Hands Made of Lead” exhibits the progressive rock side of Lunatic Soul, placing the spotlight primarily on the instrumental performances. On the other hand, the bouncy, synth-heavy “Game Called Life” is the least memorable of the longer cuts, spending too much time reiterating and layering over a few less-than-riveting synth lines. The track does, however, break free in its final minute and a half, led by a big, rumbling bass line and accented by dreamy melodic touches. 

The main limitation of The World Under Unsun isn’t a flaw so much as something inherent in Lunatic Soul’s style: despite being full of interesting ideas, the album still lends itself best to passive listening. The music is somewhat of a contradiction. Progressive rock is a genre that often demands active listening, and so too do some aspects of The World Under Unsun, namely when the instrumentation or vocals are the focal point. Conversely, by its nature, ambient music provides a more passive listening experience. So, outside of the mentioned album highlights, I find myself zoning out for long stretches. When I mentally check back in, whatever’s being played is always pleasant and well put together, but my attention inevitably fades again. This is all to say The World Under Unsun is a perfectly satisfying listen—a fantastic soundtrack while my focus is elsewhere—but it’s tough to engage with fully, especially over the course of a double album. Perhaps buying into and following the narrative would provide a more active experience. 

However one takes in the album, The World Under Unsun undeniably boasts a rich ninety minutes of music. Duda packs a diverse selection of song structures and textures while never losing sight of how the work coheres as a whole. Although some parts are more musically engaging than others, the quality stays high throughout, and it’s easy to find something to enjoy at any given moment. So, we’ll call it another win for Duda and Lunatic Soul. Aside from being among the more prolific figures in prog, Duda further proves that he’s also one of the most consistent.

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Recommended tracks: The World Under Unsun, Good Memories Don’t Want to Die, The Prophecy, Hands Made of Lead, Confession
You may also like: SubLunar, Oak, Jonathan Hultén
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Inside Out Music

Lunatic Soul is:
– Mariusz Duda (everything)